July 27, 2020

July 27, 2020

We were up early and into Bryce Canyon National Park again. Like yesterday we saw deer along the road. This time a buck and a doe.

From Sunrise Point we made our way down the Queen’s Garden Trail. This time we had to share the experience with lots of fellow hikers. Perhaps because this trail is shorter and easier. It is still a nice hike with great scenery. We return to the top on one leg of the Navajo Trail that ascends through Wall Street. An apt name for this section that climbs between two large walls of sentinel Hoodoos.

Unlike our previous National Park experiences, we have not attended any Ranger talks. No problem; a fellow hiker came to our rescue. Out of the blue, on the trail a guy asked if we knew the types of trees growing. I blurted out Ponderosa Pine without even looking. But only one was a pine, the other a fir. He proceeded to tell us that the bark of the Ponderosa Pine smells like Butterscotch. He is right!

The other difference from our prior park visits is the use of face masks. Most people are wearing them in crowded spaces of restaurants and lobbies. But what is surprising to us is the large number of hikers, especially younger ones, wearing masks on these wilderness trails. It is the Great Outdoors; the definition of social distance. I just don't get it!

We took a break back in our room to read the paper and check emails. Afterwards we visited a second park entrance named Mossy Cave. This trail follows a large creek upstream to a waterfall. The cool water is being enjoyed by all the younger park visitors. It turns out this water feature is artificially enhanced. This is normally a seasonal wash like in Tucson. But early Mormon settlers dug a canal (Tropic Ditch)  to deliver water to the arid Tropic Valley using this natural conduit. We finished up by hiking to Mossy Cave, a natural moss-covered spring.