Monsoon rains returning to Bryce Canyon

Starting with just a tease of rain clouds and a few sprinkles on my second day off last week I welcome the monsoon rains returning to Bryce Canyon on my first day back to work.

Ok, I’m going to try for another weekly update for the Bryce Canyon COVID summer, but not that much has happened.  Last of three lazy days off work I started thinking about the 2021 calendar.  I don’t have all that many, what I consider spectacular, photos from the last year because of breaking my wrists and not making photos for over four months.

Also thinking about what to do after my summer season ends in mid-October.  Maybe a fall journey into Southeast Utah—Capital Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, etc–then south and westward to Prescott for teeth, eyes, haircut, etc., before further south and possibly southeast depending on weather.

August is a good month for national park celebrations:  The 21st marked the Historic Sites Act of 1935 “to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States.”  Bryce Canyon Lodge was listed on the National Historic Registry ‎May 28, 1987.  Not many of these 1920s rustic lodges left in the Southwest. Which one’s have you seen?

Back to work and after opening the information area outside the visitor center and staffing for several hours I drove to the end of the scenic road, Rainbow and Yovimpa Points, for a favorite day away from the busiest areas in the park.

Because fire crew could be heard cutting with chainsaws nearby that segued into talking about fire ecology as soon as I walked to the rim.  An appropriate topic with the hazy view south where smoke from California fires reduced visibility to about 40 miles, half the normal view.  Soon after, a few visitors arrived who were interested in the geology so I presented an abbreviated version of the scheduled 20-minute 12:30 Grand Staircase talk twenty minutes early.  Good thing, because dark clouds gathering overhead cancelled the scheduled talk.  As I walked to Rainbow Point for a better view and to remind people about lightning dangers, I was joined by the park’s Superintendent coming off a side trail from Yovimpa Pass.

From Rainbow Point’s almost 180° view east it looked like the storm was moving northeast and away from the point.  Moments after taking the above photo, I saw lightning and counted it as less than two miles away.  That was almost immediately followed by a reversed cool wind right in the face.  Time to get safely in vehicles.  I tell visitors that and advise against hiding under the roof of a historic structure that isn’t grounded.  Sometimes I point out lightning scared trees.

And speaking of scaring trees…  I am happy to say Bryce Canyon doesn’t allow anything tied to trees—lights, hammocks, clotheslines, slack-lines, etc.—because it is bad for the trees.  Especially the predominant Ponderosa Pine with it’s large chunky bark that is prone to break off.  But really, not dead trees either.  Seems if visitors are planning any unusual activities they should ask a Ranger if it’s OK.

Flying drones is illegal in all national park sites.  I know many things have changed since the National Park Service was established by the 1916 Organic Act, however the mission still includes….

“The service thus established shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments, and reservations hereinafter specified by such means and measures as conform to the fundamental purpose of the said parks, monuments, and reservations, which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Because of the impending storms I started to drive back to the visitor center, with a stop at Sheep Creek/Swamp Canyon overlook along the way.  I’d been told earlier by visitors at Rainbow Point about being hailed on at the Natural Bridge overlook.  Hail is not uncommon during a high elevation monsoon storm.  But not pleasant while riding a motorcycle like some folks I saw.

Rain may have sent the little mouse inside that Sierra caught, but only to play with.  I threw a towel over the poor thing, wrapped it and threw it back outside.  Haven’t seen any more thank goodness.

Monsoon rains during Sunday had us scrambling a bit to close and cover the outside merchandise and move Rangers indoors to answer questions.  I was outside counting people for our limitation of 50 in the building for safe distancing.  But due to nearby lightning we up the count to 60 and try to get people under the wooden porch cover while they wait to go inside.  Didn’t last too long.  I wondered if my evening program at the outdoor amphitheater would be rained out but it was just cloudy so the show went on.  Two gals hung out afterwards to ask whether I thought it would rain that night as they were tent camping.  I told them that monsoon storms usually stop by 11pm and don’t start until 11am, but that I also don’t predict the weather.  I swear, just after I got home that night, the rain started at 11pm and continued on and off all night.  Oops.

You may think me dead but look closer to see I survive on the edge. The land erodes away beneath my roots. Drought causes me to sacrifice. People climbing on me doesn’t help. Yet I live centuries. ~Bristlecone Pine

The next day predicted a 30% chance of T-storms for afternoon so I wondered if my two hoodoo geology talks would go.  But it turned into a beautiful day with white fluffy clouds and just enough breeze to make the high 86° day hikeable.  And so the 11am and 1pm talks went on.

My Friday—on Tuesday—started with door counting followed by the information station after lunch. By the time I headed to the rim for the 4pm Rim Walk clouds were building and rumbling but I didn’t see any lightning and only a handful of drops fell.  And so I walked with nine visitors talking about the cultural history of Bryce Canyon and how people have connected to the land over time.  With only two stops along the rim the talk ends after less than a mile and about an hour at the historic lodge.

As I sit inside on my first of two days off writing this post, a light rain falls in the afternoon and thankfully stops the noisy construction going on at the corral below where I live.  I like to listen to the world around me, including the monsoon rains returning to Bryce Canyon, even if it’s just briefly.