The park is known for the tall skinny rock formations known as hoodoos (see below) and the vistas are really amazing and very different in different lights. I honestly thought Bryce was way more interesting than the Grand Canyon, but maybe it's because the whole experience was less crowded and not as commercialized. After dinner we went to Sunset point to, yes, you guessed it, watch the sunset, and then headed back to camp after exploring our options for hiking the next day. The night sky at Bryce is stunning. Whereas because of light concentrations in more developed areas you can only see about 2500 stars, at Bryce you can see 7500. We hiked up to the rim of the canyon near our campsite and stargazed for a bit.
The next morning we woke up early (the timezones keep changing on us), packed up camp, and went on our hike. Steve, the old boyscout, was very gung-ho about this, so I went along with it. We walked the Queen's Garden Trail and the Pueblo loop before heading back to Sunrise Point. It was a 3-mile hike and I was extremely glad we went in the early morning before it got scorching hot. The way down was fine, but the way back up was incredibly challenging. Worth it for both the stunning views and the workout. We were both stunned as to the poor footwear choices of people clambering down (ie the lady in the gold sandals) as well as the lack of people carrying water, and figured they just didn't read the guidebook or realize what they were in for on the way back up. It was a very cool experience, and one I'd repeat despite the knowledge of the awful ascent! If you've not been to Bryce add it to your list!
We headed out after the hike and made our way to Sedona, another very strange and beautiful place. It's very artsy and new-agey here with LOTS of rich people. We went to some galleries yesterday where the minimum pricetags were in the 1000s. Nevertheless, we had a great dinner at a Mexican Cantina, and, since just about everything in Sedona closes at 6, we decided to go to the movies. We saw "Superbad," which was incredibly funny and well worth the price of admission. Go see it!!
Today, after a little more sightseeing in Sedona (surrounded by a plethora of national and state parks and forests) we head to Santa Fe. Steve flies back to Boston tomorrow morning--I can't believe two weeks have passed so quickly! Here's a list of the states we've driven through/visited:
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah....16 in 13 days--pretty good!
Pic 1: My favorite of Grand Canyon signs
Pic 2: The Watchtower on the East Rim
Pic 3: Bryce Point at Bryce Canyon, Utah
Pic 4: Looking up from the Bottom of Bryce Canyon during our hike
Pic 5: Moon over the red rocks of Sedona
1 comment:
pretty! why was utah so odd?
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