Well, I’ve been home three days and I’m starting to recover from the combination of jet-lag and cough/cold/flu virus that someone gave me as a souvenir of my holiday in America, so I think I have the energy now to start posting a little bit more about our time there.
I took a ton of photos. Isn’t it liberating, the switch from film to digital? With film, you’re constantly wondering how many more frames you have on the roll, but with digital you just keep clicking away, secure in the knowledge that a) you’re unlikely to actually fill your multi-gigabyte card in one day and b) if you do, there’s another one in your pocket.
Anyway. We flew into Las Vegas simply because it was there. I suspect most people visit Las Vegas simply because it’s there, but for us, it was also nicely situated between the places we wanted to visit for the first week, and the place I needed to be for the second. And we’d been to Vegas before by default, and we kinda liked it.
I’m going to save Vegas for later, because I have a fascinating little video I want to show you, but I think I need a widget to embed it. Anyway, you’ve already had Elton John! So the next stop was the Grand Canyon, and I’m not going to do a post on that. It’s awesome. It’s a great big awesome hole in the ground and you can do all kinds of stuff like ride mules down into it, take helicopter or 4×4 tours, or hike or camp .. but we just walked along the rim and gazed at it while trying not to melt, and besides, you’ve already had the squirrels.
So by the time we got to Bryce, we’d seen the Grand Canyon.
Now, you might think this would make Bryce a bit of a disappointment, but no. Not a bit of it. In my opinion, Bryce Canyon is utterly beautiful, and in its way, even more stunning than the Grand Canyon. You only have to look at the photo above to see why.
The colours are accurate - the rocks really were that red. Actually, earlier in the day the colours were more intense and the sky was bluer. It all depends on the light, but at any time of day, the place is just gorgeous.
I’m not going to bore you with a geology lesson. Suffice it to say that the canyon is still being formed, slowly but surely increasing in size, as the softer rock is worn away to expose those incredible rock formations known as fins and hoodoos. It looks as though it’s a bit crowded down there, but in fact there’s plenty of room between them to ride, walk, or even drive a truck - supposing you are allowed to.
If one day someone tells me I can visit either Utah or Arizona to see only one of the canyons, I’m gonna pick Bryce, with no hesitation. If it weren’t for the intensity of the sun, and the possibility of death by heatstroke, I could have sat there all day just looking at the place. It’s that beautiful.
And it has a peace all of its own.
Wow! That’s gorgeous! I’m going to have to add that to my list of places to go in the west. We toured some big places in the Northwest, but I have yet to do a lot of exploring in the Southwest. Looks like I need to get crackin’!
Peace - D
DP/Mommas last blog post..Happy Birthday, Bodhi!
Really great entry Jay! Especially the geology info. It seems a little silly to say, but your top photo reminded me of the terracotta warriors of Xian, China. Can you see what I mean?
DP/Momma - Thank you - yes, you should certainly go, if you can. Utah is just so beautiful. The Red Canyon is gorgeous too, and the Zion national park is breathtaking. Pictures from that will probably appear at some point in the future.
Aussie - Absolutely!! I said exactly the same to OH at the time. Looking down on all those rows of red reminded me irresistibly of the Terracotta Army.
Thanks for the comment. It’s great to meet you. If you want somewhere bumpy and beautiful to live, come to Yorkshire - Best move I ever made.
Some lovely photos by the way.
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One of my absolute favourite places on this planet. I just loved the way the colours changed as the sun moved from horizon to horizon. Zion is also amazing and so is Arches - I just love all the national parks in Utah. When people think about places to go on holiday, Utah hardly pops into their heads as a premier vacation destination, but it should -although I might recommend not going in the middle of summer, since you really do face the distinct possibility of melting or being roasted alive!
Jay:
I’ve been all over the US, but I’ve never been to Bryce or the Grand Canyons. It’s shameful me to have missed those two wonderful places. Your images are great and look like they were taken by a professional photographer.
Las Vegas is a different story. I’ve been there dozens of times. I don’t go because, it’s there, as you say. I go because we love the place. I don’t think I would live there - way too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. But it makes for a great vacation.
Very nice post. Well written and super images.
Happy trails.
Wow, you’re making me homesick!
I was originally born and raised in Phoenix, and we used to make trips to different canyons every year for a week long camping trip. I don’t miss the camping, but the glory of the canyons was something else. You should put Havasu on the list for the next go around. I can’t really remember what it looked like from the top, but at the bottom, it was green, lush, gorgeous, with a glorious waterfall coming down into a clear pool.
If I could figure out a way to visit without being forced to visit with the family that lives there, I would go in a heartbeat. Isn’t that terrible?
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Babs - Thanks! We’ve been to Yorkshire for holidays, but I think the winters would get to OH. It’s certainly bumpy and beautiful though!
DBM - I have heard that about the summer in Utah, and also that the winters are very cold, with lots of snow! We didn’t have time to visit Arches, but maybe next time.
