Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park to Las Vegas

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Breakfast was included in this hotel and it was a full American, poor boys were not keen on getting up at 9.00 but managed to turf them out. Drove to the canyon which was only a mile up the road and as we went to pay our $25 entry the ranger said it was a free day. Found out later that Barak Obama had declared all National Parks free for the weekend to encourage the Americans to go out walking - lucky for us. Stopped at the visitor centre and saw a scarab beetle on the wall. Drove 17 miles to the end of the park and then made the stops on the way back so we were on the right side of the road. The forest we drove through was very burnt, mostly the fires are managed to control the vegetation. The canyon was beautiful and every stopping point gave a very different view. This was not a canyon but more of a cliff edge and the rock had been carved into the most interesting shapes by the weather. The canyon is covered in snow and ice for 200 days of the year and the weathering causes the giant stacks called Hoodoos. They were amazing. The rock was limestone but only a tiny bit of it was white, iron deposits make the majority of it red. When we got to Sunset point we hiked down to the bottom of the canyon which was only a 1.4 mile round trip. It was amazing walking amongst these giant stacks. There were loads of pine trees in the valley below. Saw a blue bird called a Stellar’s Jay but no other wildlife. Later on we saw Antelope and ground squirrels. Most of the animals are nocturnal so would be good to come back in the evening but I asked a ranger and she said she had never seen a mountain lion or a cougar. When we got to Bryce point it was closed because the parking was full. On our third attempt we managed to get in and were glad we had as it was a huge amphitheatre of beautiful shapes. What park do we prefer? They were all so different but i think for sheer vastness it has to be the Grand Canyon. Stopped off for hot dogs and ice cream and then headed for Vegas. On our way we realised we had to go through Zion National park which we had heard a few people say was amazing, again it was free to get in and the drive down to the canyon was brilliant, lots of hairpin bends and went through a massive black tunnel cut through the mountain. Stopped at the visitors centre and then took the shuttle bus up through the canyon. The drive to the top was 45 minutes and we didn’t have enough time so we just went up a little way and hiked to the emerald pools. Not that impressive really and the waterfall was only a trickle. It was a lovely walk though. We were at the park for 1½ hours which by American standards is not nearly enough so we didn’t see the best of it. Stopped for dinner at a place called Hurricane, which was just before the I-15. Went to a Taco bell, which is a fast food Mexican taco and burrito chain - made a change from burgers an filled a hole! By the time we were on the road to Vegas it was dark so i hope i didn’t miss any cacti. Our first sighting of Vegas was amazing; the mass of lights is incredible and very exciting. Found our way straight to the hotel, Circus Circus which for some reason I wanted to stay at even though the travel agent had warned us off. It was HUGE, 3000 rooms in two towers and several small blocks called the Manor which is where we were. It was a bit out of the way and the carpets were a bit grubby but everything else was OK and the room was well laid out. Just a bit of a come down from all the lovely places we had stayed in. The temperature has gone up again and it was like a warm oven in Vegas at 11.00pm, 42OC. Settled in our room and then went out at midnight to explore. The place was heaving with people and it was all a bit brash and Nick and I were not sure if we liked it after all the wilderness and beauty we have been seeing. The casino’s were as i had imagined but the vastness f the hotel was something to get your head round, the check in desk was about forty feet long with about 10 receptionists and there is a shopping mall inside the hotel and fairground rides. Crazy!

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Comments

[jane]

Hi Chris
Hi Chris, played badminton today and the girls reminded me you were blogging so this was the first I've read. Will read the rest with interest when I get a few hours off decorating Juliets flat! Sounds like you're having a fantastic time , how on earth do you find time to write it all up? See you soon Jane x