Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Bryce National Park is fascinating.  As I walked to one of the overlooks I saw such variety of rock colors and formation shapes. I was spellbound and if it had not been so hot, I could have stayed for hours. The repetition of shapes, shapes that reminded me of pictures of Angkor Wat Cambodia from my long ago art history course, had me imagining ancient cities with ancient gods guarding those cities. While man made the Angkor buildings, nature used wind, water and temperature (freezing) to create these shapes.     The ‘hoodoos’ are tall and slender spires that rise from the arid basins.  They range in height from the height of an average man to the height of a 10 story building and no place has as many as the northern part of Bryce Canyon.  30 to 40 million years ago this was a lake bed.  You might enjoy reading more about them at   http://www.nps.gov/brca/naturescience/hoodoos.htm   The vast array of hoodoos and combina...

There are differences between the South Rim and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon   that go beyond direction.   The North Rim is lots less crowded, has higher elevation (8200 feet) with a spruce-fir forest, takes longer to get to and has fewer amenities.   It is well worth the trip!   There are lots of hiking trails and spectacular scenic views with a different perspective. We stayed at the Grand Canyon Lodge in a charming cabin.   Dinner was delicious at the lodge and the sunset spell binding.   Dawn found us dressed and ready to walk out to Bright Angel Point Trail.   The weather changed mid morning bringing dark clouds, thunder and rain.   Pretty dramatic! Today the forces of nature are at work slowly deepening and widening the Grand Canyon.   There is much information on the geology and history of this place at http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm And oh yes, it closes Oct. 15 due to the weather!  

  Canyonlands is a wilderness of rock.   It is vast and sculptural and colorful.   It is fascinating to see the various rock formations, canyons, and mountains that make up the expanse of this National Park. There are three areas, Island in the Sky, The Maze, and the Needles.   The Maze and the Needles were a little too remote and needed a 4 wheel drive, lots of water and supplies.   We explored the Island in the Sky.   From the broad mesa, you can see views spread before you that stretch for a hundred miles in front of you and 1200 miles beneath you.   Views abound that take your breath away and are difficult to comprehend.     Rain is scarce but it is spring/summer and when we rounded a corner we had to stop and look.   There below the very tall rock formation were a lovely variety of wildflowers blooming.   What a sight! Yellow and purple wildflowers Quite the View! Lizards find rock shelves where they can...

Last night we returned from a week of camping and driving and exploring some of Utah's monuments and parks.  We celebrated my 65th birthday with this trip and it did take my mind off the number of years.  Something about that number that makes me ... nervous! Camping with Peter is so easy.  We took Peter's incredibly delicious chili and a salad for the first night's adventure.  He is very good about finding lovely secluded places to camp.  Most of the places we landed either had no campgrounds or they were full.  I like to think of it as being 'closer' to nature. Our supplies included lots of water, canned chicken, bread, various kinds of soup, cokes, cereal, milk, bananas and coffee!  We were sure we could find a store and reload supplies. Utah has vast areas where there are very few towns with few stores (at least the part we traveled).  We stopped at Moab and had a wonderful lunch, got gas and continued on.  We explored Monument...