But what caught us by surprise were the many sensational sights in between these great parks. The whole area is filled with exotic rock formations, inspiring vis- tas and intriguing small towns. We knew we had to come back. When we finally re- turned with our RV recently, we felt like explorers uncovering rare treasures: the hidden gems between the famous parks. Our first stop was Cedar Breaks Na- tional Monument where we headed out on the alluringly named Spectra Point Trail. Passing gorgeous blooming wild- flowers—lavender and white columbines, blue lupines and red Indian paintbrush— we followed a short path through the woods and emerged onto a breathtaking plateau. Spread before us was a sweeping landscape of pink, orange, red and white sandstone turrets. This amphitheater of geological won- der, a 10,000-foot-high feast of fairytale red-rock vistas, rivals anything at the better-known national parks. But here it was accompanied by a fun sense of surprise and discovery. “Did you know this was here?” we asked other tourists on the trail. “No!” They responded. “I’d
never heard of it before I got here.” We followed the trail along the very edge of the canyon, winding along the rim until we were deposited on a distant point that jutted out into the amphitheater like a mammoth jetty in a wide bay of orange waves. Here at the very end of this bald, stark point, we came face to face with an ancient 1,600-year-old bristlecone pine tree. These timeworn trees thrive in bar- ren, exposed and windswept places. They sustain life by protecting a thin core of live tissue deep within the crusty dead- wood of their exterior. A few green bristles and pinecones This amphitheater of geological wonder, a 10,000-foot-high feast of fairytale red-rock vistas,
were growing as thinly on this tree’s branches as the wispy white hair on the head of an octogenarian, offering gritty proof of its inner vitality. Despite its age, its wizened form was as full of character and life as the brilliant, delicate, one- season wildflowers we had left waving gently in the breeze at the start of the trail. Cedar Breaks is known as much for its monthlong midsummer display of riotously colored wildflowers as it is for its red-rock spires. Hiking the Alpine Pond Nature Trail, we were led away from the boundless canyon views down into a thick green forest glade where we found ourselves knee-deep in a blanket of wildflowers, listening to a symphony of bees humming their song of pollina- tion. A small pond mirrored the tall trees in its depths. Now and then we caught a glimpse of the wide expanse of sculpted orange rocks between the trees, but this trail was more about the close-up views of vibrant flow- ers than the distant views of panoramic landscapes. A chipmunk watched us with big eyes while he nibbled on a patch of blue lupines.
rivals anything at the better-known national parks.
12 COAST TO COAST Summer 2013
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