Bryce Canyon

    We were sad to leave Zion and see the last of it’s epic beauty, but we were on to our next destination: Bryce Canyon. On the way to Bryce we had no choice but to stop at the sign that read Shaved Iced. Little did we know that it was a family run farm operation to attract tourists to partake in every activity you could think of, including fishing and riding their homemade zip line. Sarah was quick to say no thank you and run back into the car. On our drive we noticed all of the effects of the Utah wildfires. We were both really excited to get to the Bryce Canyon Resort, but upon arrival we realized that in Southern Utah language “resort” loosely translates to “shithole”.  Even though it wasn’t what we had imagined, the air conditioning, bed, and warm shower was exactly what we needed. We went to dinner at the Bryce Canyon Lodge inside the park and had a delicious meal that was served to us and we didn’t even have to clean up the dishes afterwards.

            That night we grabbed or headlamps and went for a night hike to check out the sunset over Inspiration Point. The views were amazing. Since there was a wildfire in the distance, the smoke created an even more colorful sunset. Quickly after the sunset a full moon appeared over the canyon. It was fun being the last people up on the dark trail but also got a little scary for Sarah as I was taking pictures “too close to the edge”.

            The following morning we went for a hike through the lower portion of the canyon. The views from the bottom up were even better. It’s like being trapped in a giant sandcastle. You shouldn’t leave Bryce without seeing both perspectives. Overall Bryce was beautiful, but still hasn’t topped Zion.