The journey to Bryce Canyon today was a nice relief from the desert as we headed over and through the Dixie National Forest via Highway 12. Part of the forest was still on fire and there were fire warnings throughout our journey. The Dixie National Forest is a blanket of dense Spruce and Ponderosa Pine with stunning views into valleys far below. At one point in our journey we almost reached a height of ten thousand feet, for the second time since coming to Utah. And we’ve seen more animals in the last few hours than in the whole time in the state – grazing cattle, fields full of horses, deer and antelope as well as small marmots or chipmunks (not sure which). And we have also seen an Eagle but only for a few secconds.
The most staggering landscape we saw on our journey was the Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument. Although we only saw a small sliver of its 1.9 million acres it really was a sight to behold. At one point the road followed a high ridge with sheer cliffs either side, which made our stomachs churn. Driving the RV so close to the edge made us very nervous indeed.
We stopped in that area to make a brew and calm our shattered nerves. It turned out that the place we stopped at was one of the last places in the USA to be formerly on the map. It remained unknown until relatively recently and has since proved to be a mine of archeological finds – dinosaur bones, early mammals and sea creatures going back tens of millions of years! It’s hard to believe this place was once a vast tropical ocean when, now, there’s hardly a drop of water to be found. But the evidence is clear and has come to light due to the rising of the Colorado plateau in relatively recent history, uncovering all these hidden fossils.
We reached the campground around 1:30pm and I immediately crashed out feeling exhausted -from the driving and so much sun. Rachel woke me up an hour later and had thankfully planned our next move – a shuttle ride to Sunset Point and a 3 hour walk around the most unusual landscape we’ve ever seen. So different from anything else we’ve encountered while on this trip, the giant Hoodoos looked mysterious and grotesque: the remains of what used to be a plateau, which has eroded in such a way as to leave these strange forms behind.
The Queen’s Garden was like walking through a grotto. Trees, who’s roots have been exposed by the eroding earth barely cling to life in many parts. We walked through labarinth-like corridors of stone. Some of the stone was orange, some was white. Part of the walk followed the river bed, which was as dry as a bone but must look and sound spectacular when in full flow.
We caught one of the last shuttles back to the campground and ate out at a local restaurant. Unfortunately the food was a bit of an anticlimax after what was a really great day.
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