Bryce Just as Nice Twice

This is our second time around Bryce Canyon.  And have to say just as magnificent!  There are plenty of new areas to explore and some wonderful ones to revisit. The drive from the North Rim down is beautiful as well.  Once again we drove through the town of Kanab and thought I would like to spend time here someday exploring the area and once again we kept driving.  Oh Well – someday.

We stayed at a smaller RV park right on the very scenic Highway 12 between the Red Canyon State Park and the turn off for Bryce.  I liked it because I could ride my bike along the excellent bike path that runs parallel to Highway 12.  Very nice and I didn’t have to worry about being killed by passing autos.  Sweet! And across the street is a restaurant noted for its homemade pies.   Do stop at the Bryce Canyon Pines for the pie if in this area.  My jeans are tighter already.

Once in your life you have to see this place.  Bryce is very breathtaking with red red RED hoodoos and other rock  formations.  So colorful!  Take the drive around the park and if you have time, hike in the valley and canyon itself.    We did that hike last time and it is worth doing, this time we just did the ride around the rim. 

Equally beautiful (with fewer crowds) is the Red Canyon State Park sometimes referred to as mini Bryce.   Just as colorful but not on the grandiose scale of Bryce.   Jack and I took a great hike there and other than one lone mountain bicyclist and one small group of ATVs we had the place to ourselves the whole hike.  My kind of crowds.

We had planned on trying to visit some of the slot canyons in the nearby Escalante National Monument or Kodachrome Basin State Park.   Stopped at the visitor center just before Kodachrome and the ranger said most of the roads in Kodachrome were not passable due to recent rains.  She suggested going to the Hole in Rock Road and gave some suggestions for slot canyons to visit.   She said it was not too bad if on the washboard side.  Hmmm, well, my teeth are still chattering from the drive and we had decided about 5 miles or so into it that it was not worth it to subject the big black truck to this kind of abuse.  Only later did we realize we lost a hub cap along the way.  A $229 dollar hubcap, Jack was not too happy.  So unless you rent a jeep or have an old vehicle you may want to pass on this one. 

Our hike in Red  Rock Canyon

We left Bryce on Sunday and headed down highway 12.   Jack and I drove this road before as far as the town of Boulder.  Absolutely beautiful, do take the time to get coffee at Kiva Coffee House if for nothing else but the view.  Also stop at Calf Creek and the little museum in Boulder.   This time we were with the BiFF II and did not stop,  might be too tight for a big rig.    Jack was focusing on the road and although I enjoyed the drive it is a bit of white knuckle-ish pulling  a 7 ton 5^th wheel.    We drove the whole length of Highway 12 this time till it junctions with Highway 24 in the town of Torrey and our destination of Capital Reef National Park.  One incredibly beautiful drive!  Now some rest and relaxation for Jack!