HANGING OUT

Denis and I use two cameras.  He has a small Nikon Coolpix with an wide optical zoom and I use a bulky Nikon D5100 digital camera.  I think I may need another lens for birding but for now I think the bird pics are pretty good for an amateur.   Yesterday we forgot to download my pics and I had some nice shots that I'd like to share with you.  Any birders out there? 

Mountain Bluebird

I looked through my North America bird book and cannot identify this mystery bird - anyone?

Western Meadowlark

I like this shot with the three calves - no hump, so they are younger than two months

People brought carrots to feed this little guy - so gentle for a wild burro

Don't you love how interested they are in us?

Til tomorrow, thanks for stopping in.

Bryce Canyon National Park

We had planned on taking the 12-mile scenic highway which connects the South and East Entrances. We thought we could drive our car along this highway but learned that it's only accessible by shuttle.  We drove as far as the canyon junction, found a parking space and hiked the Canyon Overlook Trail. This one hour rocky and uneven trail was spectacular with long drop-offs and views of Pine Creek Canyon and lower Zion Canyon.

I suggested we drive to Bryce after our hike and off we went.  About an hour and a half later we arrived, ate lunch and went to the visitor's center to get our passport stamped.  Because of our time constraints, the ranger suggested we hike along the Rim or Fairyland Loop.  I'm so glad we took her advise.  The hike was breathtaking and we saw magnificent Hoodoos (hoo'doo) n. 1. A pinnacle or odd-shaped rock left standing by the forces of erosion.  We also learned that, technically, Bryce is not a canyon because canyons are primarily carved by flowing water.  Naturally acidic rainwater dissolves the limestone, making the rounded edges of hoodoos, but the freezing and thawing of water does most of the sculpting.  Very interesting.

On our drive back I noticed a family restaurant with home-made pies and convinced Denis we needed a slice.  Fruit pie for me and chocolate cream for Denis each with a scoop of ice cream and a cup of coffee.  That was dinner!

Sweet ending of a perfect day.  Thanks for stopping in.