Thursday, September 29, 2011

Hoodoo you love?



The geological formations you see at Bryce Canyon are called hoodoos. If you try to find a definition for the term hoodoo, you will find many conflicting stories. The one I find the most interesting is the Paiute Indian myth where the animal legend people who lived in the Bryce Canyon of long ago, displeased the coyote. The angered coyote, decided to turn all the people into rock to punish them for their evil deeds. Sodom and Gemorrah Paiute style.



When you walk between the hoodoos in the canyon or simply gaze upon them from the walkway on the rim of the canyon, it is impossible not to be affected by the spirituality of this place. Whether it is the wind and rain that have shaped these beautiful amphitheaters, or the gods, is really secondary.



We spent two days exploring Bryce Canyon. We learned about the Paiute myths and about the fact that Bryce Canyon is not really a Canyon at all, but Instead a series of breaks in fourteen enormous amphitheaters that extend down one thousand feet and span twenty miles long, encompassing 36,000 acres. We partook in the buffets at Ruby's Inn (such an institution in these parts that it is actually on our Road Atlas map as a city!) and took millions of photos of the incredible shapes and colours of this place.



Hoodoo or Voodoo? Like looking at clouds, abstract shapes suddenly transform into human or animal forms. And the eerie thing is that nothing stays the same here. Each day new hoodoos are being born and old hoodoos are dying. The landscape and the experience is always in flux. What an amazing place!

1 comment: