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Show l-TWs Neyy '-er Outdoor & Travel Edition Vc'-sday, Awa 20, 1 S97 . . :. . '. 2 n no daeCu uo GCue DirD'DagDirDaGDODi -. s . .. 1 ; By Kevin Young, There is no doubt that Utah's five national parks are spectacular spectacu-lar places of beauty. Each has a personality of its own. The towering tower-ing sandstone walls of Zion's Great White Throne, the orchard in the Middle of Capitol Reef. There's the knife edge ridge of Angels Landing in Arches and the Maze district in Canyonlands. Yet for all the amazement these areas offer, nothing has the "Wow" factor fac-tor of Bryce Canyon. - Bryce Canyon National Park is in a league of its own. Other than its sandstone it shares few if any common features with its National Na-tional Park neighbors. No other park can match the unusual collection col-lection of hoodoos, formations, and sculpture that defines Bryce's character. Mormon pio-neer pio-neer Ebenezer Bryce finally gave up trying to define the geology and define it as "a hell of a place to loose a cow." Even today people use metaphors to define their particular interpretation of the landscape rather than struggle to define the park in absolute terms. St. George Utah c Welcome to St. George's newest Open 1996) and finest. The Best Western Abbey Inn is located just off of the south M5 exit in beautiful St George, Utah - the heart of Utah's Color Country. 130 Elegant Rooms and Mini-Suites Fridge. Microwave and Wetbar Deluxe Con tint Hal Breakfast Meeting & Conference Facilities Free 25" Cabl- TV - HBO Disney Large Indoor Spa ft Outdoor Pool Non-Smoking Rooms Available Video Game Room & Exercise Facility Elevators for Easy Access Handicap Accessible Rooms Guest Laundry Luxury Suites with Spas Honeymoon I 1129 South Bluff Street St. George, Utah 84770 Toll Free Direct 1-800-542-7733 http:www.xpressweb.comabbeyinn E-Mail: bwabbeyinfowest.com Conveniently located in the Historic District of St. George, the Best Western Coral Hills offers quiet comfort within walking distance of many of St. George's most famous landmarks. 98 Luxurious Rooms Deluxe Continental Breakfast Heated Outdoor Pool and Spa Indoor Pool and Spa Free Cable TV - HBO Disney All Rooms with Refrigerators Exercise Room Non-Smoking Rooms Available Elegant Suites with In-Room Spia Senior or AAA Discount or Kids Free 125 East St. George Blvd. St. George, Utah 84770 Toll Free Direct 1-888-222-3946 http:www.xpressweb.comcoralhills E-Mail: bweoralinfowest.com A Landscape in Transition Geologically speaking, Bryce Canyon really isn't a canyon but a amphitheater shaped by the forces of erosion. When the Colorado Colo-rado Plateau began to rise 16 million mil-lion years ago it created three distinct plateaus: the Markagunt (that formed Cedar Breaks), the Aquarius (that created the Table Cliffs) and the Paunsaugunt that adventures will find the Under-gave Under-gave birth to Bryce. Over time the The-Rim and Riggs Spring Loop Paria River gnawed its way trails to their liking. The Under-through Under-through the Paunsaugunt expos- The-Rim covers over 22 ing the fissures, or joints, in the mUes of Brvce backcountry and sandstone. As the seasons usualJy to three days, changed the freeze and melt cycle Ri88" Spring Loop covers cut its maze of patterns in the nearIv nine miles and works wel1 sandstone creating the pillars, or as an extensin of the Under-The- hoodoos that symbolize Bryce Canyon. Even today the landscape is in transition. Over 200 temperature cycles per season etch the park's south facing aspects. An examination exami-nation of historical photos clearly shows the effects of even a decade of change, an mere fraction of a second in geologic time. Exploring the Park Bryce Canyons terrain ranges from the badlands to the alpine and a well maintained road gives visitors access to nearly all the parks features. Near the North .k'fllid nf the rmrV vnnH finil Fairu- IT . " i-.