Item Number JLGt033
- Matte print on photographic paper
- 10-3/4" X 13-3/4" actual photo size
- 1-3/4" soft white matte (all around)
- 2-3/4" rustic/finished pine wood frame (all around)
- 19-3/4" X 22-5/8" finished size
- Shipping weight = 6lbs.
- Price = $150.00 (Includes shipping!)
- To purchase, call: (518) 915-4949
Or, send an e-mail to: jeff@jlgardnerphotography.com

I made the trip to Bryce Canyon the same weekend I toured and photographed Zion. I couldn't have asked for better weather and seeing these places in "off season" (not as many tourists) really made this adventure even more of a treat!

Here's something about Bryce Canyon from the National Park's website (http://www.nps.gov/brca/naturescience/index.htm): "Bryce Canyon National Park is a scientist's laboratory and a child's playground. Because Bryce transcends 2000 feet (650 m) of elevation, the park exists in three distinct climatic zones: spruce/fir forest, Ponderosa Pine forest, and Pinyon Pine/juniper forest. This diversity of habitat provides for high biodiversity. Here at Bryce, you can enjoy over 100 species of birds, dozens of mammals, and more than a thousand plant species."

"It is the uniqueness of the rocks that caused Bryce Canyon to be designated as a national park. These famous spires, called "hoodoos," are formed when ice and rainwater wear away the weak limestone that makes up the Claron Formation. However, the hoodoos' geologic story is also closely tied to the rest of the Grand Staircase region and the Cedar and Black Mountains volcanic complex. In short, Bryce has enough fascinating geology to fill a textbook."

And here's something about erosion at Bryce Canyon (also from the NPS website): "Erosion follows fractures in the sides of the Paunsaugunt Plateau called joints. Joints are common in all types of sedimentary rock and are created while the rock is lithifying in the same manner that cracks form in mud as it dries. At Bryce Canyon, these joints undergo additional stresses created by the huge amounts of energy released during earthquakes along the Paunsaugunt fault and Ruby's thrust fault. While these fault lines are currently dormant, many millions of years ago their activity widened and deepened the existing joints." "Snow in the winter melts a little every day and flows into joints. At night it freezes and expands, breaking the rock into smaller pieces. This is called frost wedging. Bryce Canyon experiences over 200 days of freeze/ thaw during the year. The frequency of frost wedging in this region makes it the most important type of weathering at Bryce Canyon." "Late summers at Bryce Canyon are marked by the monsoon season. Desert monsoons are different than those of India. They drop far less rain, but like those in India, are predictable in their afternoon arrival time. Every afternoon in late July and early August, rainstorms pass through Bryce Canyon. In the same way dry sponges absorb less water than moist sponges, the very dry rock and soil at Bryce Canyon absorb little water, allowing most of the rain to flow into joints, which cleans out the broken gravel left by frost wedging in the winter--thereby creating slot canyons. Runoff is the chief cause of erosion in the park."

"Frost wedging and runoff are the two main processes that form walls, fins and landforms at Bryce Canyon National Park. Continued rock destruction and removal by these processes will eventually result in windows and hoodoos as the walls and fins become thinner. The China Wall on the Fairyland Loop Trail illustrates this evolution very well. The outermost portion of the wall is mainly hoodoos because it has been exposed to the forces of weathering and erosion longer than the side of the wall that is closest to the canyon rim. Yet even on the canyon rim side, you can see how the windows become increasingly smaller as you near the rim."

"Some fins, like The Alligator which can be seen underneath Bryce Point, are capped with a more resistant form of limestone called Dolomite. This rock is reinforced with magnesium and cannot be dissolved by the weak carbonic acid that dissolves regular limestone. The hard rock above protects the weaker rock below, creating very durable fins."