Red Rocks: Bryce Canyon

At some point in the spring I was considering all the states I had visited, and realized that the only one in the lower 48 I had missed was Utah.  When I suggested we do a trip to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, my husband agreed.  So, this past week we flew to Las Vegas, rented a car and drove to Bryce.  I only regret I didn't discover the beauty of Utah earlier.  We were stunned by the beauty around us.

Bryce is interesting, because unless you like into the canyon, you see it looking down from the rim.  I took this photo before I found myself on the trail later in the day.

I think we picked a good time of year to visit, since the weather was cool in the evening, and didn't quite reach 90 degrees during the day.  We did hike into the canyon, which was challenging for me,even though the trail we chose was described as moderate.  The altitude and my creaky knees combined to make the mile or so a real workout for me.  But the chance to see the eroded sandstone columns, called hoodoos,  from below was worth the effort.

Am I crazy to think that this window in the stone looks like a heart? 

We we got back up to the rim and rested on a bench near a pine, we saw this Stellar's Jay, who was clearly not afraid of tourists from Wisconsin.