On to Bryce

Saturday, May 11, 2024

This morning, we broke camp, topped off the RV’s fuel tank at a nearby station, and were rolling north on I-15 before 11 am. We gained elevation on the interstate before turning southeast onto UT-20 and then US-89. Although we had been eyeing the dark black clouds from afar, we were still amazed when we eventually encountered something we hadn’t seen in a long long time, RAIN.

The final leg of our 130-mile long journey was on UT-12. As we ascended and passed through beautiful Red Canyon, we were further amazed that the rain froze into slushy iceballs as ice accumulated on the windshield wipers and side-view mirrors. Soon, however, as we descended toward our campground, the rain and ice ended.

We pulled into a Chevron station along UT-12 to check in, and then set up, at Site F3 in Bryce Canyon Pines Campground & RV Park behind the station. This is our first non-KOA campround for this trip. But we’re happy campers, with a nice full hook-ups back-in site and only a four-mile drive to the national park entrance.

After camp set-up, Jane was getting hangry, so we decided to eat in the park. We grabbed some winter clothing and drove the short distance to Bryce Canyon National Park; there was no line to enter (free with my Senior Pass). We proceeded straight to the park’s Lodge but were momentarily delayed by a line of mules crossing the main park road.

Entrance Sign

Waiting our Turn

We arrived at the Lodge Restaurant around 2:15 pm and had to wait 5-10 minutes to be seated. Meanwhile, we enjoyed exploring the Lodge lobby and gift shop. For lunch, we elected the soup and salad buffet. The mushroom with brie cheese soup was excellent; we both had seconds. Unfortunately, the restaurant, which closes at 3 pm, ran out of the peach cobbler dessert. Our apologetic waitress brought us two huge bran muffins instead. We split one and saved one for breakfast tomorrow morning.

——————— Lunch at the Lodge ———————

After lunch, we decided to get a peak of the natural wonders of this park and continued driving along the main road for about a mile before turning left onto a spur road. This road had three sub-spurs to Paria View, Bryce Point, and Inspiration Point. We drove down each of these, respectively, parked and hiked the short distances to overlooks with magnificent views of the iconic stratified rock columns. The overlook elevations here are over 8,000 ft. asl so the short hikes, especially at Inspiration Point, winded these two low-landers. And, a light rain continued, intermittentley.

Bryce and Inspiration Points, gazed directly into what is called the Bryce Amphitheater, a huge arcing expanse of rock pinnacles. We stared in awe. An expansive army of similarly uniformed stone soldiers stretched out before us. Like stars, these delicate pinnacles seemed endless, like snowflakes no two were exactly alike, and like clouds, it was easy to visualize images of animals and people in them. What a geologic fairyland!

——————— Paria View ———————

——————— Bryce Point ———————

——————— Inspiration Point ———————

After our initial peak at Bryce Canyon, we drove back to the Visitor Center and easily found a parking space. Inside, we got our Passport stamped, bought a couple of souvenirs, read through the informational displays, and watched a video about the park. 

Did you know that the park is named after Ebenezer Bryce, a Scottish shipbuilder? He followed Mormon prophet Brigham Young west and built roads in this area, so folks began calling it “Bryce’s canyon”.

I was also surprised to learn that the beautiful rock pinnacles, called hoodoos, were largely scuplted by the freezing and thawing of ice in cracks rather than by water erosion. A geologic uplift  had created regular(ish) vertical joints through the colorful sedimentary layers that over time, ice has weathered and  enlarged.   

Visitor Center

From the Visitor Center, we drove out of the park and stopped at Ruby’s Inn General Store to purchase a few groceries. At the campground, we snacked for supper and around 9:30 pm, went outside to see if we could see an aurora. The evening was clear with lots of billiant stars and a sliver of a moon glowing in the dark sky. A pinkish area was visible near the northern horizon. Jane took some pictues with her iPhone 15 that appeared to reveal an aurora. Soon, we returned to our motorhome and dressed warmly for bed as the low here tonight is forecast to be 37 degrees F.

Northern Lights in Southern Utah
(Little Dipper and North Star visible, too)