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This part
of the United States is a geologist’s dream. I must admit that rocks don’t
really rock me, but even I am impressed by the cliffs, canyons, escarpments,
valleys, buttes, pinnacle, peaks, hoodoos, fins and arches we have seen so far.
And there is more to come!
The next
item on our very detailed and totally planned itinerary is to drive the
relatively short distance from Bryce Canyon National Park to Zion National Park
and to find a particuar back country camping spot we have set our hearts on.
However, as Robert Burns so sagely noted, “The best laid plans often go awry.”
During our
planning stage, sitting around the dining table in the dark winter months in
Denmark, we (my fault, mainly) had forgotten to note that today is Labour Day.
This means there are gazillions of people in Zion. It is utterly impossible to
find a spot to park the car. The next village’s parking spots are also totally
filled up. We make a quick and unanimous decision: we drop Zion, and continue
to wend our way southwards to the Grand Canyon. That way we will also gain
precious time in our very tight timetable.
We snap
photos from the car as we drive through Zion. Of rocks with beautiful swirly
patterns. Of rocks layered like piles of pancakes. Of rocks with greenish and
pinkish tints. On the other side of the
park we set the automatic controls and zoom down the state highway at an even
speed.
We cross
the border and enter Arizona. Here we see the greenish Vermillion Cliffs in the
distance. We stay the night by Jacob Lake in the Kaibab National Forest. Next
morning we eat breakfast in a greasy spoon diner, sitting side by side at the
counter the American way before once again hitting the road.
We pass
through country that has been the backdrop for many a Western movie. John Wayne
was here. Navajo Indians were here – and still are. They now sell jewellery by
the roadside, in the shade of rocks that look like strange, large mushrooms. We
catch our first glimpse of the power of river over rock when we cross the
Little Colorado River. As it turns out, “We ain’t seen nothing yet…”
