Bob's Gone Birding: Gems of the National Park Service, Part 2: Glen and Bryce Canyons

Many a John Ford western featured this view of Monument Valley

I really didn't want to leave The Grand Canyon. The weather that morning was brilliant - cool, clear and cloudless. Yet the bus was loading so there was nothing to do but get on board. Joe, our tour director, had promised more spectacular scenery later in the week, but topping The Grand Canyon was impossible. Wasn't it?

Capt. Brittles's Office in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Our first stop was a "trading post" in Cameron on the Navajo Reservation, and I was determined not to blow my money on cheap trinkets! Of course, I was picturing a tourist trap with lots of cheap souvenirs. I was only partially correct. It certainly was a glorified souvenir stand. It had its cheap stuff like key chains, coffee mugs and touristy t-shirts. I really liked the shirt with the photo of the rifle-toting Navajo warriors and the caption: "Homeland Security - Fighting Terrorism Since 1492." On the other hand, the Navajo pottery, Kachina dolls, sand sculptures, blankets, leather, artwork and clothing ran the gamut from nice to exquisite. I was particularly impressed with the etched pottery by (and I really hope I'm remembering this name correctly) Renisha Etsitty. Her pottery was so delicate, the etchings so intricate, and the earth tones so beautiful, that I returned to that table over and over. In the end, I had to buy a piece. I had to.

Our goal for that morning was to reach Monument Valley in Utah, site of John Ford westerns like Stagecoach, The Searchers, and of course She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. Goulding's Trading Post and restaurant are built adjacent to the movie set made famous by Ford and John Wayne in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. The tiny office used by Wayne as Capt. Nathan Brittles is still here as is another building used in several scenes. I remember Joanne Dru looking lovely while standing on its balcony and watching the troops below. After a tasty lunch, most of the group piled into jeeps for a tour of the scenic valley. I had had issues with a bad back for weeks before the trip, and heeding the cautions of the tour director, I chose to stay behind. Instead, I walked through the surrounding desert a bit, chased an occasional House Finch, found a House Sparrow coated red by the desert dust, and marveled at the gorgeous desert flowers. I also visited Goulding's trading post, but unlike the one in Cameron, they had higher prices and fewer customers.

Looking Across Lake Powell.

Eventually we arrived at Lake Powell late in the afternoon. We had a short time to check into our rooms and then find some place to eat. The main restaurant was packed, and I wasn't very hungry, so I settled for a salad and a slice of pizza at the Wahweap Grill on the edge of the property. Actually, it was quite good. The evening then turned cold, windy and rainy - not the best conditions for strolling around, so I headed to my room and caught up on some much-needed rest.

The next day was advertised as a relaxing, full day at the resort. Well, yes and no. After a wonderful breakfast in the Rainbow Room, I went outside and strolled the grounds for a while. The rain had mostly cleared away, and I had a good time chasing Brown-crested and Ash-throated Flycatchers around the gardens, stalking a Yellow Warbler that refused to come out of hiding, and trying desperately to get a photo of the many Violet-green Swallows that dashed frantically above the lake looking for their own breakfasts of yummy bugs.

Antelope Canyon. The high water mark is over 120 feet up!

Next we took a tour boat ride around a small portion of Lake Powell. The lake is located within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and it's huge. It has more shoreline than the west coast of the United States. Skeptical? Go ahead and Google it ... I'll wait.

See? Over 2000 miles of shoreline make this one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Unfortunately, it has problems. After reaching its full capacity, the lake's depth has been steadily receding for well over 20 years. In the photo on the right, you can see the high water mark where the canyon walls turn from white to dark red. This "bathtub ring" circles the lake and is a constant reminder that we need to address our water needs before the crisis becomes a catastrophe.

None of that made the tour any less spectacular. After sauntering up to the Glen Canyon Dam we turned into Antelope Canyon. This is a "Slot Canyon" - high-walled and very narrow. The cliffs rose out of the water right next to the boat and towered above us. I kept wondering if we would have to back out because there was no room for turning around. Yet at the end of the canyon was a small pool that was just big enough for a u-turn.

A Violet-green Swallow feeding above Lake Powell

After the boat ride we had just enough time for a quick lunch before hopping on the bus for a short ride over to the dam museum. We spent a little time there and then headed for our next touristy site - Walmart!! Yep, that's right. Walmart. If you've ever done a bus tour, you know that by mid-week, some supplies start running low and many people need a stop at the old Supercenter. We had a secondary reason. The next day's lunch was going to be picnic-style in Bryce Canyon. We needed to buy food for lunch that would keep for a few hours on the bus. I settled for a large ham, turkey, lettuce and cheese sandwich that had some mayo on the side in little packets. Turned out to be perfect!

Back at the resort, the evening turned cold and the skies threatened rain again. I stopped at the Wahweap Grill, got some more pizza, and took it back to my room. I read a little, looked at my photos, and fell asleep.

After yet another great breakfast, the sixth day of the tour turned its back on Lake Powell and headed for Zion National Park - but with a memorable stop in Kenab, the town known as "Little Hollywood." Over 100 western movies and television shows have been filmed here including some of my favorites - Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, and The Lone Ranger. We pulled into Denny's Trading Post for a bathroom break and a visit to their back yard. It was a somewhat small-scale replica of an old western town. I had loads of fun looking at the artifacts of the cowboy era. I still watch westerns every chance I get, so I soaked this up for as long as I could.

Soon we reached Bryce Canyon National Park where we pulled into the parking lot at the lodge. In the lobby I wolfed down my sandwich and then headed out to see what the big deal was about this place. A short walk brought me to the canyon's edge:

Holy Lord on His Throne! If this isn't evidence of the Divine Artist at work, I don't know what is. I was utterly unprepared for this. I had never even heard of Bryce Canyon before, and yet here was one of the world's most extraordinarily beautiful vistas. Why isn't this mentioned in the same breath as Yellowstone, Glacier, and Grand Canyon? I listened to the legend of the hoodoos - those tall stone pillars - as the petrified souls of bad people, but I listened with only a small part of my brain. The rest of me tried to memorize every rock, crevice and snow-capped peak. I wanted to remember this for the rest of my life.

After a bit, a small sound from the world around me brought me back to reality. I was hearing something that I didn't recognize. I looked up just a few feet above my head. There perched for the world to see - while the hundreds of people around him were completely absorbed in looking at the canyon - was another rare beauty. A spectacular Western Tanager (right) posed against a perfect sky would have sent birders from all over the world into a frenzy, but in this crowd and in this site, he was ignored except by me. Fortunately, I snapped a few photos before he flew away.

I hiked along the canyon rim and climbed to one of the higher points for an even more impressive view. I saw a Stellar's Jay in the pines along the rim and a small flock of Western Bluebirds feeding in a small grassy area near the cabins. But all too soon we had to get back on the bus and head toward Zion. For my money, I could have skipped Lake Powell - as wonderful as it was - and spent more time exploring Bryce and surrounding forests. As it is, I thanked God for the opportunity to be there that day.