Beautiful Bryce

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You know what they say, travel is all about learning. I think it’s fair to say we’ve all learnt something here at Bryce Canyon...

...the girls have learnt about patience - there’s nothing that tortures Australian children quite so much as driving through miles and miles of pristine fresh snow only to be repeatedly told they can’t get out and play in it because there was nowhere to pull over.

...we’ve all learnt about exhaustion - there’s nothing quite so aerobically challenging as hauling yourself through thigh-deep powdery snow at 9000ft.

...Geoff has learnt about zippered pockets and how they prevent you from losing important things.

...and we’ve all learnt a little bit too much about stress...when you combine items two and three above.

A tip for all travellers - 3ft of powdered snow that you’ve just snow-shoed through for 20 minutes, an isolated national park and a missing car rental key is NOT a good combination for a happy and harmonious family holiday. Also add to this ill-fated mix: a locked car, a rapidly diminishing mobile battery and hungry children (whose lunch was inside of said locked car), and you may begin to understand why I’m now sucking down a strong G&T.

But as they say in the classics “all’s well that ends well”, “like finding a car key in a snowfield” and “my wife is a bloody legend”, after around an hour of searching our tracks (some of which were around half a metre deep) the rogue key was located. Daddy was suitably punished via a walk of shame combined with around 20 pre-made snow balls, and we all breathed a massive sigh of relief...the alternative plan of a tow truck, a 50 mile trip to Cedar Springs and a replacement vehicle narrowly avoided. I believe the words “I’ve found them” have never been so welcome!!

Back to my original title and what we were really here for - beautiful Bryce. We have been left speechless with the beauty of the place, the red rock formations dotted with snow and the miles and miles of deep powdery snow in an idyllic setting of pine trees...well, before you lose your keys...not too pristine after that I tell you!!

We’ve spent two days enjoying the amazing vistas and I believe we have actually out-snowed the kids - apparently hours of throwing yourself around in deep snow takes it out of you! Who knew?! It’s been a fitting farewell to the snowy part of the trip.

The park is virtually devoid of visitors and the surrounding towns are completely deserted, but we can’t believe that everyone is missing out on this place (save for the key, could do without that!).

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