With much sadness we departed Zion for Park #2 of our 5 National Park trip. This time, we were headed to Bryce Canyon. Bryce is only a short distance from Zion, but it is a whole different world. The road leading out of Zion was gorgeous. We climbed what felt like forever pausing at lookout points and really trying to take it all in. Since we were in no real hurry to get to Bryce we stopped at several places along the way. Our first stop was at a roadside attraction called, The Rock Shop. It was a store filled with all kinds of…rocks. Yep, a store of rocks. Apparently, rock stores are quite the business in these parts. We also stopped because they had coffee. We also learned that coffee is not so ubiquitous in Southern Utah due to the Mormon influence. Once learning this, it was interesting to note the many businesses that advertised coffee or in one case, expresso. The owner of the store gave us a neat little history about the shop and the man who built it back in the 50s. Just down the road from this attraction was a German Bakery. I stopped there and the girls were pretty excited. Full of sugar, we kept driving towards Bryce.
The scenery was ever changing throughout the entire ride. Soon, we arrived in Bryce City (founded 2007) and went to the Best Western Plus Bryce to check-in. Our room wasn’t ready so we decided to take advantage of the time and take a look at the park. The boss had done her homework, as per usual, and told me to drive to the end of the road. Once there, we could take a short hike and then all of the overlooks would be on our right returning towards the visitor’s center. At the end of the road we took in the view and walked the Bristlecone Pine Loop. This type of pine tree can live for centuries and they had even identified one that was 1600 years old. Sort of crazy to think of a tree just starting to grow at the end of the Roman Empire. Heading back down the road we stopped and took in the sights. We parked at the lodge and noticed that the girls were starting to fade a bit. To my right I spied Valhalla Pizza! 60 bucks was expensive for 2 pizzas, a salad, a beer, and a wine, but it was good to have a hot meal.
We walked over to Sunset Point, looked at the view, and then walked to Inspiration Point. Getting there was a pretty steady incline and about halfway up, that pizza didn’t seem like such a good idea. I pushed through and we all made it to the top. It should be noted here, that the elevation of Bryce is between 8000 and 9000 feet above sea level. Keep this in mind. By now, we were all tired, and frankly uninspired so back to the hotel to check in. This done, I went to the pool with the girls while the boss did some laundry. Laundry done and showers complete we drove to Ruby’s to look for some goodies. It should be noted that Bryce City is a town with “character”. What I mean is, it’s really cheesy. The family ate some, we’ll call it “food”, at the diner and we went to get ice cream. By now, I was starting to feel pretty drained and wanted to call it a night.
It was a long night. Around 4am, I came to the realization that I might have to forgo my dream of climbing Everest. The altitude was doing a real number on me. Combine that with the folks above us having what can only be described as marching band practice and I didn’t sleep well. Breathing was hard, I wasn’t hungry, and I needed a change in altitude. So I guess, if 8000 feet above sea level is too much, I’ll have to limit my mountain climbing to the Smokies. Or sand dunes. At the beach-you know-sea level.
The boss and I had a confab and decided that one night was enough in Bryce and we’d strike out for Moab. But not before catching a sunrise at Sunrise Point and doing the Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop Trail. The girls started the trail, I went and packed the car, and then I parked at the end of the trail to meet them. Not willing to let a bit of altitude distress slow me down, I walked into the Canyon and met them and Wall Street, thus completing the hike with them. Take that body.
Figuring 24 hours at Bryce to be sufficient, we drove what can only be described as 4000 miles across Utah on roads that were gnarly to say the least. We were able to check off park #3, Capitol Reef on the way. Pretty neat, glad we drove through. Now, all checked in at our stop for tonight (we change hotels tomorrow) we are prepping to head to dinner. Dinner was wonderful. We ran across a place called “Pasta Jay’s” on an app and decided to give it a shot. The girls destroyed a caprese salad, the boss and I shared a huge salad and out pasta dishes were all great. It was a tad pricey, but since we’re in the middle of nowhere, it makes a bit of sense. After we ate, we looked at some of the shops on main street and noted which ones had some goodies that we’d like to return to get. Back to the hotel and the close of a really, really long day. It seems like ages ago that we left Zion. It was Sunday. Bryce was nice, at least the scenery was spectacular. I’m glad we made the decision to leave a day early. I think 24 hours in Bryce is a good starting point. Maybe if I could breathe there or we could sleep, we might have stayed that last night. But I’m not so sure. The ride to Moab was longer and harder than I’d anticipated (especially with so little sleep). And I’m glad we’re here and don’t have to leave at some ungodly hour to try and rush through seeing Capitol Reef and Canyonlands. So, bye Bryce and hello Moab. As a wonderful bonus, at 4000 feet, I can breathe. And the crowd rejoiced. It will take a little while to deal with the realization that I am not ever going to summit Everest, but I’m coming for you sand dune on Oak Island!
Note: The photos from Bryce have yet to show up on the cloud. When they do, I’ll just post some of them. These photos are from the ride out of Zion…Thanks, Bye!!!
