Utah is a very wide open landscape, 'Big Sky Country'. Indeed it is. Wide open green farmlands punctuated by bright orange rocky outcrops, animals grazing, collections of villages and farmhouses. We were in no big rush to get there, so we were able to play tourist and take it all in, stop for lots of photo stops, and even do a little rock shopping... yes, rock shopping (...buying rocks, eh Jones... 'uh hunh).
I remember many a day walking over the tumbly beaches of the Restigouche River thinking to myself, 'Y'know, if only there were a market for all these rocks! We could be RICH!!' But who would buy such a thing? Money for rocks! HA! The FOOLS of course! The FOOLS will buy ANYTHING!
So I have crossed the threshold. I am an admitted rockhound, and perhaps foolishly so. I love rocks. The history of the world right there in your hand. And Zion Rock & Gem had so many cool things that I had to have a piece to bring home with me. They had all kinds of fossils, chunks of petrified wood, crystals and minerals, and big wooden tables filled with uncut chunks of cool rocks. So it took us much longer than expected to arrive at our destination.
We checked into Ruby's Inn and set out for a quick meal and a tour of the park before dark. It was a chilly, damp night and we were pretty much the only ones out there on that road. The full moon was rising over the canyon and the wind swept up at us from the depths below. There were deer and antelope everywhere!
Saturday morning we booked a 2hr canyon tour on horseback for $60 apiece, which is a fantastic price for a trail ride. Let me tell you, THAT's the way to see the canyon. And this was only my 2nd time on a horse! What a trip! Strawberry was very good to me. She seemed twitchy and anxious about me and kept looking at me, which made me think she might rear and bolt at any moment. She was very attentive though and I did have a little control over her, which is a thrilling feeling. Still, she was her own boss and I know she was on autopilot for most of the tour. Tanya was on a mule named Tony. He only had one speed and totally disregarded her. Apparently, mules are the preferred mount for this type of terrain, the cadillac of horses. A cadillac mule on auto-pilot... "Don't mind me, Mr. Mule, I'ma just gonna sit back here and pick me out a tune on the geeetar!"
So apart from the strangeness of being on a horse for the second time, now we were heading down into the canyon along some very steep switchbacks. What an amazing view!!! And doing it on a horse made it so much more special. I quickly overcame my apprehension about the horse knowing better and kept my eyes off the ground and a firm grip on my camera. Strawberry never faultered. There were a few teeth gritting moments... just trust in the horse. I watched as Tanya's mule Tony mis-stepped right off the edge and his back foot sent rocks tumbling into the valley. I urged Strawberry not to follow Tony and she listened.
The hoodoo'd cliffs hovered all around us, they were spectacular as we descended the dusty trail to the canyon floor. We were among great, gentle orange mounds all over, all that remained of ancient crumbled hoodoos. At the very bottom we were amidst a forest of great Ponderosa pines. The Ponderosa's were amazing too, some were burned black to a crisp yet still stood tall and defiant. It is the iron in the ground that makes all the earth an orangy color and it also attracts lightning strikes. So it is very common for fires to start here but it would take a massive fire to destroy a Ponderosa. They are a super dense tree, so they may burn but they may not fall. The natives thought this valley was cursed, and that the hoodoos were humans who had been turned to stone for trying to cross the valley. Indeed, there was an eerie stillness to it all, with the blackened skeleton trees against the blue sky. The trail wove around the forested area and then up and out along some more switchbacks. What an experience to be out there in the desert on horseback! Can't wait to do that again.
In the evening we went to the rodeo, which was pretty cool too. It was a nice night for it, a cool breeze as the sun set, a very dry and drawl commentator set the scene from his booth over the PA. Beer was relatively cheap so we had a couple rounds. It was neat to see the mix of people in town to see the small rodeo too. I got a sense that rodeo is a family affair, where former rodeo grandparents are sitting in the stands watching their son, who may be a bull ridin' cowboy, and their grandson is involved too but he's in the mutton (sheep) riding division. And those crazy godamned cowboys and all that swagger, riding very agitated animals! Most of 'em were limping and nursing wounds. The broken bodies of adrenaline junkies. And why???? That is the part that makes no sense to me. But whatever, its not my thing but it was cool to see a grassroots competition firsthand and feel that strong sense of community. I will never tire of standing and listening to the American national anthem, and here at the rodeo it felt even more profound.
It was amazing to see the horses in full action and riders in such control of their animals. The barrel racing girls whipped those horses around those tight corners at full blast! One of the wranglers in the ring had a really agitated young horse who just wanted to GO! He worked all night just to keep the animal still and in control, and when it was time to wrangle a loose bull into its pen the cowboy let the horse go and he shot out like lightning, totally in tune with his rider and unafraid to shoulder up to a crazed bull twice his size and hem him in against the rails. No fear, total confidence. That's what I got from the cowboys and their mastery of the horses. I would have LOVED the opportunity to learn how to ride and be that connected to a horse. What a majestic animal. I only learned about horses late in life but now I totally understand people's love affair with them. I too, am hooked.
The next day we went for a hike down into the canyon. It was a long hike and not too hot just yet. So touristy though. So many people. These are the drawbacks of national parks. There's miles of trails in the canyon and thousands of people out enjoying nature. It takes a bit of it away for me. I like to listen to the heat rising from the earth, to hear what kinds of birds and buzzers are out there. But nothing could distract from the colors and scenery of Bryce Canyon. It is purely spectacular. On the way back we walked on a path around the rim and viewed some of the oldest trees on the planet. The Bristlecone Pines sit high on the edge of the rocky cliffs and live an extremely long time. The oldest ones are almost 5000 years old! They are eerie the way they sit on the edge of the cliffs, seemingly dead and twisted in grotesque, petrified stances. But not dead. It takes a thousands of years for a Bristlecone to die.
Bryce Canyon was pretty cool. Thanks for reading.
TRJ
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| Troy and Strawberry descending into Bryce Canyon |
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