Advertisement
After a bit of a rough night of sleep, we started the day by returning to view the Bryce Canyon Amphitheater from the rim between Sunrise and Sunset points. We even went a few hundred feet down the Queen's Garden Loop trail before deciding we were not prepared for that intense of a hike. Next we checked out of the Bryce Lodge and headed down the Canyon road to Rainbow Point where Paul really wanted to see the 1600+ year old Bristlecone Pine tree that is highlighted in one of his ViewMaster reels. We all enjoyed that hike, although Levi's enjoyment was for more of the nap he got while in the backpack on Sarah's back. Unfortunately, the famous tree doesn't appear to have any more living branches.
We decided to take the Scenic Hwy 12 Byway for the next leg of the trip. This was going to make a long day of driving at least an hour longer, but hopefully more beautiful. Sarah sat in the back with the boys for the first half of the trip to help Paul with his schoolwork. On the way out of Bryce Canyon, Todd, being the only one who could get out easily,
Snow on Bristlecone Pine trail
Could it really have been a 100 deg just a couple days earlier in Las Vegas and now we are in the snow? jumped out at each of the major overlooks and snapped a couple pictures. He included one of the three snuggled in the back seat as well.
The Scenic route was well worth it! The countryside continued to be awe inspiring and ever changing. It was incredible how different the landscapes could be, yet be so close together. Just as you might be getting used to one geologic wonder, you would round a corner or go over a hill and the view would be entirely different, and for as far as you could see. We tried to snap a few pictures of our sites, but couldn't capture nearly all of it. We had a very late lunch (4:30 pm) in the Fruita Historic District of Capital Reef National Park. They sold little homemade pies in the Gifford Farm House so we made that our dessert! We basically took a driving tour of the park and it was beautiful. We got into the Fruita and Grand Junction, Colorado area around 8:30 pm. The kids had been trapped nearly all day in the car. They needed to run. So despite our better judgment, we had dinner at McDonalds so they could run in
All packed and ready to go!
three in the back for the trip along Scenic Byway 12 the huge play area. We checked into our hotel in Grand Junction just before 10 pm. The kids went to bed pretty easy (compared to the last few nights). We stayed up late doing the first round of laundry and enjoying our first internet access in four days. The best part is that we weren't relegated to the bathroom - we are staying in a suite so we have a living room, kitchen, and dining room! No one is sitting in the bathtub tonight! 😊
Day 4 Stats
• 1017.5 total miles driven
• 39.5 total gallons of gasoline consumed
• Average 25.7 MPG
• 20 hours, 36 minutes in the car
• No additional state licenses plates
Advertisement
Tot: 0.17s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 11; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0672s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Lisa
non-member comment
Fun family time
I'm sure Ryan is very proud that you went to McDonalds. Hopefully the bathroom theme will not become too much of a habit that you bring it back to work. It sounds like you all are having a great time on your adventure.