-"J land Point, where you can use "your imagination pick" shape's from the hoodoos. At the south end you can find the lofty climes nf thA Rrisfiornno Pino o t that began it's life as a seedling over 1,800 years ago. Between this span lies over 50 miles of hiking trails. Some trails meander along the amphitheater's amphithea-ter's lip, between scenic viewpoints. view-points. Others require a bit more effort and drop into the foundation founda-tion of the spectacular landscape. The Rim Trail is the least strenuous path in the park. Though it covers 11 miles end to end, visitors can pick up the trail at most every auto pullout. The Rim Trail's Sunrise to Sunset point section is wheelchair acces-. sible. The short but strenuous Navajo Loop trail requires better conditioning condi-tioning but offers a far greater fevered CdclCJ If V r n tWii Uh-initio reward. Over its length the trail provides unique views of the formations for-mations that create the park's maze-like appearance. The trail also leads visitors down the aptly named "Wall Street" section where sheer formations rise so abruptly they nearly obscure the sky. Hikers in search of overnight Run trail or makes a pleasant overnight trip. Backcountry camping is limited to designated areas and requires a free back- country permit, available at the Visitor Center. On any hike you should plan on carrying water. Though many hikes are short daytime temperatures tempera-tures can skyrocket during the warm summer months. quently overlook is Bryce Can- yon's altitude. Situated at the top 0f the plateau, Bryce's viewpoints ue between 7,700 and 9,000 feet above sea level. -. .VioJf.o U 1, 14.:.. J- amtuue,- pace' apd Personal limitations in- mmd will find their imaginations run w"d m the Iand that wil1 for" ever De in transition. CD player, Auto Trans., AC li j mil Wsgca iXiIKP VI Bryce Canyon National Park mwmg ftps If you're feeling gouged by the price of gasoline these days, the Office of Energy Services has some tips to help you make that precious fuel last a bit longer. Avoid excessive idling. An idling vehicle gets zero miles per gallon. Plus, an idling engine produces more air pollution. , . ' juirn on ana restart your engine if you're going to idle more than 30 seconds. Combine short trips The worst gasoline mileage is on trips of 10 miles or less from a cold start. Plan your trips and combine errands. Consolidated trips reduce the number of miles driven. Keep tires inflated at the psi level indicated on your tires. Underinflated tires waste fuel I and increase tire wear. During .warm weather, close your win-": win-": 'dows when driving at highways speeds and use your air-conditioner. For in-town driving, open windows and turn off your air conditioner. Avoid using permanent per-manent roof racks and bug deflectors that add to wing drag. Also, remove excess weight from car. Keep your car properly tuned. Two bad spark plugs can iD r FAR3ILY RATES! Kau io ror iTP-scason SpMial Wekilgki I 7.w SAVE til" Weekeiii $ M." . SAVE Ui." Ftr HHed time ny is in a league of it's own. UUULJ reduce gas mileage by 20 percent. per-cent. Proper vehicle maintenance main-tenance saves gas and money and reduces engine wear. Consider using an alternative alterna-tive fuel. Natural gas costs are between 60 cents and 70 cents less per gallon than the present cost of gasoline and it produces far less air pollution. Vehicles converted to operate on cleaner-burning cleaner-burning fuels such as natural gas can be switched back to gasoline when the alternative fuel isn't available. An automobile warms up faster when it is moving. Drive at a moderate speed until the engine reaches its normal operating temperature. When in doubt, check the owner's manual. Accelerate smoothly to . reach cruising speed as quickly as traffic allows. Your car uses more fuel accelerating than cruising. Anticipate drivingcon-ditions. drivingcon-ditions. Keep an eye on traffic flow and timing of traffic signals. sig-nals. Avoid constant accelerating, accelerat-ing, braking and decelerate smoothly. Listen to traffic reports to avoid routes that are clogged with "stop" and "go" traffic traf-fic Drive at moderate speeds not to exceed the speed limit. At 55 mph, a vehicle gets 21 percent per-cent better mileage than one traveling 70 miles per hour. Also, your car's emissions are cleanest at 55 mph. Consider buying a fuel-efficient car. Trycarpoolingorridingthe bus. You can save between $300 and $1,000 annually by sharing a ride to work or by riding the bus. Try working a compressed work week to reduce the number of days you have to commute to work alk or bike if you're traveling a short distance. Using these tips will help avoid some stops at the local gas station, and some of them can also help improve the air quality in our communities" said Energy Ener-gy Program Manager, Joe Waller. For more information, contact the Office of Energy Services Ser-vices at 538-8662 or 1-800-662--3633. |