Weather: sunny with light cirrus, hot
I was up at 7.45, and had a breakfast of eggs and toast next door before setting out for Bryce Canyon, about seventy miles away to the north.
I was somewhat surprised to encounter numerous cyclists on the way, the hot desert climate and the huge distances between towns making life difficult for them - certainly a far cry from cycling around the villages of Oxfordshire.
Around 15 miles from the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park, the scenery became quite spectacular. I had entered the Red Canyon area within the Dixie National Forest, full of deep red rock formations, often with pillars carved into elaborate shapes (known as hoodoos by the combined effects of wind, water and the passage of time. I paused briefly at a small Visitor Center, but did not linger as I wanted to spend the time at Bryce. Impressive though the scenery was, I knew to expect even better at Bryce. Red Canyon could almost be regarded as a ``taster'' to tempt in visitors as they travelled along the highway.
Bryce Canyon is somewhat inappropriately named, since it is not a canyon at all but a cliff edge. The plateau of the Dixie National Forest drops sharply away, by up to 300 metres in places, to more open plains to the east. Over thousands of years, weathering of the varied rocks has caused many elaborate formations to appear, existing on timescales long by human terms but a mere twinkling of an eye geologically. The main road through the national park is near the rim, continuing for some thirty miles and gently sloping up to the promontory of Rainbow Point, offering several viewpoints and trailheads for hikes below the rim along the way.
Upon entering Bryce, I stopped first at the Visitor Center for information. The recommendation was that motorists first take the road non-stop down to Rainbow Point, turn there and then head back to the north. With all the viewpoints to the east of the road, this made for ease of stopping without having to turn across oncoming traffic and also left the most impressive scenery until last.
I followed this advice and headed for Rainbow Point, taking care to observe the low speed limits within the park, and encountering several sets of roadworks on the way. On one stretch I was surprised to find that rather than simply obey the usual temporary traffic lights or stop/go person, I had to follow an escort vehicle. Its purpose became clearer as several large construction vehicles were manoeuvering on the roadway - evidently they did not trust drivers to stop for these.
Rainbow Point offered a superb view across the surrounding landscape. Far from any large urban areas, with a dry desert climate, and at an altitude of over 2800 metres, it offers some of the clearest views of anywhere in the continental USA, with mountain peaks well over 100 miles away frequently visible. However it was the scenery immediately below which was the most impressive, with many elaborate pillars of rock (known as ``hoodoos''), surrounded by the area's ubiquitous Pondorosa pines, often struggling for root-hold on the crumbling rocks.
On the road back north, I stopped several times to admire the view, leaving the car for a closer look and to take a few photographs where it was particularly impressive. Notable was the viewpoint from the ``Natural Bridge'' of a natural arch. (The distinction is that a natural bridge is formed by running water, whereas an arch is formed by weathering.)
I drove to the main campground area, with its copious car-parking, stopped and looked around for somewhere for lunch. I purchased a slice of pizza, cinnamon Danish pastry and a large drink from the campground stores, and sat outside to eat. I was a little way back from the rim and the view was nothing spectacular, consisting mainly of trees. However I was not far from Sunrise Point, the trailhead for some of the most spectacular walks below the rim.
Suitably refreshed, I set out on one of these, the Queens Garden Trail. There was nothing particularly horticultural or regal about the trail, it merely being one of the rather fanciful names given to part of the elaborate rock formations with which I was surrounded. Every turn of the trail offered something new to see.
There was little or no shade on the trail, but this was not a problem as the temperature was warm but not unpleasantly so, no doubt in part due to the relatively high altitude (2500m). I still found myself needing to pause for water, and also to decide where to go next once I reached the end of the Queens Garden Trail at a junction with the so-called Navajo Loop trail.
This is the shortest and most popular of the trails below the rim, less than a mile long in total, but surely one of the most spectacular. I opted to walk back to the rim at Sunset Point via the southern section of the loop, heading through the area known as ``Wall Street''. This is a deep and very narrow canyon, punctuated with towering trees desperately seeking the bright sunlight available at the top of the canyon. I wanted to be able to stand and appreciate the splendour of this location in peace, but was frequently disturbed by the passage of large and noisy tour parties, Germans and Japanese seemingly particularly numerous.
The top end of Wall Street was a series of tight switchback turns, leading up to the rim. I stopped just long enough for some liquid refreshment before heading down again, eager to try the other half of the Navajo Loop trail. The highlight of this section is the giant hoodoo aptly known as ``Thor's Hammer''.
Reaching the bottom of the trail, I had to decide where to go next. I could follow the Navajo Loop trail back up to the rim via Wall Street again, or else take a longer route which I had not already taken. I opted for part of the Peekaboo Loop Trail, travelling about three miles and a considerable climb of 200 metres up to Bryce Point. By this time the sun was getting low in the sky, bringing the area into shade, and I saw few other people on this trail.
From Bryce Point to Sunrise Point, where I'd left the car, is about six miles along the Rim Trail. I had no particular desire to walk, especially as it would soon be dark, but fortunately a free shuttle service was available. After a few minutes of watching a group of chipmunks, a bus appeared and I returned to the car, stopping at the General Store to buy a drink and a few postcards.
I returned to Mount Carmel Junction, glancing at a spectacular sunset as I returned through Red Canyon, and reached the motel just before 21.00. I immediately went next door for dinner: salad and chicken strips. After purchasing a reel of film (I had already started the last of the nine reels with which I had set out from the UK), I returned to my room, watched a little television, noted that the bedside cabinet contained a copy of the Book of Mormon as well as the obligatory Gideon Bible, then went to bed.