Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Zion & Bryce Canyons...

I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name, it felt good to be out of the rain. Na-na-na-na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na-na. Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na-na.

So, we left Grand Canyon and traveled to Utah on our way to Zion & Bryce Canyons.

Zion is amazing. Beautiful windswept sand stone carved into the most beautiful majestic peaks, cliffs and valleys. The many varieties of cacti have captured our interest. Some have vibrant purple or bright yellow flowers. In such an arid, harsh environment, it surprises me that something so seemingly delicate could flourish. These hearty blossoms give me hope that I, too, can bloom wherever I’m planted.
Bryce, at 9,000 ft. elevation, is equally as beautiful, but in a different way altogether. In Bryce, the sandstone is carved into these breathtaking towers and spires. The castle-like turrets cause me to wonder what ancient royalty inhabited these stone kingdoms with the natural bridges connecting stone to stone. As a side note, in my last post I mentioned the variety of cultures we’re encountering. Well that is continuing as we travel. Our campground (at Bryce) has a pool and we took the kids swimming. There were only a few other people there. It was getting chilly, as it was evening, so folks were starting to leave. One gentleman (?) was obviously from a different culture (somewhere European, I’m guessing…). He had been in the hot tub with the kids for several minutes when he decided to leave. He proceeded over to his chair where his clothes and towel were and as nonchalant as can be stripped bare naked and put on his dry clothes. Thankfully Harold & a couple of the boys (not Lena, MaKenzie or myself) were the only ones with the dubious honor of having this cultural experience.

Another side note, Cody has expressed an interest in becoming a park ranger some day. I can’t even imagine a vocation that would suit him better. Just thinking of him getting paid to climb around out in nature tracking the habits of animals or observing the natural cycles of plant life makes me happy. He says that the presentations they have to do and the interactions with the public would make him nervous. But there’s nothing he feels more comfortable discussing than his latest observation from our backyard. I think it would be much the same for him as an adult.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

To the traveling Underwoods,

Glad you are having a great time. God has created such a marvelous place for us to see. I'll have you know that I have never blogged but am enjoying your experience. Hope you had a chance to see the Grand Tetons also. Have a safe trip and you are in our thoughts and prayers. Give my love to everyone.

Leslie

Lori in KY said...

Hi, Leslie! We DID get to the Grand Tetons! How beautiful they are! Glad to see you here! We'll see you in a couple weeks!

MaKenzie said to tell you hello!

Love,
The traveling Underwoods
(I like it!)