We spent Wednesday and Friday exploring the main areas of Zion Valley, and doing some hiking. On the Thursday, we drove up to Bryce Canyon (about 80 miles away).
My knowledge of the geology and the forces that shaped this part of the world has grown by ....well, from nothing to being able to give the bluffer’s guide. The idiots guide to development of the Colorado Plateau (300 by 500 miles) is something along the lines that it was laid down by 150 million years ago, and then pushed up 1 mile or so, about 15 million years ago. The softness of the rocks and water, sun, frost, wind etc did the rest. While I do not think that this explanation will make it to Wikipedia or any other encyclopaedia, it is a passable summary.
Whatever the causes, the results are amazing. I have laid out some photos again in Picasa, which you can access on
http://picasaweb.google.com/103404285149801869665/ZionValleyAndBryceCanyon#
The slide show is the best way to look at these. Yellowstone Park is also on the Colorado Plateau, but the scenery is strikingly different (see earlier blog entry and related slide show).
After an earlier failure to photograph a chipmunk, I have now captured a short video (see the bottom) of what must be the boldest chipmunk in North America. Am I David Attenborough or what?
You will see that the walking in parts of Bryce Canyon was not good for people who do not have a head for heights, with vertical drops of 1,000 feet only a few feet away.
By the way, in case you were wondering, we have now arrived in Grand Canyon. No comment....yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment