September 9, 2007

September 9, 2007

Aimee and I have been going to the nightly ranger talk in our campground every evening. None have been very exciting. Last nights talk was on stargazing. As if on cue, when the ranger turned off the lights to end the talk a giant meteorite streaked across the sky. My first shooting star and it was a doozy!

There is still a lot more US to see so we left Zion National Park this morning. We took the route east thru mile-long Zion tunnel. All large vehicles (like RV’s) have to buy a pass to pay for a ranger escort. On the other side is a strange world of rock worn smooth by wind and rain. There is little vegetation.

Once out of Zion we head north on Rt. 89 headed for Bryce National Park. After reading a nice blurb about Cedar Breaks National Monument we take a last-minute detour west to investigate. On the way we pass thru a forest of white birch trees interspersed with some lava rocks. I have never seen so many birch trees in one place. (I later learned these were actually Quaking Aspen trees)

After a short drive we arrive at the Monument and head to the visitor center. We don’t make it inside as we immediately see a gorgeous red rock amphitheater. It is similar to a badlands environment but the colors are a more intense blend of red, yellow, purple. Plus there are hoodoos (rock statues or pillars) everywhere. I am so glad we didn’t bypass this place.

We don’t get much time to enjoy it before lightning scares us off the cliff top and back to the RV. As we are running back pea-size hail pounds us and then once inside the rain unleashes. The nice thing about RV travel is that we can have lunch and take a nap until the rain subsides. When it finally does, we put on long pants and jacket (it is cold here at 8000 feet) and hike the Spectra Point trail around the rim. It is a painful hike as the rain has turned the trail into thick slippery mud. It is not long before I feel like I have mud snowshoes on my feet. The trail is also a little scary as it follows the rim very closely with no guardrails anywhere. One wrong move and I could easily slide down the sloping edge and into the canyon like it was a ski jump. Many of the trees along the rim are gnarly pine trees called Bristle Cones. Bristle Cones are supposed to be the oldest trees on the earth despite being small.

From Cedar Breaks we head east and spend the night in a private park in the town of Panguitch, UT.