Utah (Bryce Canyon Nat'l Park)

As the scenery changed, I exited the Grand Staircase Escalante Nat'l Monument and headed into Bryce Canyons.  This is one of my favorite parks!!  I saw these orange things that looked a little bit like the needles and didn't realize until later that this is what Annie was referring to as the "hoodoos" (I thought she was making up that word). :-)

Before the entrance to the national park was a waterfall and Mossie Cave.  Towering hoodoos line the cave and make this hike an incredibly beautiful one.

The Fairytale Canyon was the first Overlook in Bryce Canyon.

I decided to check out all overlooks before going on a hike because I had also done the Capitol Reef today and all the driving through the Escalante, and it was already about 4:30 PM.

The next stop was Sunrise Point.  Elevation was 8015 ft.

 Sunset Point (which looks best at sunset ironically enough) was next.

Next came Inspiration Point.  Sooooo many hoodoos down there!!!  (At this point I was excited to start hiking, but exhibited discipline and waited...)

 

Then I saw the canyon at Paria View (8175 ft).  The farther out I went from here, the higher I went and the hoodoos became more and more scarce in the views.

This is Bryce Point - the best overlook in the park (in my opinion), and the last stop for most of the tourists.

From this point forward, my mind was on the hoodoos and I imagined what it would be like at the bottom running between them, through them...  A forest of hoodoos. :-)  But not yet!  Still have a few more overlooks to check out...

Here is Swamp Canyon:

Far View Point (8819 ft):

Piracy Point was a short hike from there:

And then there was the natural bridge:

Aqua Canyon:

Ponderosa Point (8900 ft) had a crow that scared the crap out of me when I turned and saw it.  It was like a statue and didn't move, even when I was 2 feet away.  Amazing.

Rainbow Point was over 9000 ft in elevation - the highest point in the park and the last lookout. Almost time to start hiking!! :-)

"Of this vast region of unexcelled scenery in Utah and Arizona, Bryce Canyon National Park is but a short, narrow strip along the southeastern rim of the Paunsaugunt Plateau and this Plateau is only one of the seven great tables that dominate the landscape of southern Utah."  -Herbert Gregory

I drove back to Sunset Point to start the hike.  It was 5:30 PM.  Plenty of time for a 2-3 hr hike.  I pulled over once to check out a group of deer on the edge of the road just minding their own business.

I wanted to combine a few trails for a well rounded scenic hike that would allow me to see all sorts of angles, elevations, and a view from the bottom of the canyon.  I started with the Navajo Trail, which is 1.3 miles.  At the end of this, I was 800 feet below the overlook.  There were deer living down here as well.

I'm glad we didn't have to rely on cairns on these trials.  LOL  When I switched over to the Queens Garden trail at the end of the Navajo (1.8 miles), there were hundreds of cairns all over the place.  In trees, in front, on the sides, on stone, behind me...

On this next trail, I was beneath the hoodoos, next to them, slipping closely between them, over them, and even through them!! :-)
 

This is the Queen Elizabeth formation, and a nice couple from Germany that I met by the formation.

After that, I hiked back up to the top by Sunrise Point.

Then I took the Rim trail (.5 miles) back to Sunset Point.  Of course, by the time I made it back to Sunset Point it actually was sunset. :-)

At the end of a very enjoyable hike and overall great day, I got a room at the lodge next to the Ruby Inn and bought tickets to the Ebenezer Cowboy Dinner Show.  Guess who I met there?  The German couple!!!!  I tried to get them to come to dinner, but I think it was too pricey for them and they opted to retire to their room and shower.

I changed into my cowboy boots, ate more than I'd eaten in days, and sat back to enjoy the show.  There were 2 couples at my table - one from CA and one from CO.  During the show, they twirled pistols and lassoed each other.  LOL

Good looking men in jeans, boots, and cowboy hats.  Doesn't get much better after a tough day. :-)  Then they all got together and sang and played country songs.

I was invited up on stage to wear a sombrero, play the maracas, and dance, and was announced as the "racing chick".  There was a tall skinny Italian who also came up to play what only can compare to Grandma's ompa loompa stick.  LOL  The guys at my table took pictures, but didn't get any in focus.  They also made a video, which I am hoping works... It was a lot of fun and I couldn't stop smiling, which you can see even through the blur. :-)