Advertisement
Published: November 4th 2008
It was yet again another stretch of driving to get ourselves out of Colorado and into Utah. There is no simple way to explain the way the Rockie's part and carve these huge canyons which you drive straight through on the way to Utah except to say that it took my breath away time and time again. Every direction holds a different view...sometimes the rocks look red, other times orange and sometimes gold. Its incredible and unlike anything I have ever seen before. For those of you who have never been out here I urge you to make every effort possible to make the trek over. This is nature at its best, in my opinion, and its some of the prettiest terrain I have ever layed eyes on.
There were several scenic spots where you could pull off the highway and take pictures and you found yourself wanting to pull over at every turn because you could. There was not another passenger car for miles...we went almost an hour without even seeing a Mack Truck! Being that alone on the road made me wonder how long it would take someone to find you if your car broke down. It was especially in the forefront of my mind because my cell phone kept going in and out of range! Luckily we made it through the canyons of San Raphael and onto Rt 87 which is a small 2 lane byway which snakes its way through some "small" towns. In one particularly "small" town we passed a house that had a horse hitched to the railing! I felt like I stepped back in time and almost expected some cowboy to come flying out of the house, hop on the horse and ride off into the moutains. For the record that didn't happen!
We drove along until we came to good ol' Ruby's Inn. Do yourself a favor if you come to Bryce Canyon and make a reservation here and do it in advance (as we did). Ruby's Inn was actually started by a man named Reuben Syrett and his wife who came here to start their own ranch during the Western Expansion. Utah was fairly uninhabited, which coincidently was a huge draw for the Mormon community as they set out to claim land for themselves hence the huge population here, and "Ruby" felt like he had stumbled upon a gem as he nestled his ranch into the side of what is now known as Bryce Canyon National park. As he settled here with his family he would invite friends and other family to come and see the natural beauty of the land and word eventually spread about his location and he had such a good business of "tourism" to his ranch that he turned it into an inn and the rest is history. The lodge itself is pretty enough and the rooms are just your standard hotel room without many bells and whistles but thats not the allure. Once you look to your right you can see some of Bryce Canyon National Park and its simply awesome. We checked in and quickly headed over to have a look around. Once inside the park...which is about a 5 minute drive from the Inn's parking lot...you can go off in many different directions according to what you want to see first. The biggest draw here is probably the spot called Bryce Point. (Shauna we wanted to take a picture so we could show you guys and especially the B man but we couldn't...will explain below). The stone formations stand out in front of you and are carved into different shapes over time by the weather. I guess it would be fair to say that its always changing and probably never the exact way you left it. The formations that are made are called Hoodoo's. I am really not sure why they call them that as my enjoyment of the area was cut short. In true Mary fashion I had what I like to call a "Mary Moment." As I was taking some pictures along one of the trails my lovely camera, which I just got at Christmas mind you, jammed and the lens would not retract. It is now completely broken and hence no pictures for today. I just about cried as I stood there hitting it against the bench trying to get it to retract so I could take more pictures. Of all the times for this to happen it had to happen when I was at one of the prettiest places in the U.S. (Nicole it reminded me of when we were in Hawaii and I had to keep turning my camera on and off quickly because of the battery!) Anyway I know I can't do it justice but believe me when I say its as pretty as it is vast and as daunting as it is peaceful...all you heard were the birds of prey above you and the silent whish of the passenger cars making their way downhill.
Also as an aside there are tons of animals here as well...of course my mom was on high alert for bears...but there are signs everywhere for Prarie Dogs and Elk and Deer. There were huge Ravens everywhere you looked (must have been waiting for snacks) and also chipmunks that were almost black in color. We also passed tons of Deer on our drive up to the different stops. There is no hunting in the park so they are protected. (Kerry Wright I know you would love it here...you would have your own animal menagery!)
So that was our day in Bryce Canyon. I wish I had pictures to post so you could all see what I am referring too because I know I just don't do it justice. I hope you all have the opportunity to get here some day. I am sure you won't be disappointed!
Tomorrow its on to Vegas where we'll be hitting the casino and the strip for a look around at all the hotels. Should be a good time. After that we make our way up to San Francisco...seems like time is just flying by.
I hope this finds you all well. You are all missed and I hope that the weather in Boston is as nice as it is here! Ohhhh and Happy Election Day...can't wait to see if they are taking bets in Vegas and to see who wins it all! I am so sick of hearing about it but it should be history making no matter who wins!
Mary's Record Keeping:
miles traveled: 2665
cowboys seen: 2...there was one at the desk when we checked in
Mass Liscence plates other then ours seen on the road: 1...and it was rented by a nice French man who was not from Mass
number of states crossed: 10 (finally we are in the double digits!)
Catch you all on the flip side!
~Mary
Advertisement
Tot: 0.124s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 12; qc: 47; dbt: 0.0439s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
DP
non-member comment
Hey Mary! Your trip sounds amazing! I can't believe you are already so far away! Viva Las Vegas! You know that is my favorite place so tell everyone at Mandalay Bay I say hello. Also, I think you and Rollie should play some black jack at the Bellagio! Miss you!