Rolling with the Rain

Staying out until almost midnight examining the wonders of the night sky...amazing.  Everyone sleeping in until almost 9:45am...priceless.  We had seen the wonders of the dark, and now we were rested and ready to see the sights this "canyon" had to offer us during the daytime.  Bryce Canyon is actually not a canyon at all - because it wasn't carved by a river, but created as the snow melt and summer rains washed away layers of sediment to create amazing hoodoo formations that are constantly changing.  We loaded up our packs, donned our hiking boots and stepped out of the camper to...rain.  Hmmm....rain is a new phenomenon for us this summer.  We have been very fortunate that it hasn't really ever interrupted our plans anywhere.  Since arriving at Bryce, I think the last time we saw any precipitation was at Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming - just one week into our trip.

We headed to the Visitor's Center to watch the film and wait it out a bit.  About 30 minutes later, it was pouring...so we decided to check out the various exhibits at the museum.  Some time later it had let up enough to get back to the truck, so we headed out to preview the park with a driving tour - hoping the rain would stop.  Sure enough, it didn't last long and by the time we had explored the Lodge, we were ready to get a bit farther from the car - confident we wouldn't get soaked.  As we walked up the trail at Sunset Point, we had yet to see these so-called "hoodoos" that the park is so famous for.  You can imagine what they might look like, you can see pictures, but to walk upon the rim of the amphitheater for the first time takes your breath away.  The towering spires formed out of layer upon layer of mineral-laden soil creates piers that seem to glow from within.  The storm had just passed and the sun was shining into the canyon amphitheater - revealing its glory as if for the first time...

Standing awestruck, we tried to capture the beauty of the Bryce Amphitheater with photos that simply could not do any justice to what we were really seeing...but we tried.  Abby had pulled out her camera for the first time in a while, and was also snapping shots - as we tried to keep her back from the rim with no guardrails.  Seeing the black sky continuing to form in the distance, we decided to move on to check out more viewpoints.  Our first taste of these amazing hoodoos had us curious what else was around the bend.  So we wandered from viewpoint to viewpoint throughout the park - driving the entire 18-mile road to the southernmost point.  We enjoyed getting out and stretching our legs at each point, taking a few short strolls to various viewpoints.  By day's end Matt and I were itching to get down into the canyons to see the hoodoos up close and experience the views from below...but the kids were itching for an early evening and a promised movie night in the camper.

So we headed back to an early evening, complete with a gourmet fish dinner (complements of Matt) and the first two episodes of The Cosby Show.  Maybe I could get used to this more relaxed schedule...

   

 Tracy