The Power of Hoodoo. Who do? You do?

Friday, March 21, 2008, approximately 8:00 am
As I drove east towards our first park, Bryce Canyon, I suddenly noticed large red rock formations along the road. These were worthy of waking up my passengers. We pulled the car over at “Red Canyon” and suddenly the long drive was starting to feel worth it. These rocks were impressive, and they weren’t even inside the National Park boundary.

A few minutes later, we arrived at Bryce Canyon and got the first use of our National Parks Pass. We drove into the Visitor Center (a required first stop at any National Park, particularly when you do little to no planning ahead). Adrian and I talked to one of the rangers, who suggested we do “the best three-mile hike in the world.” He was convincing enough, so we decided we would hike the Queens Garden Trail.

Before heading out on the hike, we drove to a few of the lookouts to get an overview of the park. Several points in the park look out over Bryce Amphitheater, the main feature of the park. The Amphitheater probably did not meet the architecturally correct definition of the word, but then again, most architects misuse the word on a regular basis. (Sorry, random Ana pet-peeve via architecture history professor Ousterhout at the University of Illinois). Regardless of its name, the Amphitheater was incredible. Although I was slightly disappointed to see snow on my first real Spring Break, the snow contrasting with the red rock was incredible. The canyon was filled with “hoodoos” A hoodoo (according the guide given at the entrance to the park) is “a pinnacle or odd-shaped rock left standing by the forces of erosion.”

After a few viewpoints from the road, it was time to start our hike. I definitely was impressed by the “best three-mile hike in the world.” We started walking along the rim of the canyon, looking down in as we had from the roadside viewpoints. Soon, we began our descent. The descent took us through lots of sticky red mud, but it also got us really close to the hoodoos. One of my favorite spots was what I determined must be Queens Garden. Perhaps it was just the power of suggestion, but I really thought the needle-like hoodoos appeared to be topped by the heads of kings and queens. They looked like an oddly proportioned chess set.

Farther along the trail, the lack of sleep started to kick in and I about had it with the three-mile hike. Soon after the feeling had kicked in, we passed by a family who told us how amazing “Wall Street” was. They said it was just ahead, so my spirits were up. Wall Street was a narrow slot between red rock walls. A steep slope covered in snow brought us though the narrow passageway. The spot was filled with people, most of whom seemed to be descending into the canyon as we ascended up it. We must have hit Wall Street at just the right time of day, because despite the high walls and narrow opening at the top, it was filled with light.

By the time we reached the top, we were exhausted, muddy, and really hungry. We decided to leave the park in search of a good meal. We found our meal at Ruby’s Inn, just outside the park. The food was good and the waitress was nice enough to let Jessica order a grilled cheese off the kids menu (she’s a vegetarian). It reminded me of when I was little and would only eat grilled cheese at restaurants. I’ve always been a bit emotional about food. Just ask my family about Applebee’s, my first time at Chipotle, or ask Adrian about the time he decided to hide the bag of Starbursts and pretended he’d eaten them.

After our meal, we almost fell into a heavy food coma, but we determined we should see some of the viewpoints further into the park. Most of the views were distant panoramas of the mountains in the distance. According to the map, on a clear day you can see over 90 miles away into Arizona and on a clearer day into New Mexico. We could see pretty far, but I’m not sure if our view crossed the state line.

We left the park mid-afternoon and drove to our first hotel. I realized by studying the address and our map that our Google directions appeared to be seriously flawed. We decided to follow our instinct and travel according to the map. When we’d arrived, Jessica woke up and said “we’ve been here before.” We assured her that she had not, and it quickly became one of our many running jokes on the trip.

After a much needed shower and nap, we went to try to see the sunset at Red Canyon, but the sky was clear as could be, so the sunset left much to be desired. We returned to the hotel and crashed out early that night.