Kanab | Utah

While I was exploring Kanab, I stayed at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.  I think they're more reddish than pink, but they sure are pretty in the light just before sunset.

Look closely at this next photo, you'll see people climbing the dune.  It gives a good indication of how large these are.

When I checked into the park, they had firewood advertised on the counter.  I put a coin down to show the size of the bundle.  Really cute - they did sell the regular sized logs though!

Just had to take a shot of this meticulously maintained home/museum.

Not too far from town is this totem behind a locked gate with a sign that no trespassers were allowed due to vandalism.  Unfortunate, since there's a really nice looking swimming hole nearby.

Kanab is known as "Little Hollywood" because when Westerns were really popular, they filmed quite a few in this area - one of the more famous ones was The Outlaw Josey Wales.  There is a museum of some of the old stage sets, which was quite interesting.

This little building looks like stone, but is made of painted styrofoam. 

This looks like authentic adobe, but it's made from fiberglass.  The laundry on the line adds a great touch! 

One of the more important places I visited was Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, where they house stray or abandoned pets - including horses, pigs, birds and others.  They have over 500 cats in this complex, which includes a clinic, buildings to house the domesticated animals.  Some of the animals have private rooms due to personalities, diseases or other issues.  I didn't get to take the entire tour but I imagine they have the same type of facilities for dogs and other animals.

For more information on this organization - this is the link http://bestfriends.org/

Moqui Cave | Kanab | Utah

 

This is a little touristy place on the road just outside Kanab, Utah.  This cave and the surrounding area was purchased by a man who then set out to create a unique little museum in his cave.  He has done quite a bit of rock work on the outside. 

 

Inside, it really is a cave - you can tell because the temperature drops to a nice cool 70 degrees.  At one time, there was a bar in a back room.  The bar remains, but it's not in operation any longer.  The bar itself is still there, with it's tree trunk stools.

The bar top is a mosaic of scenes made of sliced stone and minerals with a coating of epoxy or a similar substance.

The back of the bar is also decorated with sliced minerals.

Slabs of rock show dinosaur footprints, each one of them labeled.

There are some rocks and minerals that glow under black light.  He has set up a dark room with black lights shining on different rocks from lots of locations - each one labeled with the name and location found.  This was my favorite area of the place.

 

It's an interesting little roadside attraction.

 

Mossy Cave | Bryce Canyon National Park | Utah

 

The day after I posted my blog about Bryce Canyon, I did this hike and thought it was worth sharing.  This area is not inside the main part of the park, but you can find it by driving further down Route 12 until you see a large parking area on the right.  It's a short hike, and the last part is a little steep, but not bad.

 

There are hoodoos here also, as well as a little stream running through the hike.  At one point, there is a small bridge to cross over the stream, as shown below.

This is what the cave looked like, although you cannot go into it.  It definitely is mossy. 

If you look closely at the next photo, you'll see water dripping from the ceiling.  Look in the center, bottom half of the photo.

 

The next few photos are taken on the way back. 

Unfortunately. the trail to the waterfall was closed.

 

 

Bryce Canyon National Park | Utah

Bryce Canyon is a special  and amazingly beautiful place.  While I was in the area I took multiple trips to the park to be able to see most of it.  There are some areas that can only be seen by strenuous hiking.

The tree above has an amazing network of roots that enables it to live in this harsh patch of sand.

This is a closeup of part of a Bristlecone tree.  You can see the pine cones on it and if you look at the very end of that branch, it looks like another pine cone.  During the tour we had a very informative bus driver and he told us that it is actually a pollinator.  I think this is the first time I've seen a Bristlecone and it's very unique.

The photo above shows the tops of some of the hoodoos that are throughout the canyon area.    The hoodoos are  caused by erosion and ice and wind.  In the following pictures you'll see multiple examples of them.



 

This last photo shows an arch, also caused by erosion.