Shortcuts and Dutchmen

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I thought that I would be smart today and take a shortcut from Page to Bryce canyon.
But I missed the intended turnoff.
Not to matter I thought, I would just take the next road on my map heading that way.
All was well for a while on a nice sealed road, which eventually turned into a dirt road much to my displeasure.
If I was in my old Nissan ute I would have thought great the fun begins, but in he increasingly fragile Jag with its arthritic suspention it just made me cringe.
As I chose to ignor the sign that said the road was unmaintained as it was a long way to go back and the road was wide and smooth at this point, very good for a dirt road.
However the unsealed portion of the road is 38 miles long and slowly deteriates as you progress along it.
The first bit is just to lure you in.
For the last approximately 15miles it is a narrow one lane road with about 3 stream crossings (thankfully small on the day I was there)and getting rough enough that I dragged the floor of the car on the ground a least a couple of times.
Even traveling at a maximum speed of about 20mph the noises coming from the suspention were painfull.
Eventually getting to the end of the road somehow in one peice it was a short run on highway 12 to Bryce canyon.
After paying my $25 entry fee to the park and another $30 for a couple of nights at the North campground, I set up camp and went for a bit of a look around.
What a great place the views are awesome, particuarly from Bryces point.
After my quick reccie, I went back and checked out the visitor centre, which is nice and has a good AV display giving some good info about the canyon and its surrounds.
As the day was now getting on I retired to my camp site which was now also occupied by 2 wild deer who were snacking on a nearby shrub as there is almost no grass here, it is just mostly scattered pine trees and dirt.
There are some ferotious animals around here and you have to be very carefull of the one that puts by far the most people in hospital here, the squirel.
Seems people feed them, they tend to bite the hand that feeds them and next thing they're in hospital getting shots for all the diseases that they have just acquired.
I got talking to my neighbour "across the road" a dutch guy called Aryan who was also driving around this part of the country camping alot also.
After dinner I spent the evening around a camp fire with him and a german call Richard.
The camp here is in a great place amongst the pine trees with the nice frech mountain air as it is at an approximate altitude of 2500meters.
This keeps the daytime temperatures down near the 30 mark and makes for nice cool nights.

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Photos

Downtown somewhere
Coat of paint, she'll be right.

Main street
And just about the only street by the looks of it.

THE road
And it just got worse

From Bryces Point
All together now...oohhhhh aaahhhhhhh.

The camp
Come join me on the front lawn...