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.

Coyote Hollow Equestrian Campground | Utah

I found this campground online - it's a National Forest Service Campground and they have hitching bars in case you have horses, in addition to fire pits, tables and grills.  There is running water, but signs say not to drink it.  While I was camped here two people came in and had multiple horses.  One of them was a five-month-old colt, who was just adorable.

There are only four sites here and they are very spacious with lots grassy areas between the sites. The cost is only $10 per night and half that if you have a Senior pass.  It's less than 10 miles to Bryce Canyon National Park and about 5 miles from Red Canyon.  This is a very lightly used campground, I noticed most people stay for only one or two nights.

There are herds of cows in the area and they wander through the campsite area usually in the morning and in the evening.  

The horses didn't seem to mind that the cows were in their area, and the cows seem like mellow creatures.

The area is nicely wooded, but still open areas during the day for solar panels.  Definitely worth a visit.

Red Canyon | Utah

If you're headed to Bryce Canyon National Park from the west, you will pass through the Red Canyon.  Before you get to the Red Canyon, you're driving through nice green meadows with patches of trees.  Then, all of a sudden, you're driving through red rock formations similar to the one above.

The campground is right off the road in the middle of all these rock formations and hills.  From my campsite I could see a panorama of beautiful red rocks.  There were hiking trails from which you could see amazing views.  The campsite itself was great - $9 with a Senior Pass.  Showers are available, as well as rest rooms and water.  Another great National Forest Service park.

There are other very steep hikes you could take that bring you into the middle of these formations that are called hoodoos.

As I was exploring this area I saw a sign about some tunnels.  When they made the road they drilled right through some of these rock formations.  There were two of those quite close together.  Luckily they are tall enough for large RVs to fit through.

This area is very stunning and as you keep going, the red rock formations disappear and you get meadows again.  Until you get to Bryce Canyon which is quite close, but I haven't been into the park yet.

 

Panguitch | Utah

Panguitch is a small town not far from Bryce Canyon National Park, it has only one blinking red light and no other traffic lights.  There are a couple of blocks downtown where they have refurbished some of the buildings and they're still in use.

The old movie theater is now a restaurant.

About 15 miles from town is Panguitch Lake, very popular for fishing and boating.  Panguitch actually means "big fish", translated from the Paiute Indians who inhabited this area.  There are a couple of tourist resorts near the lake as well as a small store.

The road from the lake back to my camp was very scenic.

White Bridge Campground | National Forest Service | Utah

This is where I've been staying for the past few days - White Bridge Campground in the Dixie National Forest. I find the name Dixie a little strange for this area, since I've always associated it with the southeastern U. S. - Georgia, Alabama, etc.  This is easy to get to, just take Route 143 out of Panguitch, Utah and keep going until you see the sign for the campground.  The fee is $17, a little high for the forest service, but Senior Pass will get you half price.  They do have flush toilets, trash dumpsters and water available.

If you're lucky to get a site on the south side of the campground road, you will be backed up to a little stream which will provide soothing background sounds.  It just happened that I found a decent looking site and didn't even realize I'd have riverfront property!

On the way to the camp, you might see deer, so drive slowly if it's early morning or evening.

You might also see sheep - this is a small group that wasn't interested in moving very fast.  Actually, they were standing still, just gazing around.  There was another, larger group that stopped traffic on this road in another location, until they felt like moving on.

There are little chipmunks and ground squirrels, as well as regular squirrels running around.  They won't pose for a photo, so sometimes I get just a tail end or a blur.  I did finally get a couple good shots of these guys.

I am always trying to get a great photo of a hummingbird, and this isn't it.  However, it does show something interesting about these birds.  If you look closely at the end of this guy's beak, you'll see his tongue.  Their tongues are actually little straws that suck up their nectar.  I can hear them buzzing around the campground at all times of the day.

I did check out other dirt roads in the area for boondocking, living without any services, so they would be free of cost.  There are some BLM areas available.  I didn't feel like I wanted to take my 5th wheel on any of those roads.  I found that most of those were out in the open, some were visible from the road and most had no shade. 

Castle Rock Campground | Fishlake National Forest | Utah

I'm enjoying this campground because of the great scenery.  And especially the fact that I now have trees around and actual shade!

I love these colors against the blue sky.

These rock formations sometimes create a little slot canyon or a little cave-like area of nice cool shade.

There are two campsites in this campground that have actual teepees that you could stay in, as well as a spot for an RV.  How cool is that!

  They are actually quite large and I think it would be fun to stay in one of them.  However the price goes up because it's so special, so I didn't get to stay at those sites.  Since they were vacant I did go in and take some photos though.

The photo below shows the inside of one of the teepees, and this one actually has a rug inside.

It has been overcast for the past couple days and the sun goes down behind the rock formation walls, so there have been no sunsets.  But I did find another different wildflower.  This one is on a very prickly looking bush but the flower itself is interesting because the little reddish part in the middle of the yellow is not a bug, it's a part of plant.