My Birthday Trip Part 10

 

We headed up the road, north, after the sunrise in Bryce Canyon. The country was interesting and the buttes and mesas were not even in any national or state park.

 

We decided that Kodachrome Basin would be our last hike and photo session before the run for Las Vegas.

 

This was not a large area, unless we would hit the hiking trails, which we did.

 

These were sandstone rock formations, but this sandstone was not very hard or solid. You could rub it with your fingers and a fine cornstarch consistency sand would slough off. The rain had come through here recently and there was a lot of erosion. If this were wetter country, these rock would not last very long.

 

The red was very consistent throughout the rock, unlike Zion or Bryce sandstone.

 

There is a large campground in the middle of the park and this general store is open in the summer months.

 

A row of rental cabins completes the only commercial aspect of this park. The public washrooms at the park were so much better than anything you would find in a Canadian campground.

 

In this Mars-like landscape, Andrew is searching for any sign of life. We only met two other people on our long hike. As you can see, we have struck out on our walk with no jackets or hats. The air was warm with a slight cool breeze, until the storm clouds started forming. Fortunately, the rain was visible a few miles away but never came to us. Had the sun come out, we would have been looking for shade.

 

This strata of rounded rock reminded me of an explosion in a bun factory. They are not really rocks, but more like hardened mud.

 

Our faithful transportation deserved attention too. It was not only very luxurious and comfortable, but it was pretty good on gas too. As the days went by, we kept discovering new bells and whistles on this vehicle. We probably missed a few as there was no manual anywhere to be found. We particularly liked the full length moon roof that allowed us to observe the spires, as we were driving, by simply looking upward.

 

The trails lead us to interesting little meadows and a few box canyons. There had been a lot of erosion and the trail was washed out in many places. We read later that there were rattlers in this area. We went off the trail many times and it is just as well we did not know.

 

Deadwood, junipers, sage brush, and red rocks made it feel like we were in the middle of a western movie.

 

At the top of a long hike, with great views in all directions, we met a friendly German couple. He had some serious photographic equipment and asked us if we would take a photo of them. Then they reciprocated. So, Andrew and I say goodbye from the top of Kodachrome Basin. We rushed down to the parking lot, hoping to beat the coming rain, and hoping to see a few more sights before the day was over. But it would all be from the car. It was time to find a freeway and dash home.