Barreling on to Bryce

 Adieu Vegas

And now we were off to enjoy the bounties of nature in the form of four National Parks in Utah.  We had visited two of them (Zion and Bryce) approximately 28 years ago but my memory of them was foggy to say the least.  That is probably because we went there when our sons were 10 and 8.  I DO remember spending most of my time dragging the lads away from cliff edges and also cutting gum out of Justin's hair after a back seat fraternal fight.  You remember those days....

First, let me say that things have changed over 28 years -- I'm sure you've noticed.  The National Parks are CROWDED.  Really crowded.  In fact, you have to get timed entrance tickets at some of them like Arches.  Even before the peak season there were often no parking spaces at trailheads and overlooks.  We had scored a lifetime pass for Seniors years ago so that was good because entrance fees are up also.  And staying in the Parks is very, very expensive -- and hard to get.  I'm not complaining since the experience is wonderful and worth whatever it costs.  Just offering a word of warning if you are in the mood to go.

Of all the National Parks that we have visited (22 I think), Bryce Canyon is within my top five.  Its Hoodoos (columns and pinnacles formed by erosion) are truly impressive.  Nowhere on earth is there another area that boasts so many Hoodoos.  The vistas looking over the canyons and the sculpted hoodoos can mesmerize -- particularly when the sun is rising or setting.  Michael's photos should give you a good (if secondhand) view of the landscape.

Before we even got to Bryce Canyon, we began to see the red rocks.

The color of the rock on top versus the color of the rock below shows how time has eroded the layers.

These hoodoos or goblins (tall thin rock pillars formed by erosion) are visible throughout Bryce Canyon and appear to take on various forms.

This Steller's Jay is the only crested jay west of the Rocky Mountains and is related to the blue jay.

The dramatic clouds accentuated the color of the rock.

Here the erosion of the rock seemed to create a rock fortress in the canyon.

Even though it was May, there was still some snow in the shadowed areas.

These two caves created a sinister image.

We would see rain falling from the clouds in the distance.

This hoodoo is known as the Hunter.

This is a Natural Bridge within Bryce Canyon.

This is called the amphitheater...

and it contains an amazing number of hoodoos.

It appears as if this hoodoo is preaching (or lecturing or speaking) to the hoodoos in the amphitheater.

The ability of these trees to survive with little to no soil and very little water is a testament to their hardiness.

I did notice a teensy problem when we arrived at the Park.  The altitude is about 8,000 feet rising to over 10,000+ feet.  My lungs like to be at 5,280 feet or lower.  I was pretty short of breath so hiking was out.  I didn't worry because I had my inhaler -- except it had only 2 blasts left.  Oh, and the second inhaler I thought I packed was actually a carton of pills that looked astoundingly like the carton for the inhaler.  Since the nearest pharmacy was 20 miles away and urgent care even further I decided to just wheeze and shuffle my way through it.  I lived. 

You see trees with exposed roots clinging to the rocks...

with some seeming to have legs.

Outside of the Park is the Mossy Cave trail which features this waterfall.

Another area we explored outside of Bryce Canyon was Kodachrome Canyon State Park. You can see the enormous size of this hoodoo by looking at the sign to the right.

This rather phallic looking hoodoo was in the park.

This hoodoo was composed of different material from the red rock and erosion left it as a standing sentinel.

 After a long day on the road and at the Park we pulled up to our "lodgings" at the Pioneer Inn.  Rarely have I felt so much like a pioneer.  Our room was excruciatingly tiny and looked like it was straight out of the 50s -- or perhaps 40s.  Perhaps 1840s, The bathroom featured a door that jammed into the closed position feeding into my phobia #4 (claustrophobia).  But the whole mid century vibe was elevated a notch when we turned to TV for entertainment.  Our only offerings were MASH (I love it) Mayberry R.F.D. (Ron Howard was adorable), The Beverly Hillbillies (so politically incorrect in so many ways ) and Green Acres (we drew the line at that). I would point out that this accomodation was not noticeably cheaper than our very elegant room in Vegas.  They know they've got you in the middle of Utah.  But the people were nice.....

The next day we cruised around Bryce once more and then the following day it was time to move on to Arches National Park which is near Moab, Utah.  Another spectacular place but quite different.  Arches claim to fame is arches (duh!).  But lots of them.  Long ones, narrow ones, short ones, doubles -- you name it and they've got it,  We had a timed entry ticket for 1 PM the first day and discovered that the system worked well.  Without it the lines would have been insufferable -- at that it took a half hour to get in.  It was still mid-May and the place was jammed.  Interestingly, the number of international tourists probably came close to matching the number of Americans, particularly noticeable were the number of Germans.  There were a fair number of Japanese and lots of French Canadians (the English speaking Canadians go under the radar).  What we notice is that you don't see Chinese tourists anymore.   Hmmm.  They say the National Parks are a treasure and it is true.  Many of the internationals we talked to said that nothing in their countries exists that can come close to our National Park System.

