Hoodoo That Voodoo That You Do So Well
One of the places on our itinerary that I have never been before (surprisingly, there are quite a few) was first on our list today. Bryce Canyon is a truly magnificent park. We knew it could get quite busy, so we had a very early start to our day. Our hotel, while very nice, did not start breakfast until 7:30. Also, when you hear the descriptor “Light Continental” about the breakfast, you don’t worry about restructuring your day to be there for it, so we just headed out super early to get to the canyon before the crowd.
We had a lot of bug remains on the windshield, and combining that with the low early-sun angle, it was hard to see very well. So we stopped to clean it and fill our mugs with ice (mountain resorts often don’t have ice machines). On our way to the canyon, we took our first Shaka Guide tour of the trip. Carrie came across the app while we were in Hawaii, and we heartily recommend it. It started as a Hawaii-only tour app (hence the ‘Shaka’), but they have expanded to lots of locations, including most of the national parks on our trip.
The first guided drive was the scenic highway 12 tour. We saw some amazing formations, and driving through the stone arches almost brought Carrie to tears. The drive lead us to the entryway for Bryce Canyon. Just to get it out of the way, its not actually a “canyon”, but rather, a naturally formed amphitheater. Because we were being guided, we started off the park before even entering it by going to the Fairyland viewpoint. if we had not been using the guided tour, we would probably have missed this site. Stepping up to the rim was truly breathtaking. The colors were dramatic. There were formations everywhere, including the Hoodoos. They are an integral part of the park, and are key parts of the legends surrounding the park, for the original Native Americans, as well as to the settlers who came later. They look like cave stalagmites but are formed by totally different processes.
We made it in the park with almost no lines, and visited the visitors center. We found some goodies for the grandkids, and started off to see the amphitheater. Since we came early, we were able to find parking, and walked up to the rim. Though Fairyland had prepared us, sunrise view was even more dramatic. While we were taking it all in, there came a group of people taking a horseback tour of the park. Some were doing better than others. One lady was leaning so far back, the guide yelled to her that she had her brakes on. One horse decided to demonstrate the reality of “peeing like a racehorse”. Another took a look at the rim, then changed its mind, and headed home.
We walked up the rim a bit, and took some more pictures, then went back to the car to continue the tour. Since we followed the guides direction, we went all the way to the last viewpoints first. This way, the remaining viewpoints were on the right side of the car, making it much easier to get in and out - highly recommend. Each angle was different, but amazing. It was a little hazy, but they told us on a clear day we could have seen the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is actually a continuation of a set of formations that start up at Bryce, called the Grand Staircase. It goes from Bryce, down through Escalante, Zion National Park and ends at the Grand Canyon. It is truly magnificent seeing the history of the earth in physical form.
Next up was heading to Escalante to end up at Capitol Reef National Park. This was a lengthy drive through many layers of the Grand Staircase. Part of it went through a section called the Hog’s Back Ridge. Basically, it is a very thin mesa with massive drops on both sides of the road. It has literally a few feet of shoulder on each side. If you didn’t already know, Carrie has a bit of an issue with heights. Any time we are driving near a cliff, she insists I straddle the yellow line to make sure we don’t plummet off like some cheap 70’s episode of CHiPs. So, you can imagine her reaction to having both sides of the road being a dramatic cliff’s edge. Suffice to say, we made it through without perishing.
As we gradually drove down from those heights to make it to the next park, we were treated to continuously changing vistas. On one stop, Carrie spotted a cute chipmonk munching on an apple core. We had to stop a few times due to cows on or near the road. Finally we made it to Capitol Reef National Park. This was no different - amazing views. Unfortunately, the scenic drive was closed after the Gifford house. At least that was open. This was an old Mormon settlement, and part of the history was having lots of fruit trees around. The town is called Fruita…who’s surprised? They have a little shop there that sells jams and spreads as well as homemade fruit pies made from the fruit trees there. So, of course, we got some to have for dessert tonight. Also, we got some Raspberry Jalapeño jam to take our “yuppie snacks” up a level. Thanks Pat!
By this time, we were all ready to head back. We were still 3 hours from the hotel, and I know we were all tired. At least, it was the same place as last night, so we are already unpacked, and the Artists are all set up to paint. As we got closer, I noticed a sign and read it out loud. “Butch Cassidy Childhood Home ahead”. Carrie immediately perked up. “We have to go there! If Dad were here, he would totally want to stop!” It was a quick stop, but sure felt for a moment like our travel party was complete once again. We sure miss you Les!
Back on the road, we finally made it all the way back to Duck Creek. We picked up a to-go order from last night’s restaurant, and went upstairs to feast, paint, and type.
Author’s note: for those of you not familiar with my typical quote source material, I apologize. I cannot help but throw in a Monty Python reference here and there. The Christmas Vacation one was a bonus. Thanks for loving me anyway.
