Bryce Canyon

The journey from Moab to Bryce Canyon looked as if it should take about 4 hours – half the length of some we’ve already done. We joined the Interstate 70 back at the point where we had left it – about 30 miles from Moab and settled in for an uneventful journey.

Having decided to miss a possible visit to Canyonlands there was time to stop at some of the informative pull outs along the way and I was glad we did as we learnt a lot about the area, its geology and the enormous effort that went in to building the road when the decision was made to extend the interstate road network in 1957 with further developments happening through the ’70s and 80s. An amazing feat of engineering! Zoom in on the photo below to read about it.

The image of the lorry chugging up through the pass gives some idea of the incline.

It seemed strange just to have left Moab and then be reminded so much of the landscape of Jordan – ancient Moab – as we travelled. I had a fascinating conversation with a young mum from California at one of the stops we made: she was travelling with her family and was as surprised as we were by the scenery.

Today it was a pizza stop for lunch – one of those seemingly family run eat all you can places where nobody paid any attention to what we took. It was fine – easy and filling and providing top up drinks which meant we had cold drinks in the car for the onward journey – always welcome.

There was also a really pleasant interchange with helpful staff at a filling station who decided we were just being greedy with National Parks trying to fit so much in to our visit.

I was intrigued by some of these junction developments: many seemed very new and were meeting all the travellers’ needs in one place. Also, there did not seem to be the premium charge for fuel on the freeway that there would be on motorway service areas in the UK: the price for unleaded was consistently around $3.90. And there were signs to warn the traveller that there would be no services for 100 miles – helpful!

The onward journey to Bryce Canyon was straightforward and we arrived in the late afternoon just in time to gather up some strength for an evening visit. Initially, I had thought we would try the shuttle, but then decided that, as we would do little more than see what the Visitors’ Centre and some of the areas closest to the entrance had to offer, it might be as well to take the car.

What a treat we were in for!

As we arrived the sun was just beginning to cast shadows over the edge of the rim but the variety and vastness of the amphitheatre was evident and left us quite enthusiastic for the next day’s visit.

The best meal we’ve had so far on our travels followed: Coconut prawns in the restaurant at Ruby’s Inn.

We were impressed with most things about this hotel area – as we have been with all the Best Western brand we’ve stayed at.

A good night’s sleep, breakfast and off again to the Canyon using the shuttle the next day.

All the National Parks information has been clear and helpful and the arrangements at Bryce Canyon for transport was particularly so. We boarded what was probably the second bus of the day and rode as far as Bryce Point where we explored a bit and debated doing one of the lower trails – but I didn’t feel I had the right footwear so we made our way back to the top, rode the shuttle to Inspiration Point and walked from there back to Sunset Point where we picked up the shuttle again and rode back to the hotel.

Today, somehow, I was much more aware of the depth of the canyon whereas earlier I had been struck by its expanse.

The colour and appearance of some sections made me think of Xian’s Terracota Army.

Down in the depths, ant-sized human beings could be seen hiking the various trails despite the heat. There were paths everywhere, but not for the faint-hearted, some of the inclines were very steep and a bit slippery with loose stones everywhere.

We made do with walking along the rim from Inspiration Point to Sunset Point and even that required water and the occasional shelter under such a hot sun.

A few hours later we drove back to see the parts of the park the shuttle didn’t reach. It made for a late evening and some bits of the drive were just a tad hairy – but most was fine: there would be others that were worse later!

This natural arch was far below us and served as a reminder of the way the single pillar hoodoos developed.

Once again, we were struck by the vibrance of the colours, the sandstone changing with the angle of the sun but the time had come to leave the park, think about supper, sleep and a journey the next day…