The Best of the Rest

Other parks/sites we saw in beautiful Utah. Why don't they just name the entire southern half of Utah as a national park?

Red Canyon. Just prior to getting into Bryce Canyon. Near our campsite, beautiful red sandstone formations.
One of two passageways through the red rocks.

Both of the above in Red Rock Canyon.

Escalante National Monument (Grand Staircase). 1.9 million acres to the east of Bryce. Designed to be enjoyed by hikers and atvs/jeeps. Most of the roads to the interior are unpaved. Recently designated (1996). I called an outfitter to see if there were atv/jeep tours. "No, we primarily teach people to repell down the rocks". There was one 30 mile road (Burr Road) mostly paved to the interior. Definitely worth it.

Me, in a slot canyon along Burr road in Escalante.

Interesting shot of cottonwood tree w/varnished (looks like it was painted) red sandstone in the background.

Shot from above, on Burr road. Road is way down there with red walls on both sides. Wonderful.

Capital Reef National Park.

Located northeast of Bryce, just east of Highway 12 (124 miles of scenic highway that rivals Hwy 1 in Ca (Big Sur etc), a must see if you get out here), Capital Reef shows excellent examples of the different geologic periods. Once again, the rangers are excellent; can we get some of these people to teach in our schools or work in the government; they have great passion and are very knowledgeable.

Bottom layer is Moenkopi formation, formed 200+ million years ago from marine mud flats.

Next layer (some purple) is the Chinle formation, which includes volcanic ash; depth varies in different areas. Next layer is Wingate Sandstone formation; accumulated when the area was desert like; some depths up to 3000 feet (compared to the Sahara, depths of only several hundred feet). Top layer is harder/more cemented, called Navajo Sandstone, looks more like limestone, cemented much harder than the Moenkopi. What then happens is called differential erosion, with the Moenkopi (softer) eroding more quickly than the layers above. The results are frequent and interesting landslides.

Good shot of the Chinle Formation.

With the car, you get an idea of the size of these geologic beauties.

Mossy Cave. Just east of Bryce. Interesting rock formations leading to a waterfall.

Some great formations.

Backdrop behind our last campground in Torrey, Utah.

Marlene and Rags: "It's time to go home; this sightseeing is tiring!"