Are we there yet??: The Magic of Bryce and Zion

Grand Canyon was certainly grand – and on a scale almost too huge to comprehend. Our stop at Bryce Canyon on the other hand was like entering a fairytale land of pink, orange and white spires called hoodoos which we could wander down amongst, touch and photograph to our hearts’ delight. We spend two days hiking this magic wonderland carved out by wind and water. Needless to say, our fitness level is steadily improving – as long as we can stay off the ice cream!

You may think “see one canyon and you’ve seen them all” – but not so. Zion, close by, was enclosed by towering red cliffs with the river responsible, flowing gently by in the bottom of the valley. These innocent looking streams however become raging torrents in flash floods and hurl huge rocks down the valleys. Once again we spent two days hiking through the area and excelled ourselves by climbing to the highest point – called Observation Point. The exertion was worth it as we were rewarded by magnificent views after our 2100 ft hike UPHILL!

We made friends with our neighbours in the campground and hopefully will catch up with them again when we make it to Seattle. Entertainment was provided by another neighbour who first of all started playing his religious music loudly at around 3.00 am, then spent the morning in a whiskey –fuelled religious rant at his partner. There were numerous complaints to the park hosts, but we missed the most exciting part while we were out hiking. Apparently they were busy “sowing the seed” on the picnic table when he passed out. She panicked and called for someone to administer CPR. He spluttered back into life without help then turned nasty. The law was called, car and tent searched for firearms and he was carted off to jail where he spent the rest of his weekend!