Sunday, July 10th.
Who could resist? Not me! I was initially annoyed with myself for booking Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon four days apart when they are in the same area, but having to fill a hole in the trip for a couple of days with the likes of Zion and Bryce, what’s to complain about? It was quite cool and cloudy when I woke up, so I had a lazy morning. I went across the highway to last night’s restaurant for breakfast. I actually put a sweater on under my jacket for the ride. I finally took off at 10. It was a half hour drive to get there. Just before you get to Bryce the road cuts through a large rock to make a grand entrance into Red Canyon State Park which is also very beautiful. I arrived at the visitor’s centre at about 10:30 and had time to look around and watch a movie about the history of the park. It’s named after a Mormon who settled here and promoted it as a site to see. The park is not a drive through, you have to return the way you went in. So I rode to the last viewpoint and then made my way back to the centre via all the viewpoints. It is stunning to say the least. Unfortunately the sun wasn’t very cooperative today and the sky is whitish, but still it’s beautiful. It’s cooler here because it’s about 5000 ft higher than Kanab. It also sprinkled just a bit a couple of times. I finally saw some birds too. The one raven groomed the other for about ten minutes, really interesting to watch. Then I retraced my route through Red Canyon State Park. I decided to also visit Cedar Breaks, as it’s not far away and I remember it as being a smaller, but still very impressive version of Bryce. The road from Bryce is a great bike road and it leads to another that exits Cedar Breaks which I took back to Kanab where I booked a room in a Quality Inn. I could feel the heat building again as I descended back to the valley floor. I immediately headed for the outdoor pool to cool off. I went to a Mexican restaurant and then retired to my room. 315 kms today.
Hi Joe,
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying my own virtual revisit to these national parks through your blog and your photos. As a kid, my family did a lengthy camping/road trip in this same area. I'd totally forgotten Cedar Breaks. I have to say that Bryce, with its rich colours, is my favourite of these. Finally, some "wildlife" pics! Great way to start the day, reading the next chapter of your adventure commentary.