October 20 Thursday Bryce Canyon

Today is a very long drive (140 miles) to Bryce Canyon. We had to drive all the way to Hwy 20 as hwy 14 was closed due to a slide. Unlike Zion where one looks up at the towering sandstone walls and monoliths, at Bryce we look down upon miles of exquisitely carved pinnacles and spires known as hoodoos that defy ones imagination. The breathtaking chasm is set on a high plateau with pine covered rim that catch a cool breeze of a mountain setting. The colourful straited limestone cliffs were carved by erosion. Before Bryce we go through beautiful Red Rock Canyon then we stop at the visitors center before driving the 37 miles ( round trip) through 14 view points. We stop at all of them. With elevation as high as 9,100 Bryce is considerably cooler then Zion and gets more snow. We found 20 degrees difference. Bryce isn't really a canyon but 14 amphitheaters of colourful eroded limestone dotted with deep green ponderosa pine, spruce, and ancient bistlecone pines. A place where the sun comes to play. It makes one want to reach for my paint box as well as my camera. We decide to do a grand circle and return via Zion mount Cormel tunnel. Going through 2 tunnels over 1 mile long built in 1930 is not built for wide and tall vehicles and as we have Dulles we have to pay $ 15 extra for escort service (no vehicle) a ranger merely convert the traffic to one way. We travel back to a natural cathedral with dramatic tableau of vertical monoliths. We were glad we had dinner waiting in the slow cooker. A good time was had by all

REMEMBER-see the best in yourself. Other people do