'Carved and painted with the finger of God': An Ohio farmer's viral moment at Bryce Canyon

BRYCE CANYON — Adam Bowles was visiting Bryce Canyon National Park with his family when he met a man who made the experience even more memorable.

"There was this man up there who was laughing and smiling," Bowles told KSL. "I don't know what prompted him to say what he did, but I knew I needed to share this moment with others."

The man, who KSL was not able to learn the name of, is seen pointing at the hoodoos that dot the landscape below Inspiration Point, saying something that has since been heard over 1 million times on Instagram.

"This was carved and painted with the finger of God," the man said. "I've been all over and seen every man-made wonder, but only God can create something like this."

Bowles, who is heard asking the man to "say it again," is a former journalist and college professor who now spends his days as a preacher in his hometown of Norwich, Connecticut.

"I'm constantly seeking to work on my faith," Bowles said. "And as a pastor, I've been through a deconstruction to reconstruction journey. ... Going to a national park just fires up the imagination in lots of different ways, but particularly the spiritual imagination."

Bowles said that when he heard the worlds from the man, who he learned is a dairy farmer from Ohio, it strengthened his own faith not just in God, but in humanity. He said he asked the man if he could record his reaction to share with others.

"He said it so spontaneously and passionately, and here we were taking in the breathtaking view," Bowles recalled. "His reaction was genuine, and it mirrored what I was thinking. As someone who values faith, I was thinking, 'What an incredible, stunning creation that I get to behold in this moment.'"

After posting the video, Bowles said that he learned so much more about Bryce Canyon and of Scottish immigrant and cattle raiser Ebenezer Bryce and others who helped settle the area in the late 1800s.

"It was a full-circle moment," Bowles said. "Farmers just get it. ... I carried that moment all the way back home with me."

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