Swubird - Thank you for the compliment! I did do a course in photography, but it’s just a little compact digital. Does a good job! Yes, we enjoy Las Vegas immensely, and I’m told that it’s actually a great place to live.
JT - Havasu? I’ll make a note! Sounds like a great place to do a trail ride! And I know what you mean about family and expectations. LOL!
What is interesting about Bryce Canyon is that it strikes me as though this is the fossilized remains of some lost city. The images look as though they were skyscrapers buried and then rediscovered. While certainly not as grand in size as its larger counterpart, it appears to have a stark beauty all its own.
Ok, Indiana Jones moment is over. Thanks for the pics, they are great!
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Mr N - Yep, we said that too! There’s one place in particular, up by Bryce Point, which looks just like a fairytale castle, and another across from Sunset Point (where the first pic was taken) which looks like an ancient Middle Eastern town. And the second picture is of an area known as ‘Wall Street’. The way you can see images in the rocks is one reason I could have sat there all day gazing at it.
Yes, the winters are cold, but very, very beautiful. Well worth a visit at this time of year, especially if you are crowd phobic.
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That is beautiful. I just finished a three-week writing job about Utah, but it didn’t have such gorgeous photos. Thanks for sharing.
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love the photos Jay! bryce in the fall with aspen leaves turning, cant beat it
though Zion is my favorite, then arches. I think we maybe going back this fall. love that red rock!
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Hi Jay,
Those are beautiful photos you captured. I’ve never been there but may have to add that to my “list”.
It sounds like you had a wonderful time on your trip and saw many beautiful places.
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Seems we always have a germ when we change altitudes etc. GReat photos my uncle said it is impossible to sleep the colors so overwhelming and different all day would you agree?
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This one came from Minnesota, Sandy - one of my friends collected it in Chicago and brought it to LA with her. LOL!
The whole holiday was overwhelming in a way, with all the different sights and places and people. I slept quite well while we were away, but I’m having a lot of trouble sleeping now we’re back. Jet-lag is part of it I’m sure.
Hey Jay! I absolutely loved Bryce, Zion & Arches & considering that they’re not that far apart, it’s pretty amazing how DIFFERENT they all are!!
Arches was my favorite for hiking - but Bryce has the knock-you-upside-the-head beauty, doesn’t it??
DBM - I fear I’d never get my dear husband to come to Utah in the winter, even though he’s got some internet friends there. He’s crowd phobic for sure, but also allergic to the cold white stuff. LOL!
RuthHC - Thank you so much for such a nice compliment! I enjoy photography immensely, but these days I’m lazy about bringing out the big equipment. Neck and shoulder and back problems mean I can’t carry much.
Dawn - It’s all so gorgeous!! A fall trip might be really nice. One day, perhaps. The weather would be cooler too, perhaps?
Barbara - Indeed we did! I can’t wait to go back and see more. Such a shame that it’s all so far from home. I have a lot of friends in the US now, too, which means there are a lot of places to try to get to.
Jeannine - It certainly does! I was told Utah was beautiful, but until you go, you can’t possibly appreciate how beautiful, can you? I hadn’t realised how gorgeous scenery could be with hardly any green in it!! And yes, so different, although we didn’t get to Arches. Next time. That and Havasu - and there was one OH found while I was in LA, which he said was like a young Bryce. He wants to show me that next time. Seems we’ll be going back, huh?
Truly stunning, isn’t it? It is definitely on my wish list to visit, and your photography is superb Jay.
Thanks, Shrinky! It’s such an easy place to photograph. Wherever you point, there’s a shot. *Sigh* So beautiful! Mind you, we got some good ones on your little island, too! Another beautiful place I’d like to come back to some time.
Let me know when you go to Arches - I’d meet you there in a MINUTE!!
Capitol Reef is also gorgeous - I think ALL of them in southern Utah are, in their own way… I’d love to go back there…
It’s a deal, Jeannine! Hey, we could fly into DC, have a few days there with you and meet up with K again, and then all run off to Utah for some fun! Wouldn’t that be nice?
stunning photo
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Absolutely gorgeous. I’m e-mailing this post to my husband with the subject header “Well?” As in, “Well, now can we take that trip out west?”
Thanks for helping me win my argument!
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Thanks Meleah!
JD - You’re very welcome! I hope you get your trip! LOL!
beautiful. i said i would NEVER go digital, i was a “serious” photographer and only wanted to deal with film. well guess what, i love digital now. no worries. i need to get a bigger memory card, but it is liberating, like you said.
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Just like me, Valerie, just like me. LOL!
I actually did a photography course just as digital was getting good enough to produce seriously good results, so within a very short time, most of the equipment I’d acquired was pretty much redundant. I do still have my film cameras, and occasionally I’ll load one up an use it, to keep my hand in, but these days I’m frustrated by the time delay, and tend to take far too many shots ‘for insurance’.