I forgot to tell you a few details yesterday. I think it's hard when you're just back from one of the most fantastic places on Earth, to put it into words... better a day later, I guess. One of the rangers gave a little talk about the geology of the area and he said it isn't a real canyon, because the erosion isn't caused by water; it's the work of ice. It's the only place on Earth where 1) there's limestone and 2) it's so high up and so sunny that 200 or so days per year it freezes at night and thaws during the day. The limestone flakes and breaks in a blocky pattern, and the carbonic acid in the summer rain and winter snow melt dissolves the sharp edges and the softer stone layers under the harder layers. Result: hoodoos! The native american story is that the hoodoos were bad people that were turned to stone by the coyote god. They really look like people (and dwarves and goblins and chess pieces etc etc). Nowhere else in the world, said the ranger, and we sure haven't ever seen anything like it. Also because Bryce "Canyon" is open to one side - it's like a mountain ridge that's eroded on the east side, in a sort of half circles, but not on the west side.

The colors: the more iron, the more pink and red.