Bryce is Nyce

With five national parks, Utah claims the title of America’s national park capital.  We have revised our bucket list to visit all five parks in our lifetime.  Our visit to Bryce Canyon National Park means one down and four too go, so stay tuned.

Leaving Vegas for the drive into Utah and Bryce, we decided to visit the Neon Bone Yard, home to some of the most iconic neon signage that has flickered and hummed over Vegas since the 40’s. It was a wonderful place to hang for an hour, getting an insight into the history of Las Vegas through its neon signs.  However, it was little unsettling to see and hear about these vintage signs that I first saw in 1969 as I have not quite come to grips with the fact that I can now be considered vintage and fast approaching heritage status.

 The weather was a mixed bag with sun, rain and sleet for the 3-4 hour drive to Bryce. The latest weather forecast for Bryce was mixed and snow was not out of the question.  We stopped for lunch in St. George, Utah.  A lovely little city that we would definitely consider as a place to escape winter.   The city annually hosts the world senior games and has a wealth of sport facilities and outdoor activities to keep anyone busy.  

Bryce Canyon’s rim sits at between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, similar to the Grand Canyon.  We hit a sleety snow as we crossed over one mountain pass that had us second guessing our decision to visit Bryce. Thankfully, the weather smartened up and we arrived at Bryce Canyon Village with clear skies but with a temperature hovering around the freezing mark. 

 

We woke with the sun streaming through the flimsy curtains of our room.  Other than that, the room was well appointed with microwave, fridge, big flat screen television, free wifi and eerily quiet after the craziness of Las Vegas. 



 

Bryce Canyon is definitely not as grand as the Grand Canyon but it quickly became our favourite canyon.

 

The depth of the canyon is not as deep as the Grand and this allows you to get up close and personal with the canyon without risking cardiac arrest.  



 

With no donkey pooh to worry about, you can spend most of your time looking out and up at the awesome vistas.









 

The hoodoos that are found everywhere and are what set Bryce apart from its sister parks.  With very little imagination required, they take on easily recognizable shapes such as forts, castles, faces and as lunch time approached, food shapes.



 

It was a exhilarating day exploring the many trails into the canyon and along the rim. The wonderful day and bottle of wine at dinner made for a restful sleep as we had a long drive the next day. We have stops planned in Montana and Spokane, Washington before heading home.