Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park - July 20 - 24

Everyone we have spoken with about this trip said that Utah was number one on their list of places to see, so we knew we wanted to spend time in this area. After a 600 mile day we made it Ruby's Inn just a stone's throw outside of Bryce Canyon...but not without a little excitement. The route for this trip was 80% on I-15 south and with the exception of Salt Lake City (SO much construction and no shoulder) the interstate was no problem. The oddest thing in Utah is that the state doesn't have rest stops. There are signs that say "Fatigued? Pull over" and at the exit is a small gravel lot with room for about 2 cars and maybe one 18 wheeler. There are then what Utah calls "rest stops" which are basically gas stations, but the major problem with that is there aren't many at all, and 18 wheelers and people like us in big coaches can't turn in there because we can't turn around to get out. Surely it's some budget cut the state must make, but it was annoying because we had been on the road so long and really could not pull over safely. We saw multiple people pulled over on the side of the road with the kiddies using the grass as the potty. When you have no other options....

The end of the trip took us over Hwy 12 which we later learned is a well known scenic road. About 2 miles down the road and 15 minutes from our stop, we saw a sign that said tunnels ahead, 13'6". That's exactly how tall we are. What are we going to do?? Fortunately before we arrived at the tunnels there was a pull off so we stopped to use it and started to think about what to do. I knew if we saw an 18 wheeler go by there would be no problems, but time was passing and there were none. We called Newell friends, the campground, and I started to look for info on the internet. According to our trucker's route book, SOME parts of UT 12 are not truck routes, but it was difficult to see where because the map was small. I also found pictures of the "tunnels" on the internet, but they were more like arches and although that gave us no indication of the height we at least knew what we were getting ready to go under. I was also looking up the local police number to inquire with them, and I am about to "lose it" at this point; especially after we found out it was 4 hours to come in from the opposite direction. My anxiety was kicking in pretty badly, and I was sweating like crazy. The second time we called the campground we told the lady we were in a motorhome and before we could even tell her how tall we were she said "oh, tour buses and semis go through all the time! You'll be fine!" So after that we knew we were probably good to go and would just take the Newell through the middle of the arch to be extra safe. Well, those arches were WAY taller than 13'6" (in the middle) and after we were under I cried a little in relief!!! We sat on the road for an hour trying to figure everything out.  We had made the right choice to make sure we would be safe and take care of the Newell.

Finally, we arrived!!! We didn't have to unhook and are way out in the back of the campground on the gravel in between (well, far from) two other 45 footers. The weather is cooler, and the windows can be left open at night, so it's a tad chilly in the morning. We can see lightning out in the distance, and it is silent at night! Really enjoying it out here. Even better, we have friends from the Keys at Venture Out, Steve and Deb Ballard who are campground hosts at the North Campground in Bryce Canyon. So we have gotten to spend time with them which is wonderful! They are from Alabama so it's a little bit of the South all the way out here!

Bryce Canyon National Park is the most spectacular place I have ever seen, and Dad agrees. Check out the pictures to get an idea of these amazing structures.

Entrace to Bryce Canyon

All of these pictures are at Sunset Point in the Bryce Canyon Amphitheatre

Since we brought our hiking boots and have only hiked once on this trip, we figured Bryce would be a great place to do another hike. And after doing some reading, we basically came to the conlcusion that there was NO way to get a better idea of these amazing formations than hiking. So early Saturday morning we started on the Navajo Loop which zig zags down into the ampitheatre and then zig zags up the other side. This trail starts from Sunset Point where all the pictures are from above. We were some of the first to be out hiking (another EARLY morning!) and enjoyed the walk down, but it was VERY steep and there were lots of little rocks on the trail so we had to carefully watch our footing.

Amazing picture from inside the ampitheatre

Great hike

Looking like a 10 year old fitting under here. Even my hands clasped together takes away years and years of age.

Odd tree. How does it get enough light to grow??

When there are monsoons this is where the water comes rushing into the canyon

How to stand if there is lightning while hiking at Bryce Canyon National Park. Good luck with that.

Probably a little too close to the edge, but oh well.

Post hike.

At the bottom of the loop, we came to another trail that took us to Sunrise Point that was 2.1 miles from where we were and then another .5 mile to Sunset Point along the rim. Dad wanted to go that way, so we did. It was longer, but not as sharp an incline back to the top of the rim. Well, by the time we got to the top at Sunrise Point, I was huffing and puffing and not feeling well. Keep in mind, this part of the hike wasn't that bad so I started worrying about why I was so out of breath. Did I gain a lot of weight (commence panic mode), am I THAT out of shape (hope not)?? Finally, about an hour after the hike while we were looking at some vistas, I saw a sign for elevation of  8,300 ft. THERE is my answer as to why I was so out of breath. So high in the sky and thinner air and less oxygen. Boy, was I glad to figure that out. I've never hiked at that elevation before and ended up with a bad headache, but it was so worth it to see a totally different perspective of the canyon.

After our hike, we went to the majority of the remaining vistas and took about 1,000 pictures so I'll try to post the best (which, really every single view at this place is just stunning!)

Inspiration Point - my favorite spot in the park 

Inspiration Point

Where I finally figured out how high in the sky we were!!

Bryce Point

The Natural Bridge

Fairyland Point

We had a fun evening visiting our friends for a dinner of burgers and all the fixings. They gave us a lot of recommendations of places to stay in Colorado which is where we will be heading after our next stop in Moab, UT.

Dad, me, Steve, and Deb after dinner at their campsite inside Bryce Canyon National Park