My Gratitude To Bryce

by Pamela
(Newport News VA)

Artistry at its best

For years I viewed vacations as time away from work, time to dine out, and time to sleep late. That all changed when I visited Bryce Canyon in Utah. With its varying rock formations and gorge like expanse, Bryce afforded me with something I hadn't experienced before---nature as art. The varying colors, striations, and shapes were mind- boggling. No artist could have painted a more magnificent canvas nor sculptor a more glorious form.

As I gazed at the rock walls and free standing towers, I felt a sense of being in the past and in the future simultaneously. The canyons seemed primitive. I imagined early man holding them in awe and reverence. They seemed futuristic as well. I envisioned them as a backdrop of a science-fiction movie. I felt connected to creation and to history itself.

I knew I was beholding something that millions before me had seen and that millions after me would see also. The canyon seemed both timeless and ageless and it was almost like I was staring into infinity. That is a feeling that one doesn't experience often.

Although I had seen canyons before, The Grand Canyon included, Bryce was different. The formations were bizarre and intriguing. It was spectacular how the lighting at various times of the day cast different hues upon its surround, making it look like a whole new work of art. I would walk, stop, and stare. It was truly like being in a museum with the added benefit of exercise and fresh air. The imagery seemed almost outer-worldly. There were a lot of scenic overlooks, viewpoints, and statuesque pillars called "Hoodoos." I still snicker at that funny sounding word---Hoodoo.

I never thought that a trip to Utah would so alter my perception of travel and life. I felt serene, small, and insignificant in the canyon's presence. When I looked at the formations, I realized that I was simply one small part of a much older and larger universe. No longer were vacations about dining and sleeping.

Instead they were about adventure, learning, and being a part of a magical creation that stimulated all senses and imagination. My traveling companion, my godmother, said upon viewing the canyon, "This is what heaven must look like." I have to concur. The hoodoos cast their voodoo on me.