Springdale, Utah, United States
What a day! Started the day in Bryce Canyon on the free shuttle that picked us up at the shuttle parking lot across from the hotel. Dropped us off at Bryce Point, elevation 8300 ft, about a 1.5 mile walk to Inspiration Point. Dave, the shuttle driver, told us that this walk was not so difficult, up and down twice. Then, a slight incline the rest of the way. Beautiful landscape and topography. Well, we did one up and down, and then, next was UUUUUUUPPPPP and a little down.
We saw the Bryce Amphitheater with all its hoodoos along the Rim Trail. The hoodoos in Bryce are weirdly shaped rock formations formed by water/ice erosion. Absolutely stunning environs. Some very wide and concrete sidewalks. Other times, there were narrow walkways where you couldn’t walk two by two. Sometimes there were fences/railings. Most times, no railings. These walking paths are not for the toddlers, and we did see a very few.
Took so many photos, that I won’t bore you with all of them. Dick and I look forward to looking at them on our TV.
About noon, we took off for Zion which is less than 2 hours from Bryce. Lot of undeveloped land with dots of small communities. We stopped at Orderville, UT to fill up the gas tank and to eat lunch. The gas prices in the middle of nowhere were $3.95, regular, $4.85, premium gas. We ended up eating at Subway. The outdoor patio was across from an RV park. Dick spotted a golf course across the street.
Got close to Zion and realized that we were going to go through the park before getting to the hotel.
Good thing we had the National Park Senior Pass. (We paid $10 for it before it went up to$70 or $80.). If we didn’t have the pass, it would have cost $35/vehicle for a 7 day pass. Not sure that the pass works for more than one park.
Zion is so different than Bryce. At Bryce, we were not on the floor of the canyon. At Zion, we drove a lot on the floor of the canyon. Unlike the Bryce hoodoos, most of the rocks in Zion National Park are sedimentary rocks –made of bits and pieces of older rocks that have been weathered, eroded, and deposited in layers.
Drove through the park, visited the Visitor Center, talked with a ranger to plan tomorrow.
Checked into the hotel. Dinner at Zion Brewery where we shared a lemon gose beer. They said our table was ready. However, since the beer was purchased in the bar and not the restaurant, we couldn’t bring it into the restaurant. Utah liquor law! For dinner, I tried elk burger with fried onion, cheese, and sautéed mushrooms. Fries were seasoned with chimichurri, garlic, salt and pepper. All were very tasty. Dick had a classic cheeseburger with regular fries, although they were seasoned with cumin.
Weather has been interesting. All sunny. In the morning at Bryce, it was 43 degrees. By noon it was 70. By the time we reached Zion, it was 97. Tomorrow, it’s supposed to be 97. Hot and dry!
Tomorrow, another day of beautiful scenery! Good night!
2025-02-18