Two other events worth discussing occurred at Arches/Moab.  The first was a delicious dinner we had at the Dessert Bistro .  Let me say that the cuisine once we left California/Las Vegas was not stellar.  Those people sure do like Red Meat.  And franchise food.  And no liquor.  Thank God we hit Trader Joes for a wine fill up before departing LA.  In any case, my nose was a bit out of joint about the rather snooty website that the Dessert Bistro had which laid out extensive ground rules before you would be allowed to partake of their loftily priced fare.  Arrive 10 minutes early, $25 charge if you don't show etc. etc. $30 corkage fee.  However their menu looked great so I relented.  The food was absolutely excellent. Really good.  I loosened up.  Our server asked where we were from and we said Mexico.  She asked where and we said Ajijic.  She said, "Oh, I was just there.  I loved it."  Very odd.  Then the sommelier arrived and asked the same question and upon our reply he said, "Oh, I was just there. It's really super."  The odds against finding two young people in Moab, Utah who have recently visited Ajijic is miniscule.  It turns out that there is a nonstop flight from Grand Junction, Colorado to Guadalajara (why?) and there was a sale and thus our waitpeople joined the throngs who visit and love Lakeside.  Tres amusant.

Another Adventure with American Healthcare 

Moab not only had a pharmacy but also a Free Clinic, an Urgent Care and a Hospital.  Yeah, time to get another inhaler (still at 8,000 feet).  So, we go to the Free Clinic.  No one is there to be seen but the receptionist is keeping her eye on the shrubs outside believing that teenagers from the school across the street are making out in the foliage. She breaks from surveillance and tries to be helpful but informs us that while they have many inhalers they lack one identical to mine and thus she can't get me one without my seeing the doctor.  "Fine," I say. "I'll see the doctor."  She informs me that there is an appointment available in ONE MONTH. So, on to the Urgent Care located in the hospital.  We sign in which takes approximately 30 minutes for a line and form completion and are then ushered in to a room to await the doctor.  Actually, we never see the doctor.  We see a P.A. which is fine and he sees the doctor and the doctor calls in a prescription to the pharmacy.  We show up at the pharmacy and the pharmacist says, "Here you go.  That will be $309."  "What?  Doesn't Medicare pick up some of this?," I ask.  "Sure, he says," They picked up the other $309 of the cost."  $618 dollars for an inhaler?  Really?  That very same inhaler in Mexico costs $1,247MXN or $73.73, without the necessity of a prescription and the attendant doctor's fees.  I await an explanation other than sheer avarice.  Come on down folks and stock up on your meds.

Michael will insert more photos here to take your mind off the horror that is the American pharmaceutical cabal.  Then we are off to Colorado to visit with some more kin. 

On the way to Moab we came across the childhood home of Robert Leroy Parker, aka Butch Cassidy.

On our trip to Arches we also stopped at Castle Valley,...

which also has an interesting agglomeration of rock formations.

It even had a watering hole!

Among the first hoodoos encountered at Arches National Park are the Three Gossips, the tallest of which is 350 feet.

Balanced Rock is one of the most popular attractions. It is 128 feet tall and the balancing rock is 55 feet tall.

You can get an idea of the size of these hoodoos by the people standing next to them. If you use your imagination you can see all sorts of different things in the hoodoos.

Another view of Balanced Rock.

This is Double Arch, which is the tallest arch in the Park. The people below appear miniscule beneath the arch. With a span of 148 feet and a height of 104 feet, this arch is the second longest in the Park.

The North Window Arch.

Another view of the Double Arch.

With a little imagination this looks like an elephant with its trunk raised. 

Here are two view of South Window Arch.

This arch looks like a keyhole.

The clouds in the sky made a dramatic backdrop for some of the arches.

Throughout our trip we would see rain like this falling from the sky, but it rarely made it to the ground.

The fact that anything can survive in this dry, hostile environment is a testament to the evolution of these trees.

Another elephant themed rock.

Delicate Arch looks like the right side could collapse at any moment.

Wildflowers were in bloom while we were there.

Skyline Arch.

Tunnel Arch.

Pine Tree Arch.

On the hike to Landscape Arch I encountered this mule deer who seemed eager to pose for a photo...

and then went on to nibble on the vegetation with no fear of the people watching.

Landscape Arch is the longest arch in the Park and in North America at 306 feet.

It is only 6 feet in diameter at its narrowest.

A significant portion of this arch did collapse in 1991 and arches are collapsing and forming in the Park continuously.

Two view of the La Sal Mountains in Utah, which are on the border with Colorado. 

Note the snow on the mountaintops. These are the only 12,000 foot peaks in Utah.

And finally God must have a sense of humor to have created this, which looks like a raised middle finger.
There is a book titled: God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madres written by a British journalist who traveled into the Sierra Madres of Mexico. It is an interesting read.