Sept 2009 Grand Canyon/Zion/Bryce Trip Report Back to Part 2 Zion National Park Part 3 Bryce National Park At Bryce Canyon we do the scenic tour of the main road and pull over at several spots to enjoy the views of the numerous hoodoos. As early settler Ebenezer Bryce stated it's "a hell of a place to lose a cow!" These pullouts are pretty crowded and a few fools jump over the park fences to stand dangerously near the canyon drop offs. Some folks take photos of these idiots which probably just encourages that kind of behavior. It starts to rain so we depart the park, on the way out we pull over to view the 2nd fastest mammal on earth, the deer-like Prong. We also watch a colony of prairie dogs in a field (we are careful not to get too close as they can carry the bubonic plague). Welcome to Bryce National Park, Utah Natural arch at Bryce National Park, Utah Lots of hoodoos at Bryce National Park, Utah Hoodoos at Bryce National Park, Utah The 2nd fastest mammal on earth, the deer-like Prong (it was very far away and raining so this photo is not the best quality) at Bryce National Park, Utah Western bluebird at Bryce National Park, Utah Prairie Dog at Bryce National Park, Utah We were unable to get a room at the only hotel in the park (The Bryce Lodge) but we are able to eat dinner at the Bryce Lodge Dining room. I get some bruschetta and an Asian salad that is not too shabby. The local Golden Spike Hefeweizen beer is good stuff. We check into Bryce Country Cabins in nearby Tropic, Utah. Our cabin is next to a rather forlorn-looking bison they keep in a pen. There are also horses and chickens on the property. The accommodations here are basic but clean. Sat Sept 19th We do breakfast at the Bryce Lodge, I get oatmeal with Bryce-berries (a mixture of blueberries and raspberries). We hike the eight mile Fairyland loop through a landscape of hoodoos, canyons, mesas, and cliffs and don't see any other folks until the end of the hike. A nice place to have a picnic along the trail is at Tower Bridge (the rock formation really does resemble the famous English bridge! Along the Fairyland Loop trail at Bryce National Park, Utah At the Bryce Lodge they are serving a taco buffet for lunch. We drove out to the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park and do some short hikes there before the afternoon rain comes down. The park has letters posted from people who stole pieces of wood to take home and then regretted it later. The drive between the Petrified Forest and Bryce is very Western and scenic. It pours rain later that afternoon and so we can't really do any outdoor activity. So we have a pretty good meal at the very popular Clarke's Restaurant in Tropic (mostly full of locals). I get the wild mushroom pesto, it is really good but way too big for one person! Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, Utah Large piece of wood at the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, Utah Sun Sept 20th Sadly our trip is over and we have to get up at 5am to catch our flight out of Las Vegas. Don't forget about the time difference between Utah and Nevada! We have a decent breakfast at Moxie Java in Vegas, a corporate looking place in the suburbs. You can tell the economic crisis has hit Vegas hard as we see lots of closed businesses and half-built homes. Before our flight we have time to cruise the Vegas strip and "admire" the faux Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, and Eiffel Tower. At the airport there are one armed bandits everywhere. So the one lesson from this trip is that if you want some solitude on the hiking trails in Grand Canyon, Bryce, or Zion you really need to get up before sunrise. Downtown Vegas is a bit creepy actually THE END Trip Report Index