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Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon May 19-Day 5-Bryce Cyn, Capitol Reef, Glen Cyn, Natural Bridges, Mexican Hat
Woke up this morning feeling tired because I didn't sleep well due to the 8,000 foot altitude. Just carrying the luggage to our room was a chore with lots of huffing and puffing. Let's face it, I'm not built like an athlete and even an athelete would have a little trouble in this place.
The Best Western Ruby Inn is a very big hotel with a pretty nice restaurant and many opportunities for shopping. It's located just a few miles from the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park. It's a beautiful morning at 7am as we drive into the park with temperatures in the low 60's with promises of a much warmer afternoon. A beautiful blue sky has ominious thunderhead clouds to the east - quite dramatic.
The astounding views at Bryce Canyon are difficult to describe. We are at 10,000 feet looking out on a wilderness of hoodos, or rock spires for miles. The Bryce Amphitheatre, just a few miles from the visitor's center. The old Indian story is that this area was populated by bad people who turned to rock. There are millions of the
"rock people." You can see them hugging each other, some standing along. It's quite a sight. There are grottos, where the rock has eroded a large arch shaped holes in the sides of the cliffs. The colors are varring shades of white and red and always changing as the sun moves.
After an hour of staring we returned to Ruby Inn for breakfast and then continued on our way east toward the looming grey sky. This ride was amazing too. We passed the Grand Staricase at Escalante. Yep, it looks like a white staircase climbing to the sky about 50 miles wide.
We stopped at Anasavi Museum to look at the anchient archiological digs and a reconstructed pueblo. Marilyn drove as we followed the two-lane highway across the top of a plateau with shear clifs on either side dropping more than a thousand feet. Marilyn's knuckles were white as she held on to the wheel and I talked to her gently to keep her calm. Wow!
At the mountain summit (9,200 feet) the tempertature has plunged dramatically from 92 to 48 degrees and there are patches of snow everywhere. We are in the Dixie National Forest and
drive through simply beautiful forests of Aspen and later, pine. Of course there are magnificent views around each corner
Our next view was Capitol Reef. There is a "fold" in the earth's crust that extends for about 100 miles creating a long series of dramatic cliffs and canyons and stratified rocks. Our highway followed this scene for miles before we turned east heading through a series of canyons with hughe rock outcroppings. We drove through Glen Canyon with its views of Lake Powell 4,000 feet below us.
After lunch at the town of Torry (not much here, folks) we drive on and on we drove being directed by the GPS lady with unerring accuracy. We stoped at Natural Bridges National Park to drive the view loop. There are 4 stops here to get out and walk a few steps and look at the naturally formed arched bridges. Nice!
We drive along Hwy 261 through miles of scrub not paying much attention to the many signs that warn us to be on the lookout for grazing cattle. It's easy to reach speeds of 80 or more going down hill on the unoccupied two-lane highway. Then, around a bend
we see them, about 30 of these huge guys just lolling their way along the highway. They're big as they look in the windows of our stopped car. Long snotty things hanging out of their noses, they just don't pay much attention to our car as they take their time crossing the highway.
Then, out of the scrub, appears the cowboy. I roll down my window and we exchange pleasantries. He is young about 20's with a great smile. He tells me he just returned from a visit to Roseville, California. "Quite a bit different from here," he says in his understated manner.
Another 20 miles or so and we see this sign that warns us to slow to 15 mph and of dangerous hair-pin curves and a 12% downgrade and a gravel road for the next three miles. "What the hell," I whisper to myself, "has the GPS lady led us astray?". Around a few more turns and "BOOM" there it is - the edge of the cliff, a one and on-half gravel road that clings to the cliff and waaaay down below we can see the continuatin of this road about 4,000 feet below. We plung our way down the road creeping along at 10 mph along the ridged gravelly road. I sneak a look at M's frightened face. She has one hand on the dash and the other is gripping the door handle. A car approaches us and M lets out an "Oh Shit!" We pass easily. M does not talk until we reach the bottom.
The road continues towards Mexican Hat our sleep-over destination. There is a rock that looks something like a sombrero that gave this area its name. There is a gas station, two motels and two places to eat here. That's it. We arrive at Hat Rock Inn at 6:30pm, a mootly looking place if I ever say one that has a view of the San Juan River. It's a good thing we have a reservation (thank you Marilyn) as the place is full. The Navahoe woman directs us to a restaurant down the road. The place is packed! It doesn't look very nice, but what the hell, here we go. We order tacos on fry bread and eat about half of it. Not very gormet, to say the least.
M is really tired as she drove about 3 hours today. We are in bed, lights out at 9:30pm.
This was a marvelous day. We say so many things and experienced some great memories. I'm pleased we came this way.
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Betty
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Really good read!
Hi to the two of you! I look forward every night to reading about your trip. I feel I am there with you! The photos are great too! I would be car sick, unless I did the driving. We have never been to any of these parks, so it is really interesting! Thanx for the travel log. Enjoy your next day! And watch those high altitudes-take it easy!