Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

The views at Bryce Canyon seem to be endless.  It was late in the day when I took this photo.  The changes in light are quite dramatic over the course of the day.  I expected the mornings to provide the best light for photos, but I like the evening photos I took on this trip better than the morning shots.

Not a Bear

Cow -- Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Canon SX40 HS

Before heading down this trail at Bryce Canyon a couple of years ago I had noticed a warning at the Visitor's Center that a bear had been seen in this area.  On the trail I saw what looked like a bear track (front paw) in the mud on the trail.  The trail led down to the rim of the amphitheater and was rather secluded.  I think I passed one set of hikers the entire two plus hours I was out there.

After taking a bunch of pictures I turned and saw a flash of brown on the hillside.  The bear!  I panicked.  My back was to the cliff there so was nowhere for me to run except toward the bear.  A few seconds were just a blur as I looked for a way out.  Then I looked back up the hill again.  It wasn't a bear at all, it was this cow.  Phew.

She looked like a real sweetie, even after coming down to walk the same trail I was walking.  I gave her a wide berth anyway as I passed her.

I never did see that bear.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/1250s, f/4, ISO: 200

If you're looking for endless views, Bryce Canyon is the place to go.  Yosemite and the Grand Canyon might have more spectacular scenery, but only slightly more spectacular, and both of those places are basically closed in.  Bryce Canyon is the high point for miles around in a couple of directions.  The views can go on for miles and miles and miles.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 104, photo #1955.

Into the Mystic

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/1000s, f/4, ISO: 100

Anyone that knows me knows I'm not a believer in things mystical or religious.   Well, aside from my mother who seems to need to cling to the idea that I'm a man of faith, which I certainly am not.  I don't disbelieve, I just think if there's a greater being or beings out there then he, she or they are bound to be of unfathomable complexity to these hairless apes that roam the Earth.  Anything we to try to make sense of such things can only succeed in obscuring things further.

That doesn't mean I don't think some people can't have experiences with meaning that surpasses our physical constraints, and when I run into a scene like this I can't help but be a little jealous that these folks just might be getting a brief sliver of a glimpse at the unfathomable.  If not, they're certainly experiencing that enriching peaceful quiet that only places like Bryce Canyon can deliver.  I tend to suspect the latter, for what it's worth.

On this particular day I'd experienced that soul-reviving quiet while taking a nap under a tree a couple of hundred yards away from this scene.  I was probably sawing logs, ruining everyone else's peace.  Sorry.

Hoodoos & Trees

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS, 1/1250s, f/4, ISO: 100

Bryce Canyon is easily one of the most picturesque places I've ever been.  Spin and shoot just about anywhere and you'll end up with a nice photo, most likely rich with orange and green.  I spent a few days there a couple of years ago.  I'd love to go back, especially in winter with snow on the ground.

Inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 99 photo #1977.