My Birthday Trip Part 3

 

The light was improving and the vistas were definitely getting more spectacular. We were only a few hours into our trip and we were getting some good photos already.

 

Unique lighting is what often makes a good photograph a great photograph.

 

A bit of wispy cloud cover helps too, but then the lighting is not as warm.

 

We entered the community of Springdale, the western gateway to Zion National Park. I did not know too much about this area because I had researched Bryce Canyon, our main objective.

 

The towering sandstone cliffs were impressive and we would end up spending all of the next day exploring and hiking this spectacular area.

 

The clouds were moving rapidly in the brisk breeze and the light was ever changing. We were hoping for sunny skies tomorrow.

 

This was one of my favourite views in the park and we were gifted with a dusting of snow and some interesting skies for these photos.

 

As in many situations where there is large scale grandeur, a photo does not do the scene justice.

 

Some interesting layering in the cliffs here. Geologists say these were all monster sand dunes at one time and turned to sandstone from various chemical reactions and pressure. The patterns in the faces of the mountains were certainly always interesting.

 

 

 

As Highway 12 winds through the park, we come to a tunnel, blasted and drilled in 1927 and more than a mile long. It is barely wide enough for two vehicles and when a motor home goes through, there are flag people at either end to enforce single lane traffic. There are no radios or walkie talkies as the signal does not pass through the stone, so the last vehicle through before the motor home, hands a note to the official at the other end of the tunnel, to signal that two way traffic can resume.

 

The day was coming to a close and the light was fading so we exited the park and headed for a small community where there might be some accommodations. We rose in elevation and came upon recent snowfall. We knew at that point that Bryce Canyon would be snowed in so we decided we would backtrack to Zion and spend the day hiking some of the many trails. It would turn out to be a good decision.

 

I hope you are looking at these photos 'large'. I made them extra big. (click on one of them and then click the thumbnails below the expanded photo)