Day 3 - Zion and Bryce Canyon

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Paul slept in this morning but he felt much better. He actually had a really great day. Hopefully whatever bothered his body yesterday was just a fluke and we'll be good to go for the rest of the trip! After eating breakfast in our room, we checked out of the hotel and spent the morning exploring Zion Canyon. Since cars are not allowed in the park (unless you stay at the lodge, then you can park there only), we took the bus system up to the North end of the canyon. We enjoyed visiting the bus stops to see the beautiful sights and took a few short hikes. Levi loved being on the bus and did a great job in the backpack. Paul had fun taking photos on his camera and asked lots of questions! Once we got back to the Lodge, we ate a quick picnic lunch before heading out the East Entrance of the park. This drive was beautiful and included some new landscapes. The drive from Zion into Bryce was only 88 miles but it took over 2 hours. We were grateful to finally arrive in Bryce and check into the Bryce Canyon Lodge. Our room wasn't far from the Canyon Rim trail so we headed out for a hike after getting settled in our room. We were amazed by the colors and the creation of the Hoodoos. Todd even ventured down the Navajo Loop trail a little ways to get a better view of Thor's Hammer. We were very tired and very hungry so we headed to the General Store with the hopes of finding a simple dinner. Our dinner was far from ideal but we did find food and we did eat - so we cannot complain. After dinner we walked back to our room in the lodge. It took a very long time to get Levi settled. Paul stayed up a little later and spent some time working on the journal he is required to keep for school. He enjoyed working out on the balcony of our room. Finally we got both kids down to bed so we could spend our ritual evening time hanging out in the bathroom looking at photos and writing a few postcards. It was a great day and we were very tired.

Day 3 Stats

• 663.8 total miles driven
• 26.9 total gallons of gasoline consumed
• Average 24.6 MPG
• 13 hours, 24 minutes in the car
• No additional state licenses plates

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Photos

Family in front of the Patriarchs
Family photo in Zion National Park in front of a couple of the rocks making up the Patriarchs

Todd and Levi on Zion shuttle
Levi hanging out in the backpack while riding the park shuttle

Paul and Levi in Bryce Lodge
finding comfy seats while getting checked into next lodging.

View over Sunset Point
Catching a quick view of Bryce Canyon before finding some dinner.