Beyond the boundaries of Bryce Canyon National Park lies the Dixie National Forest, largest in Utah.  Elevation 2,800 to 11,310 feet.  The name Dixie was given by Mormon settlers who said the warm climate reminded them of the Deep South.  You can see hoodoos from the highway and up close on a trail behind the Red Canyon Visitors Center.  Bristlecone pine, longest-lived tree species in the world, grows in this part of the forest.  Other rare species include the Red Canyon beardplant.

Speaking of beards…a recently unearthed photo of questionable veracity reveals a popular padre sporting a SF Giants baseball cap.

After two days in Utah, Fr. Kev and I set out for Arizona, arriving by nightfall at Lake Powell and the town of Page.  Prominent on the desert floor near Lake Powell is the Navajo Generating Station (NGS), a coal-fired power plant with three chimney stacks rising 775 feet into the sky.  Located on the Navajo Indian Reservation, the 2,250 megawatt NGS is the largest coal-fired power plant in the West.