Bob Neuman and David Ruether

Trip to the South Western US

May - June  2005

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

 

There was still snow here May 22-23, with a nice fresh wind blowing through the long-needle pines making a wonderful sound. The colors were spectacular, the odd "hoodoos" that look like rows of people waiting in lines (as if for movie tickets?) were most unusual, and the scale was "large", in common with most of the other western national parks. Unfortunately, the one trail (the Navajo loop trail) that led down among the hoodoos that looked "do-able" for David in advance of the visit had been destroyed the winter before our visit - darn! The alternative Queen's Garden trail felt too strenuous for David at this high altitude. We took a short walk below the canyon rim, where Bob hiked further down the trail so that David could take some distant pictures of him. It was extremely windy out on the trail. This photo of Bob is in this set - can you find it? (Not the one in orange - that's David, and the Ravens were amazingly friendly here.)

At a restaurant near our motel, David bought a piece of petrified wood, and we also had our first encounter with "Utah Sauce", something packaged or served like mayonnaise or mustard, etc., but unlike anything we had had before. It looked like thousand island dressing, but didn't taste like it - and it went well with hamburgers, fries, and many other food items. We have no idea what it actually is, but we both liked it.

We drove eastward and stopped to hike the Mossy Cave trail along Highway 12. It was a scenic trail along a creek, with hoodoos above the trail. We took some pictures, then hiked back to the car. At Cannonville, we turned off the main road for a side trip to Kodachrome Basin State Park.

 

(Photos were taken by Bob Neuman and edited and adjusted by David Ruether)
(All photographs Copyright 2005 Robert Neuman)

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