Bryce Canyon Sunrise Point

Sunrise Point at Bryce Canyon provides a great panorama of the canyon.  I took some shots during mid morning but also went back for sunrise.  Just me and a few other hard core photographers until, that is, a tour bus pulled in and then it was a fight for the best spots along the fence line.  

I took a walk down the trail which leads to the bottom of the canyon and provided some different perspectives however the walk back up can be a killer so I didn't go to the very bottom.  Perhaps in another lifetime.

Shows just a portion of the grand scale of this place.  

Cropping in on a hillside off in the distance.
Looks like a castle built into the side of the hill.

I replaced the sky which adds a bit of drama. 

I love the light from the sunrise shining through the window in the rock wall.

A little meditation at sunrise.  

Next up will be Sunset Point and then its on to Page, Az.

Red Canyon Trail

We decided to take a break from Bryce Canyon and drove back up Hwy 12 to the town of Panguitch as we were badly in need of groceries.  Along the way we drove past the Red Canyon Trailhead and decided to turn in and get a little exercise.

Here are a few of the sights that greeted us along the trail:

Even the dead trees provide for a beautiful shot. 

The tree bark provides colour and texture when viewed up close

The eroded sandstone takes on the look of a field of mushrooms

Lori was standing tall and straight just like the trees. 

Some beautiful views from the plateau.
It was a long steady climb to get up there
with plenty of breaks to catch our breath 

Not sure where this tree is getting its water from

On our drive in to Bryce Canyon we passed a sign warning of low tunnels.
The height was stated at 13'6" and we are around 13'8".
We turned around and pulled over to make some  calls.
There was no other road to get into Bryce Canyon but we were
assured we wouldn't have a problem.  Turns out the 2 tunnels
in the picture were the offending tunnels.  The measurement is
taken at the side of the road so we drove down
the middle and had lots of room.  

Next up, more from Bryce Canyon.  I promise there will be an end to the Bryce pictures and I can move on to more current pictures.  Just been too busy to spend the time required to cull and edit my pictures.  Nice problem to have.

Later.

Ponderosa, Rainbow and Yovimpa Points.

A few more of the lookouts from Bryce Canyon.

Mid morning light at Ponderosa Canyon at 8,904 ft.

Mid-Day light at Rainbow Point and Yovimpa Point.  Both of these are at the end of the road at Bryce Canyon and with the highest elevation at 9,115 ft.

Almost done with Bryce Canyon.  Just Sunrise and Sunset point left and a little side hike we took outside of the park to Red Canyon trail.

Later

Paria View - Bryce Canyon

Another one of the many lookouts along the Bryce Canyon trail is Paria View at an elevation of 8175 ft.  We hit this one a couple of times.  First during mid morning and then I went back later in the day for some sunset shots.

This was around 10:00AM and the sky was a little boring so I
took some creative license and switched it out. 

About the same time of day as the 1st shot but the other side of the canyon.

Similar time to above but from a little different angle.  

Back later in the day just a little before sunset and a little sky replacement.

Blue hour just after sunset.  A little pink in the sky reflected from the setting sun.

This one was well after the sun had set and required a 20 second exposure
I tried a little light painting with my flashlight on the evergreen in the front.
Was a little windy and the grasses in the foreground are a little blurry.

I'm fighting a cold so not much energy to do much besides sleep and edit pictures so may get a few more lookouts posted later today.

Later

Mossy Cave - Bryce Canyon

On our way back from the Grand Staircase drive we passed a parking lot and trailhead for Mossy Cave.  It was a short hike so we decided to pull over and take a look.  Had some beautiful views but it had already been a long day so we took a quick look and I decided to head back the next day by myself with camera and tripod in hand.

The headline feature, based on the name, is a small cave whose walls are covered in moss courtesy of the water dripping from the cave walls.  I didn't get any pictures worthy of publishing however the walk in along the creek afforded some beautiful views of the towering hoodoos as well as some nice shots of the along the creek.

I love this shot with the stones in the foreground, the blurred water, 
all leading down the creek to the forest and
mountains in the background.

Thats it for now.  We are off to the airport so our friend, Lori A, who has been visiting during her Christmas break, can return to the home of the Grey Cup Champions.  Haven't been able to say that in a long time.  The rain finally stopped when she arrived and hopefully will not be returning for a while.  The temperatures have been kind of cool with clouds blocking out the warming sun on most days.  While she didn't get to experience the Arizona heat we had plenty of sites for her to see with lots left over for a return visit.  Space is tight in the park model, although still roomier than the trailer.  The one bathroom does require some coordination.  Hopefully we will be closing in the screen room in the next year and that will afford us a little more room for sleeping arrangements.  Its was nice to share our winter home and some of the activities that we enjoy.

More Bryce Canyon coming up including some sunrise shots.

Later

Grand Staircase

On October 25 we took a drive down the Scenic Byway on Hwy 12 from Bryce Canyon, past Escalante and on to the small town of Boulder.  The drive goes through a large wilderness area called Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  If we would have continued our drive past Boulder and on to Torrey it would only have been a short jaunt over to Capitol Reef National Park however that would have been a long day and I'm not sure that Charli's bladder, whom we had left in the trailer, would have held up.  Capitol Reef is the only one of the 5 renowned National Parks that we haven't visited.

As it was we saw some great scenery both from the highway on the top of the ridge line as well as in the river valley with its towering canyon walls and the large trees respelendant in their fall golden glow.  The drive up on the ridge line had my heart pumping as its a 2 lane road with narrow shoulders which then plummet to the canyon floor below.  The speed limit is only 25 and I was not in danger of getting any speeding tickets.  

A great view from the top.
Looking back towards Bryce Canyon

Pretty but desolate the higher you go.  

 A shot from the top showing the narrow road 

A shot from the other side of the road showing
the valley and creek below.
The fall colours distinctly show the path of the river.

As we wound our way down to the valley
we started to get a better view of the trees.

The colours are sooo vivid. 

Down in the valley we found a parking lot
and got one of the last empty parking spots.
Plenty of hiking trails heading from the parking lot
off through the forest following the river. 

Added a bit of a mystic glow to this one.
Gives it a bit of a fantasy feel.  

Lots of gnarly old cottonwoods
(I think thats what they were)

The reflection in the river took on the colour of the trees.

It was a beautiful drive and a nice break from Bryce Canyon.  

Next up the Mossy Cave hike which, spoiler alert, will not include any pictures of the mossy cave. 

Later.