A Most Scenic Byway

 Scenic highway 12 is one of the  most gorgeous drives in the US. I took highway 12 from Bryce Canyon to Torrey and then hwy 24 through Capital Reef to Goblin State Park.

Warning, these photos do not do justice to the beauty of this drive.

It was a wonderful drive

Red Rock Canyon

Checking out the hoodoos in Red Rock Canyon. 

Jody, June, George and I

This a great example of differential erosion where the softer layers erode faster than the harder layers

Next we checked out Kodachrome Basin

Kodachrome is known for its pipe formations. Pipes are formed when subterranean material is forced up through a crack in the sedimentary rock. As more and more material is forced up, it erodes a larger and larger hole. Under pressure from the surrounding sedimentary rock this material then forms a very hard pipe.  Some time later, a really long time later, the softer sedimentary rock erodes away revealing the pipe

You can see the sedimentary still clinging to the base of this pipe

There are 67 pipes in the park

The largest pipe is called Chimney Rock

Bryce Canyon

 10 to 20 million years ago the Paunsagunt Plateau was thrust skyward to an elevation of 7,000 to 9,000 feet. The soft, iron rich rocks forming the east side of the plateau eroded forming the greatest concentration of Hoodoos in the world. 

Viewing the plateau's eastern edge from Rainbow Point

The picnic area not ready for prime time yet

Natural Bridge 

Two hikers bottom just right of the tree

Hoodoos standing tall. 

Hoodoos form when water enters cracks and repeatably freezes and thaws, pushing the rocks apart. This forms individual columns. They are protected from further erosion by a harder cap stone of Dolomite.

Rain coming, calling it a day

On the Road Again

 I has been a wonderful time visiting with my family, but now it's time to hit the road again.

Valley of Fire State Park NV

Many times in my travels I have bypassed Valley of Fire Park. This is the year to finally take a look.

The warm red rock formations are the raiments of ancientent sand dunes that formed 150 million 

Looking a little sad, but the flowers got enough rain to produce seeds

Stairway to the petroglyphs

Some of these glyphs are 4,000 years old

There is also a small arch 

There are two first come, first served campgrounds.  Dry camping for out of state residents is $25. Entry in to the park is $15 per day. So my one night of camping was $55, very pricey. I don't see any reason for a return visit.