Cosmic Reflections

This weekend we visited Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah – an amazing display of Mother Earth normally not visible to us. Because of the unique erosion of this portion of the great Colorado Plateau, the underlying strata called the Pink Cliffs and Grey Cliffs are exposed for all to see. In this region, Earth has been sculpted by natural erosion into a vast exhibit of so called geologic “hoodoos.” These creative statuettes were found within the layers of limestone deposited from 55 to 30 million years ago in a lake now called the Claron Basin. This basin collected the mud and silts worn from the Rocky Mountains as layers of white calcium carbonate (dissolved limestone) and iron oxide that provides the red color. These deposits were covered, compressed into rock and about 15 million years ago uplifted as much as 9000 feet as part of the Colorado Plateau. That’s when the erosion by rain and the freeze / thaw cycle of water began the sculpting process that unveiled the hoodoos.

In addition to the amazing view from the west rim that traverses the Canyon, there are a number of trails that descend over 1000 feet into the valley allowing visitors to walk among the thousands of unique towering hoodoos on display in nature’s picturesque galley. In the visitors center you’ll discover there are numerous countries where these geologic “hoodoos” can be found, but quite frankly none are as colorful and delicately carved as these in the US – a true national treasure.

Sustainability.  Normally I wouldn’t mention anything about the National Park Service “concessions”; however, the Dining Room at The Bryce Canyon National Park is worth mentioning – for two reasons. 1) the food is not only delicious and focused on health, but also 2) the manner of acquiring and preparing the food demonstrates an awareness of the ethics of sustainability not found in most restaurants today.
On the back of their menu you will find the following:

 “Healthy Parks Healthy People”
This National Park Service initiative seeks to raise understanding & awareness about how open spaces & natural places can promote the health & well-being of all species & the planet we share. Human health focus areas of the initiative include physical activity, nutrition, social & mental health.

Forever Resorts & The Lodge at Bryce Canyon is very pleased to partner with the National Park Service to provide our guests a healthy & sustainable menu for your dinning pleasure.

At The Lodge at Bryce Canyon, we strive to make your dining experience not only healthy for you but also for the environment. This menu contains mostly sustainable and organically grown, raised, caught and produced items. Our beef is free range, with minimal use of hormones & antibiotics and regionally grown. By using local companies in our purchasing, we also support the regional economy and reduce our carbon footprint. We also only serve seafood and fish listed in the most sustainable ‘green’ category on the Audubon fish scale, or as a ‘best choice’ by the Monterey Bay Aquarium seafood watch program. These practices ensure that all fish we serve is either raised or harvested in a sustainable manner. Please help us to support these programs. We are a certified member of the Green Restaurant Association. We hope you enjoy your dining experience knowing that in your decision to dine at The Lodge at Bryce Canyon, together we are working towards a healthier environment.

What an appropriate way to launch the next phase of our personal journey toward a more sustainable way of living: Phase IV “Sustainable Food.” By sitting down to a single meal at The Lodge, we became aware of
1) the Audubon Fish Scale, and
2) the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, and
3) the Green Restaurant Association
You’ll probably hear more about this food thing later. Right now, I’m trying to focus on quantity rather than quality.

Definition of “diet” – the penalty for exceeding the feed limit.