Thompson Travelers

We drove five hours from the little city of Page through the Red Canyon towards Bryce.  The topography started to change once again and we started to see juniper trees. So much of this area, once again, has been the setting for some of Hollywood’s most famous movies and television shows…Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Gunsmoke, F Troop, Route 66, all used these rugged rocks as their backdrop.  We started to get a hint of what was to come.

We finally arrived at the rim of Bryce Canyon.  With our picnic lunch in hand, we sat at the edge of the rim, just trying to take it all in.

It has all been sculpted by water and ice plus years of stream erosion of the river beds. The red, orange, and white colors change with the sunlight and the time of day. These knobby, weird, and tall spires are called hoodoos.  The Paiute Indians called them legend people, the early settlers in this area called them fairy chimneys.  Whatever you call them, this place is just magical and beautiful!

You can hike to the valley floor…it’s 1.1 miles down, which puts you meandering through the hoodoos.  Be aware though, that the incline is 9,000 feet from top to bottom.

God’s earth is truly amazing!