It was a cold, cold morning when we woke up on Tuesday (November 10th) in Bryce Canyon City, but the sunrise was absolutely unreal. What a privilege to get to see this sky!
After all the hiking we had been doing - and maybe because the weather was so cold - I woke up with a very stiff and swollen ankle that didn't want to work for a while. I had broken my ankle just four months prior to this and had put a lot of work into healing and rehabbing it so I would be ready for this trip. Up until this point, my ankle had been strong and I hadn't had any problems with it. This morning, however, it was just so sore and stiff! I wasn't the only one having problems, though. Brenson had a couple of blisters on his foot, and all the girls had "hot spots" on their feet. We were all feeling our sore muscles and suffering from a good bit of fatigue. Chris and I decided we would get the van loaded up, eat breakfast, and then play things by ear as far as hiking went in Bryce Canyon National Park.
For breakfast, we went back to Ruby's for their breakfast buffet. The kids ate and ate, and everyone enjoyed a warm drink to help get us going!
Brenson and Brecklyn
Brooke Ellie
The entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park is only about 10 minutes from Bryce Canyon City. We arrived before 8:00am!
The visitor's center was not yet open, so we grabbed a guide and a map and set off south down the 18 mile scenic drive that runs through the park.
We were immediately amazed at the first sight of the famous hoo-doos. I'm pretty sure I've never seen anything quite like them!
There are many pull-offs and overview points along the scenic drive. Our first stop was at Swamp Canyon. You'll notice as the photos progress, we bundled up more and more with each stop we made. Not only was the elevation increasing as we travelled the scenic drive, but the wind and moisture were increasing, as well.
Swamp Canyon Overlook
Up until this point, we were still considering taking a hike in the park. However, after our stop at Natural Bridge (when is started sprinkling and the wind really picked up), we decided we would forgo hiking in Bryce Canyon and just be happy with the scenic drive.
Natural Bridge
So unique!
Momma and Bren
Ponderosa Point - still increasing in elevation!
Amazing view even with the cloudy skies!
Ponderosa Point
The little girls were too cold and went back to the van.
The southernmost and highest point on the scenic drive is Rainbow Point.
The wind was crazy and the snow was hitting us in the face!
Trying to smile through the snow and wind
Still an incredible view!
You can see some snow accumulating on the rocks behind us in this photo.
We kept moving to different spots to try and get out of the wind. It didn't work, lol.
Brooke's face 😂
We finally put the kids out of their misery and let them go back to the van.
Black Birch Canyon Overlook - no one wanted to participate in a family photo at the actual overlook because of the snow and wind.
Agua Canyon Overlook
Still cold and windy, but the snow had let up a bit.
Another view of Agua Canyon
This was the best view of the hoo-doos!
Momma and Bri
From this overlook, we could see several trails and even a few hikers taking said trails. It made me a tiny bit sad that we weren't hiking, but mostly Chris and I both felt good about our decision. I think we would have been miserable in the cold, wet, and wind, and not hiking this day was a good opportunity to give our weary legs and feet a rest.
Brecklyn and Momma
💗
Momma and Brooke
Brenson and Daddy
Daddy and the girls
So much beauty!
After visiting Bryce Point, we stopped by the visitor's center to get stamps in our passports and purchase a few souvenirs. It wasn't even noon yet, and we had pretty much finished what we had to do for the entire day. Our lodging reservations were in Page, Arizona that night, but that was only about 2.5 hours driving time from where we were. While I took all the kids to the restroom, Chris sat in the van to figure out a plan for what to do with the rest of our time.
I'll say this - I was very surprised at what he came up with! Zion National Park is less than two hours from Bryce Canyon, and then Page is only a little over two hours from Zion. Initially, we had not planned to visit Zion because we wanted a full day at Bryce Canyon AND at least a full day at Zion. We just didn't have the time to fit it in like we wanted. However, we thought since we had the afternoon to make a quick visit, then why not? We asked the kids what they thought, and they were all on board. So, we grabbed lunch out of our food bin and hit the road toward Zion!
So many great things to see out the window!
Much of the drive was through the Dixie National Forest, and we were happy to stop at the visitor's center for the forest. Brecklyn had seen Smoky the Bear several times on our drives, and was so excited when she saw Smoky standing by the National Forest sign. She ended up buying a stuffed Smoky to take home!
A surprise detour!
We knew we didn't have much time in the park - and we certainly didn't have a plan - so we just decided to take the east entrance to the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway to the Zion Canyon Visitor's Center.
The tunnels were amazing, but especially the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel (not pictured below). It was incredible! At 1.1 miles long, we were in awe at the length and especially at the windows in the tunnel allowing us to see the wonderful view!
I've always heard great things about Zion, and I truly felt that it lived up to the hype!
I know these are just a lot of photos of us in front of rocks, but they were incredibly majestic in person. We just kept pulling off the road to get out and soak it in!
That view 😍
I mean!
The visitor's center was HUGE compared to the ones we had recently visited. It was also busy . . . we can't imagine what it must be like during peak season!
After stopping by the visitor's center, we headed back out of the park the way we had come in. We certainly didn't mind seeing the majestic rock formations and driving through the tunnel again!
It started to rain as we were exiting the park.
Not far from the park entrance/exit, we spotted some wildlife!
Hello big horn sheep!
It was a little over two hours to our lodging in Page, Arizona, and no one was really in the mood for more driving. However, the weather was a little rainy, a little cloudy, and a little sunny, so we were able to see several amazing rainbows on our drive.
We stopped for dinner at a Mexican restaurant in a town along the way. It was okay, but none of us would call it good. It was too bad, too, because we were all really set for some good Mexican. Food has definitely not been the highlight of this trip.
It was after dark by the time we got to our hotel for the night, and we were all ready for bed! It had been an unexpected and exciting day!
No comments:
Post a Comment