We know it comes as no surprise, but there is a whole lot of amazing scenery in Utah and the southwest. So this is an apt quote from Pat’s brother, “The world, there’s no place on earth like it.” We’ve had time to enjoy three national parks on this trip; Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion. As mentioned, Capitol Reef was fantastic and we had some lovely walkabouts with colors, views, wild geology, and a continuing cosmic sense of geologic time and scale. But winter was moving our way so we headed south to lower elevations and warmer possibilities. After a stellar stealth camp on Hwy 12 through Escalante, and the amazing tight journey through the rocks along Calf Creek, we stopped at Bryce National Park. We wound up spending two nights there enjoying the amphitheater, the hoodoos and the way the light constantly changed the way these monuments come to life.

After Bryce, we decided to take the scenic route South through Zion. The landscape is so fascinating, the variety of textures and hues, inspiring us to ponder geologic history and rock types. Sedimentary, igneous, pressure ridges, ancient seas and uplifts, 200 million years at a glance - there is so much to add to the wonder of this region.

So now have made it to Nevada on our travels; headed south out of Utah to escape the very cold temps that were moving in. Wound up at Valley of Fire State Park just north of Vegas. It’s a real find. So many campgrounds have been closed or closing soon, but the camping season is just starting here. Perfect daytime temps, relatively mild temps at night, and the campground is all first-come-first-serve so the odds of getting a site are high. The best time to find a spot is early morning on a weekday. We got here around 9:00 this morning, got a spot with power and water - sweet. And bonus, they have internet available so this is a fine spot to do all those on-line activities that you can’t at most beautiful spots. Great views, petroglyphs, wild geology. We’re gonna hunker down for a few days at least, chill, hike, bike, bide our time as we have a reservation at Snow Canyon in the very SW tip of Utah in a week.

The Amphitheater at Sunrise Point In Bryce National Park

These “HooDoos” that you see in the Amphitheater are rock pinnacles left standing by combined forces of weathering and erosion. Bryce Canyon has thousands of hoodoos in all shapes, sizes and colors. The word Hoodoo comes from the Hausa Language originating in West Africa describing a distinct magic practice. It was introduced to North America in the 18th Century.

This rock wall in Zion National Park is actually part of the Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel. The “Hole” cut in the stone is actually a peep hole from inside the 1.1 mile tunnel that follows the profile of the Pine Creek Canyon wall. They alternate vehicles either down or up in the pitch black on the centerline. You get a glimpse outside several times along the way through these stone windows.

Our current stop at southern Nevada’s oldest state park, Valley of Fire, has been really remarkable and so different from the geology we’ve been seeing so far.

The petroglyphs are astounding! Here, one watches over the valley.

Arch Rock

The World, there’s no place like it!