Lighting

Happy news: We were able to squeeze in a second walk in Bryce Canyon in spite of the threat of rain. Today, we hiked a modified version of the "Figure 8," which is what the park calls the combination of three popular trails: The Navajo Loop, the Peekaboo Loop, and the Queen's Garden Trail.

UPDATE: Told you I missed the geology talk! The hoodoos are made of limestone, not sandstone as I incorrectly stated below. My apologies for spreading misinformation.

Those who have visited Bryce Canyon might remember the popular Sunset and Sunrise viewpoints. This hike descends into the canyon from one and returns to the Rim Trail from the other.

In the linked photos, you can see that we shared the trail with horses. They were actually less onerous than some of the other hikers, of which there were many. But as usual, most folks were great. This is the first time I would have seriously considered taking a guided ride in a national park. The canyon seems to be an ideal place for it.

On Thursday, we followed the Fairyland Loop through the canyon on the northern end of the famous amphitheater.

The hoodoos--the colorful sandstone formations in these photos--steal the show at Bryce Canyon. Unfortunately, I can't report anything about their geology because the ranger talk was rained out.

I do want to point out the differences in lighting in my photos. Today was overcast, and it's striking how much more vibrantly the colors stand out in today's pictures as compared to Thursday's. Photos from our first hike are more typical: the early shots are hazy and washed-out, with too little morning light for our inexpensive cameras. As the sun gets higher in the sky, the sharpness of the photos increases and the shadows disappear, but especially here at Bryce, the bright sun erases much of the differences in colors. In their literature the park emphasizes that the hoodoos change in appearance as the day progresses. But from my experience, there are only a few times when the canyon is well-captured with the camera. In general, I have a lot more appreciation for talented photographers because it takes a great amount of experience and patience to find and wait for the right lighting.

In other happy news, we've logged a new bird in Bryce Canyon: the Townsend's solitaire. I've been wanting to see this bird for a long time, and it's quite easy to find in the park. Nor did it disappoint. While a rather drab bird at first blush, its white eye-ring is mesmerizing and the buffy patches on its wings are unique. Plus its song is incredible--reminiscent of a mockingbird, only brighter. You can listen to it here.

Four days were not enough in this park; shame on the fellow who told us we could do it in one day. Even so, onward.