Mossy Cave trail at Bryce Canyon, May 2013

Mossy Cave is in the northern section of the park along highway 12. The trail to the cave goes through a canyon known as Water Canyon. From 1890 to 1892 the mormon pioneers dug an irrigation ditch from the East Fork of the Sevier River, through the Paunsaugunt Plateau, into this canyon. It is known as the Tropic ditch and supplies water to the towns of Tropic and Cannonville to this day.

After crossing a foot bridge I came to the waterfall.

It was a short walk but very enjoyable with beautiful wildflowers along the trail such as Columbinan Virginia Bower (Clematics Columbiana).

Fringed Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum) the genus name means “stone seed” referring to the hard nutlets.

Lavender Leaf Sundrops (Oenothera lavandulifolius).

Pygmy Goldenweed (Tonestus pygmaeus)

Here are some other flowers I saw but I have not been able to identify them at this time.

Eventually I ended up at the cave…

…where I came face to face with this little chipmonk.

Driving back to the campground I spotted a Pronghorn.

Then made one last stop to overlook the canyon.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park May 19-21

Fromer’s “National Parks of the American West” was my main guide book for my big adventure and from that Don and Barbara Laine in their article about Bryce Canyon wrote: “Hoodoos, geologists tell us, are simply pinnacles of rock, often oddly shaped, left  standing by the force of millions of years of water and wind erosion. But perhaps the truth really lies in a Paiute legend. These American Indians, who lived in the area for several hundred years before being forced out by Anglo pioneers, told of a “Legend People” who lived here in the old days; for their evil ways they were turned to stone by the powerful Coyote, and even today they remain frozen in time.”

The air was cold and windy so I decided to just leave my camper in the campground and take the park bus tour.  These buses are free and well worth the ride and tour guides.  Bryce Amphitheater from Bryce Point was amazing.

The Wall of Windows may have begun a grottoes, though the rock behind them has long since weathered away.   

As I walked up to Inspiration point to see the view I was greeted with a spectacular rainbow over the canyon.  Fumbling with my camera I did manage to take a few photos before it went away. 

Inspiration point overlooked an amazing view. As I sat there I watched the sun peak out from the clouds highlighting different spots as though mother nature was saying, “look, did you notice this group of hoodoos and how about these.”

The next day I took the bus out to the end of the park road to Rainbow Point to see the bristle cone pines.

Yovimpa Point offers expansive views of southern Utah that seemed to go on forever.

At Agua Canyon overlook I saw The Hunter.

Natural Bridge was not formed by a stream like a true natural bridge but rather it was carved by rain and frost erosion acting from the top of the rock.

Manzanita was in bloom.

Arrowleaf balsamroot.

Utah prairie dogs, the rarest prairie dog in the United States, live only in southwestern Utah. These rodents build “town,” a vast underground network of tunnels and changers, where they sleep, hide, breed, and spend the winter. I was lucky to see them, but from a distance.

I also saw my first Mountain Bluebird here nearby.