Bryce Canyon – Hoodoos?

This Blog is two stories of two incredible days as I continue my search for wonderful roads, sights, and adventures.

Ride from Moab to Bryce Canyon UT

Story One – The ride from Moab, Utah to Bryce Canyon, Utah and Bryce Canyon Pines Motel.  I started north on 191 out of Moab to Interstate 70 West.

Interstates, with a speed limit of 80 MPH, is not fun on a motorcycle.  You need to stay vigilant as people are doing 85 to 100 MPH and things can happen fast.  From I 70 I connected with US 24 and then to US 12 and into Bryce Canyon.

The ride took me from summer to spring to winter and back to spring in a matter of 5-6 hours.  It demonstrates the impact of elevation and the diversity of this amazing country.

This was the view at the beginning of my ride on Route 24.  I had just exited I 70 and the temperature was 70º+ and as you see,  the terrain was dusty and flat with no other vehicles in sight.

Within just a couple of hours, I had moved out of the desert and into rocky terrain with beautiful streams running alongside the road.  The temperature had dropped to the mid-60ºs.

When I reached the intersection of 24 and 12, I could see the large Henry Mountains that I would need to cross to get to Bryce on Route 12.  They were large, high and snow covered.  They also lay in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

As I climbed in elevation, the snow-capped mountains came closer and closer and the temperature was dropping into the 50ºs.  The roads were clear, but the mountain meadows still lay under feet of snow.

As I reached the peak, the temperature had dropped into the 40ºs.  The sides of the road were completely snow covered and winter still lived high in the mountains.

The ride was completely worthwhile as I was treated to breathtaking vistas of the “world”.   Having crossed the mountains, I arrived at my cabin at Bryce Canyon Pines.

Bryce Canyon, UT

The second story is my discovery of Bryce Canyon.  The Bryce Canyon area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874. The area around Bryce Canyon was originally designated as a national monument by President Warren G. Harding in 1923 and was redesignated as a national park by Congress in 1928.

Bryce Canyon is technically not a canyon as it was not formed from erosion from a naturally flowing stream.  Instead, time and weather have created a collection of Amphitheater shaped features.

Bryce Canyon is a place where intricately carved towers, called Hoodoos, and archways of stone shimmer in a dazzling array of color under the bright sun.  It is a maze of rocks that intertwine with vast vistas of the country that surrounds it.  Interestingly, as I looked at the Hoodoos, I was not surprised that the Paiute Indians thought the hoodoos were people who’d been frozen into a rock by the evil coyote spirit.

To fully discover this wonder, I took a seven-mile hike into the amphitheaters, giving up my motorcycle and Jeep vehicles for my bipeds.

I started at the rim from Sunrise Point and looked down into the canyon and out at the broad vistas.  Little did I know that looking down from the rim hides the true wonder of Bryce.  To see her beauty, you have to immerse yourself into her amphitheaters and arches.

As I starter down Queens Garden Trail, I came eye level with the magnificence of the spires, hoodoos, and colors.

After a steep, 1.8 mile downhill hike on the Queen’s Garden Trail, I came to a fork in the road.  To take on Peek-A-Boo loop or to turn back.  This time I forged ahead.

I do not know why they call it Peek-A-Boo loop, but I can guess that it is because around every corner is a site that says “Peek-A-Boo”,  like this arch into the next amphitheater.

The colors and shapes of the hoodoos are caused by different rocks in the area that weather at a different rate. Iron oxide in the rock gives it a vivid red, orange or yellows tint.

The many amphitheaters I visited were each unique and wonderous while the trail, at times, was still snow-covered and treacherous.

But, to cap off a great day, when I returned to Bryce Canyon Pines, I met these three couples who were riding Victory Visions out of Salt Lake City.  Clockwise from left, Mark, John, Kelly, Shelly, Che (?) and Jan.  As fellow riders, there is an immediate bond and I was invited to join them for dinner.  It was a great evening and I am so grateful for the invitation.  I hope to see them on the road again – great folks.

That is the end of my Bryce Canyon story, because, after yesterday’s hike, I am so sore I cannot move.  My plan for today is to issue this blog and at 1 PM take a 0.5-mile hike along the rim with a park ranger who will share the history and geography of the park.  I hope they have wheelchairs 🙂

Next stop, Zion.

Keep Wheeling!