When we got there, it was mid-morning, so we claimed our campsite (which we later figured out was supposed to be the RV-only/no tents loop - oops...) and set out to see what we could see. In Bryce you start out above the rock formations (so in that sense, it's more similar to the Grand Canyon than to Zion, where you start off in the valley and have to climb up) as you walk the rim. It's known locally as the amphitheater, and the rock formations are called Hoodoos. These are unique to Bryce due to the high elevation (7,000+ feet), which leads to 200+ days of freezing & thawing temps, which leads to water getting down within the rock crevices, which leads to...well, you get the picture. (If you're interested in how they form, you can read about them on the National Park website HERE.)
As it was nearing mid-day, we decided to get our hike on, and we did the Navajo Loop Trail, which led us down "Wall Street" and into the hoodoos.
Magical.
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| Thor's Hammer |
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| Me back on the rim looking down on the "amphitheater" |
As is one of our favorite NP pastimes, we headed to the park's Lodge, where we found air conditioning, outlets, and a gift shop. (Could you ask for anything more when it's hot enough to make you melt outside?) There was a ranger talk at 2pm on the rim about the geology of rocks, which we ended up going to - that's where we learned about the hoodoo formations. Sweaty and somewhat tired, our next move was a strategic one - off to the 22 minute video in the visitor center. (I told you they had those at every park...)
By this time, it was getting on to 4pm. Time for our "senior citizen dinner." (Quite frankly, we were starving, as we had only had snacks since breakfast.) We asked for some recs at the visitor center, and one woman pointed us to Bryce Canyon Pines, where we had both a good meal and an incredibly delicious brambleberry pie a la mode. (I am baffled that they lack pictures of their pies on their website...but don't worry, I took one - see below.)
Confession: We ended up going back the next night for dinner, but we skipped the pie.
Rain was imminent by the time we finished dinner and headed back into the park, so we waited it out in our car by our campsite. There was a ranger talk at the lodge at 8pm, so when the time came we headed there. This one was about the life, death, and rebirth of stars...so, yes, a lot went over my head, but I still found it fascinating. The ranger did bring it down to a more basic level, and the pictures were incredibly stunning. Plus, to think about the galaxies beyond us made me realize what a small place we occupy in this universe. It really puts things in perspective.
As the ranger was wrapping up his presentation, I noticed the sky turning a beautiful pink hue, so we headed outside to catch sunset. There was even a rainbow! (You have to look really closely at the picture.) Does it get any better than that?
The next day we were up before the sun, and we were rewarded with some additional spectacular views:
It was just about 7am, so we headed out at that point for the Fairyland Loop Trail. Looking back, it probably wasn't the smartest decision (as with the rim part of the trail added in it made for an 8 mile trek), but I thoroughly enjoyed it, as we hiked down into the hoodoos once again. Most of the people we came across were coming the other way, so we thought we maybe did it backwards...but I still don't know...
At one point I had to rush ahead from my friend because (surprise, surprise) I had to find a bathroom, so by the time we finished she wasn't the happiest with me, but luckily she is a readily forgiving person, so the rest of our trip was still pleasant...
First stop after the hike, though, was lunch at the lodge. And we followed that up with the Rainbow Point bus tour (another recommendation by a friend) - good old George was informative and corny, the perfect combination for a hot summer day. Plus, the bus had air conditioning. Winning!
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| George and fellow bus tour goers |
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| at one of our bus stops |
Through the tour we got to see and hear about some of the park we hadn't yet traveled to...and it was over the course of 3.5 hours! I'll admit, I wasn't expecting it to be that long, but it was fun nonetheless. When we were done, we drove over to the General Store, where they sold showers ($3.50 for 8 minutes - what a deal!). Clean again! (Heads up: Bryce leaves you covered in red rock soil.)
As I mentioned above, we ate dinner at Bryce Canyon Pines, and then instead of the pie we got ice cream - huckleberry! For a kiddie size, it was almost more than I could handle...but don't worry; I finished it.
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| never come between this girl and her ice cream ;) |
And that was that - we were off the next morning for the Grand Canyon. (I'm sure our RV friends were glad to see us go - we're pretty sure we got some glares. Good times.) We did stop in Kanab (at least, I think that was the name of the town) for coffee and breakfast, and that turned out to be a solid decision because we had a 5 hour drive ahead of us...
Time to turn up that road trip playlist!
Missed Stop 1: Zion? Check out my post HERE.
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