The Colorado Plateau Revisited Pt. 3 – Chequerboard Mesa, Red Canyon & Bryce Canyon

Moving on from the fabulous Zion National Park we headed for Chequerboard Mesa, Red Canyon and finally Bryce Canyon where we stayed at Ruby’s Inn, a fabulous western style lodge.

These first couple of images are of Chequerboard Mesa, a remarkable white sandstone formation carved into square blocks by the elements and the effects of erosion.

Chequerboard Mesa

Chequerboard Mesa

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Chequerboard Mesa & Old Tree

Our next stop was Red Canyon aptly named with its rich red colouring and stark blue skies. Traversing the tracks amongst the formations was rather difficult with all the loose gravel and stone. One had to be careful to remain upright and avoid ending up with a dusty red seat on their pants.

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Ridge walkers at Red Canyon

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Red Canyon Formations

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Red Canyon – Balanced Formations

Our destination of Bryce Canyon allowed for a couple of days viewing the Hoodoos – the name given to the towering columns, and exploring the canyon floor. A photographers delight, the richly coloured canyons and structures cast magnificent reflected light that simply glows as if it was illuminated from within in some cases. The following images taken over a couple of days will give you some idea of this amazing place.

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A lone photographer taking it to the edge.

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Clinging on for life.

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Tree roots suspended by the effects of erosion.

_GNE1025 HDR WEB _GNE1043 Bryce Pano WEB _GNE1110 Single WEB _GNE1126 HDR DPI _GNE1153 HDR DPI _GNE1168 _GNE1174 HDR BLOG _GNE1207 HDR Blog _GNE1213 HDR WEB _GNE1228 HDR Blog _GNE1237HDR WEB _GNE1315 HDR WEB _GNE1318 HDR _GNE1387 HDR Blog _GNE1466 Limber pine BLOG_GNE1475 HDR BLOGWith our visit to Bryce Canyon completed our next destination was Kodachrome Valley, this and many more spectacular locations will be covered in Part 4 of our journey through the region.

The Colorado Plateau Revisited – Pt.1

Three years ago, in 2011 we did a photographic tour in the USA of the Colorado Plateau, mostly taking in the states of Utah and Arizona and their National and State Parks. The opportunity arose to re-visit the region in October/November this year armed with much improved photographic techniques and better equipment.  With three weeks and over 5,000 km of travelling behind us we have returned with some amazing images – too many for a single article. Enjoy the journey and the scenery as we work through the journey a bit at a time.

Commencing in Las Vegas we headed East to the border of Nevada and Utah to visit Snow Canyon State Park, a 7,400 acre scenic park. The State Park was declared in 1959 with the region being the original home of the Anasazi Indians and later the Paiute Indians who used the canyon from A.D. 1200 to the mid 1800’s. Mormon pioneers discovered the canyon originally named it the Dixie State Park until it was later named after prominent Utah pioneers Lorenzo and Erastus Snow.

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Multi-coloured Navajo sandstone deposits feature in the landscape.

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Wildflowers and bushy vegetation along with narrow leaf Yucca plants survive the low 7.5 inch annual rainfall.

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Prickly cactus trees are a feature.

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Yellow daisies contrast amongst the various blues and greens of the vegetation.

The Navajo sandstone is the predominant rock in the park having been created over 183 million years by tiny grains of quartzite sand carried by wind. In more recent geological times lava flows and waterways carved new canyons through the area. The variety of coloured sandstone and granite are prominent features of the region.

Patterns and layers of different coloured sandstone reveal the history of the area.

Patterns and layers of different coloured sandstone reveal the history of the area.

Lava, cactus and sandstone depict a harsh climate

Lava, cactus and sandstone depict a harsh climate

Coming soon…. Part 2 where we visit Zion National Park

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