CW: From Bryce to Zion

The next day (Oct. 6th) took our Country Walkers group from Bryce Canyon to Zion Canyon with multiple stops in-between. First, Joan and I grabbed a quick look at the sunrise palette reinforcing the colors of this spectacular canyon.

 Here's a more panoramic view.

After breakfast our group took a walk along the canyon rim, starting with a visit to Bryce Point.

There's a fenced observation point here,

with a history of the eponymous Bryce family. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

The view from Bryce Point.

Then we hiked along the rim. This overturned stump graciously agreed to pose for me.

Much of the time we could look down to paths we were hiking yesterday.

When the formations aligned, the lines of towers appeared deliberately constructed. In reviewing this photo, I was struck by the resemblance to a forest of pleated carbon nanotubes.

At the far end of the walk we piled into our vans, and the first stop was at Losee Canyon, in the Dixie National Forest.

We were there for a brief visit to the arches.

The trail switchbacked up a short ridge.

The top of the ridge had some great viewpoints.

A short walk along the ridgeline,

and we were at the windows/arches.

What's the difference between a window and an arch? Technically, when the opening extends all the way to the ground, it's an arch. This formation has both.

We headed back by completing the loop, past columns,

and down steps.

We reached our vans just as it started to rain. Driving towards Zion in a steady rain, we stopped for lunch at the bakery Backerei Forscher, in Orderville, Utah. Afterwards the rain tapered off, just in time for our stop at the Maynard Dixon Home and Studio.

First there was an introduction, and artwork to admire.

Maynard Dixon (1875-1946) was a noted illustrator, landscape, and mural painter of the early 20th-century American West.

Here is the main house, built about 1939.

A glimpse of the interior.

Nearby is the bunkhouse.

Here's the "note" on the door.

The addition is well-lit.

A third building is Dixon's studio, not completely finished at the time of his death.

It's spacious inside.

Then it was time to shove off for Zion National Park, not far away. The traffic was heavy at this time of day, and the parking lots near the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel were full. Our Country Walkers group was headed for the Canyon Overlook, and the trail starts near the higher end of the tunnel, which is 1.1 miles long and gains 800 feet.

The first of our two vans couldn't find a place to park and was forced to drive through the tunnel, turn around, and come back up. Joan and I were in the second van, which found a place to park along the side of the road. In this photo we're walking towards the trailhead. The traffic ropes prevent any left turn into or out of a small parking lot across the congested road.

The tunnel was built between 1927 and 1930, before the era of huge cars, trucks, campers, and RVs. Any vehicle over a certain size must purchase a $15 tunnel permit. When such a mobile obstacle is in the tunnel, the tunnel must operate in one direction only. Which means traffic must wait.

This is the sign for the Canyon Overlook.

The trail began with a staircase, and soon we were looking down on the traffic. In this photo there's a car, centered left-to-right and about two-thirds of the way down. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

The Canyon Overlook Trail is mostly over slickrock and has exciting portions. This photo looks back to a section where it passes under an overhang. 

The other side of the gorge was impressive too.

Approaching the overlook.

The view was more than worth the walk.

Across the way and lower down, we spotted the windows of the road tunnel. Stopping a vehicle to check out the view is forbidden.

We walked across the slickrock to start our return.

The traffic had become more reasonable by the time we returned to our vans. After diving through the tunnel and looping around the switchbacks, we had a brief pause to take a photo of the overlook from below.

Then we entered the small town of Springdale, which sits just outside the park. We checked into our motel, the Desert Pearl, and had a group dinner in town.

It was a non-stop day!