Day 25 (Hoodoos and cooler temps)
Day 25
July 16, 2006
Zion NP, UT to Bryce Canyon NP, UT (87 miles)
The night winds at Zion didn’t come until 4 AM making for pretty tough sleeping conditions. We read in USA Today that Baltimore was going to be 99 degrees and sunny today, but that news did very little to make us feel better. Frank’s first thought was of the fire fighters and paramedics who would run their butts off in weather like that. Pace yourselves, my brothers and sisters.
We paused at the west end of the 1.1-mile-long tunnel that carries traffic out of the east entrance of Zion long enough to let a motor home get through the tunnel without opposing traffic. The tunnel, up hill and with several curves, was finished in 1930 and was not built to accommodate large modern vehicles. It is too narrow and low to allow RVs to pass unless they straddle the center line. Therefore, traffic can only proceed one way at a time when a large vehicle wants to pass. As we waited for the motor home to come toward us, we stepped out of our cars and took a last look at Zion Canyon. It is truly one of the world’s special places. Everyone should make an effort to spend a day or two here before they die.
The drive to Bryce Canyon was short by our standards on this trip (only 2 hours). We gained elevation most of the way, climbing from about 4,100 feet to about 7,000 feet. The air was 20 degrees cooler at Bryce Canyon, much to our delight.
Bryce is the land of the hoodoo. Hoodoos are columnar spires of stone that remain as towering turrets after the surrounding stone has been eroded away by rain water over millions of years. They resist erosion because they are capped by a dolomite layer which is considerably more durable than the sand, lime and mud stone surrounding each hoodoo.
We ate a late buffet lunch at Ruby’s, a landmark resort and campground just outside the park’s entrance. Later, we took a guided walk from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point (one half mile on the Rim Trail) before returning to our campsite for a simple dinner and early slumber. The sleeping was delightful with an overnight low of about 60 degrees.
July 16, 2006
Zion NP, UT to Bryce Canyon NP, UT (87 miles)
The night winds at Zion didn’t come until 4 AM making for pretty tough sleeping conditions. We read in USA Today that Baltimore was going to be 99 degrees and sunny today, but that news did very little to make us feel better. Frank’s first thought was of the fire fighters and paramedics who would run their butts off in weather like that. Pace yourselves, my brothers and sisters.We paused at the west end of the 1.1-mile-long tunnel that carries traffic out of the east entrance of Zion long enough to let a motor home get through the tunnel without opposing traffic. The tunnel, up hill and with several curves, was finished in 1930 and was not built to accommodate large modern vehicles. It is too narrow and low to allow RVs to pass unless they straddle the center line. Therefore, traffic can only proceed one way at a time when a large vehicle wants to pass. As we waited for the motor home to come toward us, we stepped out of our cars and took a last look at Zion Canyon. It is truly one of the world’s special places. Everyone should make an effort to spend a day or two here before they die.
The drive to Bryce Canyon was short by our standards on this trip (only 2 hours). We gained elevation most of the way, climbing from about 4,100 feet to about 7,000 feet. The air was 20 degrees cooler at Bryce Canyon, much to our delight.
Bryce is the land of the hoodoo. Hoodoos are columnar spires of stone that remain as towering turrets after the surrounding stone has been eroded away by rain water over millions of years. They resist erosion because they are capped by a dolomite layer which is considerably more durable than the sand, lime and mud stone surrounding each hoodoo.We ate a late buffet lunch at Ruby’s, a landmark resort and campground just outside the park’s entrance. Later, we took a guided walk from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point (one half mile on the Rim Trail) before returning to our campsite for a simple dinner and early slumber. The sleeping was delightful with an overnight low of about 60 degrees.
posted by Hazzard Family | 17:11
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