...Nowhere Else On Earth

Stunning and found nowhere else on earth - this is what I read about the scenery in
Utah's Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks where we spent part of our spring break in early April.
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The area is considered to be a geologic showplace with sandstone cliffs among the highest in the world. It has evidence of human occupation both historic and prehistoric.
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Unusual columns of rock, often in fantastic form, are called Hoodoos.
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One of the Bryce Canyon Guides includes this information about the Hoodoos creation:

"Aproximately 200 days a year, ice and snow melt during the day and refreeze at night. When water becomes ice, it not only gets harder, but expands to approximately 110% of its original volume! This exerts enormous pressure on the rocks, forcing them apart from inside the cracks. First, attacking the fractures created during uplift and faulting, the rock is chiseled into broken remains. Monsoon rains remove this debris, helping to reveal fins, the first step in hoodoo creation. Most commonly, the second step in hoodoo formation begins when frost-wedging cracks the fins, making holes we call windows. When windows collapse they create the rust painted pinnacles we call hoodoos. We often think of this process as hoodoo creation; when, in reality, it's just another step in water's endless process of destroying the rocks it began creating 55 Million years ago."
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Doesn't the rock in the next picture remind you of a certain part of the body?
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Horizontal lines on this photo are mesmerizing me:

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Want to fly? I do!

Somehow, the rocks below make me think about the Chinese Terracotta Army:

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"Claron Formation consists of two types of limestone rock. It has a lower pink member and an upper white member. In the early years of the basin, the environment appears to have been more marsh-like, where plant roots help oxidize iron to give the sediments a red color. ...With the passage of time and an increase in water depth, the basin transitioned into purer lakes where the less iron-rich white limestone was deposited."
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Vastness of space adds to excitement:

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To see a road down below and realize that you were riding there just a few minutes ago is always a thrill:

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Zion has about 800 native plant species. Differences in elevation, sunlight, water and temperature create microenvironments like hanging gardens, side canyons and isolated mesas that lend to this diversity.
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I love the color of these plants.

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Zion has 67 species of mammals, 207 birds, 35 reptiles and amphibians, & six native fish. Rare or endangered species include the peregrine falcon, Mexican spotted owl, California condor, desert tortoise, and Zion snail, found nowhere else on earth. The only animals we saw were these deers (they might be mule deers).
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Going through the rock:

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I love this scene. Tranquil ... No noise from the neighbors' lawn mowers...

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Am I on another planet?

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A landing place for a spaceship?

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Morning in Zion National Park after a snowy night:

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Isn't it a spectacular scene? Clouds are touching the rocks' tops, trees' silhouettes on the blue background and a black shadow is getting replaced by light:

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This one, below, is one of my favorite images. Early morning. Fresh powder on the top of the rocks which is going to disappear soon under the rays of the rising sun:

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I could spent hours watching this scenery where the permanance of a rock meets the dynamic of constantly changing water:

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A play of light and shadows was spectacular on such a large scale:

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Springdale, Utah was a little delightful town which charmed me.

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I hope you liked the tour.

Copyright 2010 TatyanaS