Play Dough Rocks

Chris says they aren’t but I’m writing this and not him so you’ll just have to trust me. The rocks in Kodachrome State Park look like big clumps of dried play dough!  It’s so cool!!!

Kodachrome

Unlike in Bryce (not really a) Canyon, these formations are rather monochrome which seems weird because I assumed “Koda” meant multi*. I’ll have to look it up later as we have zero cell phone service out here and that intel wasn’t covered in the newsletter. Yes there’s a newsletter. Every park we’ve visited has had one. Great way to learn about the going on, rules, and trails of the parks.

Kodachrome is out in the middle of absolutely no where. It’s a 30 ish minute drive from Bryce and a lot of it was on a road with a 20mph speed limit and a ton of cow crossing signs. Saw one cow near but thankfully not on the road.

Based on the dark sky maps this area is in one of the darkest parts of the country. We’re hoping for some amazing star gazing and glimpses of the milky way.

Another Hike

In the mean time, I made Chris go for another 3 mile hike to see the Hat Shop and the Secret Passage. The trail had some bonus stops that weren’t listed on the map including Ballerina Spire and Chris’ favorite, “Indian” Cave.  The Secret Passage was obviously not a secret as 1) it was listed on a map and 2) had a trail marker. Additionally it wasn’t a passage but a dead end!  Ah well. Still a fun adventure.

 Epilogue: the stars were amazing!!!

*According to Wikipedia, “In 1948 the National Geographic Society explored and photographed the area for a story that appeared in the September 1949 issue of National Geographic. They named the area Kodachrome Flat, after the then relatively new brand of Kodak film they used. In 1962 the area was designated a state park. Fearing repercussions from the Kodak film company for using the name Kodachrome, the name was changed to Chimney Rock State Park, but renamed Kodachrome Basin a few years later with Kodak’s permission”