Azure skies and rufous rocks...

Click the picture for a slide show. The first four slides are in Red Canyon; the rest are in Bryce.


The day dawned with another cloudless sky. Jill and I were excited, because today was the day we had set aside to visit Bryce Canyon National Park. We packed some snacks and a lunch, including water bottles, loaded Pogo in her crate and departed for the 76 mile drive to the park.

As Jill said, the drive to the park was enough to satisfy our desire for sightseeing. Nevertheless, we were very glad we made the trip to see Bryce. One of the reasons we were so pleased with the trip began yesterday at the Pipe Springs National Monument. I had heard, but forgotten, that at age 62, U. S. citizens or permanent U. S. residents can purchase a pass that admits them and anyone in their vehicle to any National Park in the U. S. for free, for life! The cost of this amazing pass? A sawbuck, two fins, a thousand pennies... ten measly bucks! I KNEW there had to be SOMETHING good about getting old.

The admission fee to Bryce is $25 per car, so the pass saved us enough to cover more than half of what we dropped in the Bryce Canyon Lodge gift shop. But I am ahead of myself once again.

There is an 18 mile drive from the park entrance to the far end of the canyon. As recommended in the literature that we received at check in, we decided to drive to the far end and then work our way back, stopping at the various observation points along the way. We proceeded to the end point, where there are a large parking lot, sanitary facilities and several observation points.

We were awestruck by the beauty of the canyon. From the 9,100 foot elevation of this terminal viewing location, you can see more than 80 miles to the horizon. I think, though, that the highlight of this stop was not so much the beauty of the natural surroundings, but rather the people that we met there.

As we were viewing the sights, I overheard a gent telling another fellow about two cannibals who were having dinner. As they enjoyed their meal, one of them said to the other, "You know, I don't like your mother-in-law." His friend replied, "Well then, just eat the noodles." Of course, I couldn't stop myself from sharing the story about the two cannibals who were eating a clown, when one of them said, "Does this taste funny to you?"

That started a wonderful conversation. Dottie and Jill connected on a number of levels, and John and I swapped awful stories and puns for about 45 minutes. John and Dottie are visiting Utah from Blooming Glen, Pennsylvania. They are Mennonites, and we enjoyed comparing notes with them on the things that God is doing in our lives.

At last, we had to part with our new friends. As we made our way back to the front gate of the park, we stopped at several viewpoints, and of course, we took many photos. The canyon is really breathtaking, and yet we found that eventually, all of our pictures were beginning to look the same. So, we headed for the last stop along the route, which is the Bryce Canyon Lodge.

The lodge was built in 1923 by the Union Pacific Railroad and became a destination point for Union Pacific passengers. It is a beautiful building in a gorgeous setting. The influx of visitors that Union Pacific provided eventually led to the area becoming a national park. And the rest, as they say, is history.

We returned from the canyon tired but happy. Jill mixed up a batch of G&Ts and I sat down to blog. I hope you enjoy the slide show attached to the photo above.