Sunday, 26 November 2023
I’d say, “Now hoodoo . . .
hoodoo you think you’re fooling?” Paul Simon
The following morning we exited the park by Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, which features the Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel. Constructed in the 1920s, the mile long tunnel must be closed for two way traffic to accommodate buses and large RVs. Cut through soft sandstone, the tunnel has been reinforced with steel ribs after a 1958 partial collapse.
The scenery along the drive feels you have arrived on a different planet.
Looking out over these geological wonders, your imagination can take charge. I am certain that Steven Spielberg had been here many years ago and was inspired for the Star Wars character of Jabba the Hut. In fact, after sending this photo to Garrett, he edited it.
Ponderosa pines join the scenery. After thirty minutes, the Zion boundary appears as you head for Bryce Canyon.
We turned onto Utah Scenic Highway 12 towards Bryce Canyon National Park. Entering the Dixie National Forest, we stumbled into the Red Canyon Visitor Center and found ourselves surrounded by lots of hoodoos. No fooling.
Geologists use the term “hoodoo” to describe the mystical and magical appearance of the rocks that make Red Canyon famous. Hoodoos are columns, pinnacles or pillars of rock that have variable thickness and a total pole shaped appearance. The formation of these hoodoos started nearly 10 million years ago with the relentless agents of weathering and erosion attacking the weaker layers, leaving the more resistant layers in place.
These hoodoos are mainly composed of the sedimentary rock known as limestone and get their distinct pink, red, and yellow coloration from tiny iron-rich clay particles contained the the rocks.
At the first opportunity, we took the rent car off road, something I swore I would not do when I signed the lease.
We then walked the upper portion, of the Losee Trail.
Hiking on a what seemed to be a horse trail, we crossed a washed out river bed, where snow and spring rains had carved a path . The trail was rocky and sandy, pines everywhere with a collection of lifeless desert bushes and plants. Strangely, this tiny fern caught my eye. The pinkish waxlike crabclaw shape of growth was amazing. I’m not sure if this is to be a flower. The perfectly formed fern leaves were incredibly small. I took this photo and sent back home to our local fern expert. I await a report
Onto Bryson where more hoodoos patiently await us.
The Road Goes on Forever 