Not far from the bright lights of Las Vegas, there are miles and miles of roads through arid, but stunning, landscapes.
One of my Australian friends is heading to the States next month: “Las Vegas!” she told me, with some excitement.
Vegas is indeed a world apart: a resort city, known for gambling, shopping, drinking, dining and nightlife; …
… an artificially created environment in the middle of the Mojave Desert, surrounded on all sides by mountains.
The brightest city on earth, as viewed from space (or, in this case, from the Stratosphere), Vegas puts on a glittering display every night. (This is one of those many times I wished I had enough weight allowance to carry my tripod on my travels.)
I guess it is an exciting city: there are bars and clubs, live entertainment of every description, and of course the gambling. But, after a day or so, I’m ready to escape. The best part of Vegas, in my mind, is that it is on the way to – or from – somewhere else.
One of those places is the nearby Grand Canyon: still on my bucket list.
But, it is also only two and a half hours of easy driving from Vegas to the magnificent Zion National Park, and then another two hours to Bryce Canyon National Park.
For me, these are much harder to resist than the One Armed Bandits – which are now button operated anyway. We hopped in the car and took highway I-15 N out of the city, out of Nevada, and across the corner of Arizona into Utah.
Utah is one of the less-populous states – especially outside of its city centres. Small settlements dot the intersections of highways, and caravans or mobile homes sit surrounded by farm implements.
Like most of the National Parks that I have visited in the US, Zion is incredibly accessible. We parked our car and took one of the regular hop-on-hop-off shuttle buses (complete with commentary) that run up and down Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.
The shuttle buses stop at popular attractions and at the heads of various walking tracks.
The red Navajo sandstone cliffs rise up all around the canyon.
It’s a short, easy, walk from the shuttle to one of the park’s more popular spots: the Weeping Rock. Spring waters seep out of the rocks high overhead, raining down on the path below.
When you stand under the blind arch, the weeping rock frames the surrounding canyon.
The constant, gentle flow of spring water ensures that the area around the arch is green with life.
Ferns and flowers thrive in the wet, shaded areas.
Rusted “still-life” objects provide visual interest as we continue our drive northeast.
I can’t resist stopping at the patches of prickly pear on the roadside.
The flowers of the prickly pear (Opuntia phaeacantha) are both beautiful …
… and delicate.
Keeping our eyes peeled against the red sandstone …
… we spot a mother bighorn sheep with her young.
Different coloured buttes have their origins in different geological periods.
The surrounding mountains cast long shadows over the landscape.
The massive walls of Bryce Canyon dwarf the people overlooking the hoodoos on the canyon floor.
The light changes rapidly over the massive amphitheater.
Far below on the canyon floor the colourful pinnacles can be up to 60 metres (200 feet) high.
The sedimentary rock of Bryce Canyon Amphitheatre was shaped into the delicate-looking hoodoos some 66 million years ago by frost and stream erosion.
As the light falls at the end of the day, we dine on an outdoor table, overlooking more farm machinery and coloured hills.
Dining al fresco as the sun goes down ~
I much prefer that to the bright lights of Vegas!
Happy Travels
Pictures: 13-14May2013
I’m back and enjoyed all you’ve placed on your blog during my absence. Nice different series. I wish you a nice day Ursula. Warm greetings Dietmut
Nice to have you back, Dietmut!
Enjoy your spring. 😀