Sandy desert to snowy mountains - Bryce Canyon (5 April)

It's hard to believe that only yesterday we were scuffing our feet through the desert sand. Now, it's just a few degrees above freezing and we've spent much of the day tramping through deep snow.

Welcome to Bryce Canyon!

We're high up here - around 2,700 metres; the road through the park is still closed in places, and all the trails below the rim are closed.  Even walking on the rim path was precarious in places.  I managed to tread in a deep patch of snow - up to my knees - and needed Steve to pull me out.  The views were worth it though, and the snow added a different dimension.

The best views were from Sunset Point - the rock formations here are known as 'hoodoos' and are formed mainly by frost action.

To me, the rocks are reminiscent of the terracotta army soldiers from China ... not that I've seen them other than in pictures.

Later, we walked a trail a few miles away from the main amphitheatre to see the 'Mossy Cave'.  It may be mossy in the summer, but right now it was the 'Ice Cave'.  Water seeping through the rock had frozen as it dripped into the cave, forming stalagmites and stalactites of ice.

This drainage channel went by the name of 'Tropic Ditch' and was dug by Mormon pioneers.