Day 23: Bryce Canyon City, UT

Day 23

June 8, 2015


Miles: 23 to Bryce, 18 more exploring the canyon

Hatch to Bryce Canyon

Di woke me at 7am and my immediate response was resentment.  I had been sleeping since 8pm the night before and we usually get up around 6:30am, so I had no business being resentful that Di let me sleep even later than usual.  But my body wasn't ready to get up so I couldn't control how I felt.  I felt better when Di said we could walk across the street and get some coffee and breakfast.

My coffee cup is already empty

The restaurant was pretty retro and had pictures of stars from the fifties hanging on the wall.  The food was good and the coffee kept coming, so Di and I really enjoyed the place, but as we were the only ones there we must be in the minority in thinking that way.

Di has the restaurant to herself

The first part of today's ride was easy; it was eight miles of downhill riding with a pretty stream on our right and the mountains in the distance.

Mountains and stream and road

Di flowing downhill like the stream

We had only ridden eight miles and were still full from breakfast, but we couldn't resist the greatest marketing ploy ever invented:

Who can resist free coffee?

We got some free coffee (then some more, of course) and Di did a little shopping.  The owner of the store told us of a bike path just a few miles up the road that would parallel Route 12 and allow us to get away from the large RVs heading up to Bryce Canyon.  We had seen the bike path on the map but we had forgotten all about it.  Thank goodness we were reminded of it because it was a little tricky to find.  The owner said to look for it once we reached Red Canyon.

Di on Rt 12 (an American Road!)

We've reached Red Canyon

Di is happy to have found the bike path

 We love riding on bike paths and this one was no different.  It was over nine miles long and we saw only one other biker on the path.  Most importantly, it was comforting not to have to hear the sound of a large engine coming up from behind.

Bike path through Red Canyon

Cars go through a tunnel (not cyclists, we have a path)

Di has the path (and bridge) to herself

We weren't ever too far from Rt. 12

In order to get to Bryce Canyon City, we had to ride 1.5 miles off our route.  Then, from Bryce Canyon City to the Bryce Canyon Park entrance was another 3 miles.  Then, once you were in the park, there was a whole lot of riding in around to see stuff.  The thought of this made Di want to each lunch.

Lunch (grilled chicken) at some burger place 

After lunch we went looking for lodging.  All the hotels were booked, but one place had one cabin still vacant.  It has no heat or TV, but it has a bed with no blankets and electric lights, so Di snapped it up.

Di at home at the cabin

With lodging secured, we could start exploring Bryce.  To make it easier, we took all the bags off our bikes and stored them in the cabin.  We rode to the park entrance and bought our tickets ($12 for bicyclists, as opposed to $25 for cars - I don't know what logic was used to decide one bicyclists is equal to half the cost of an enormous SUV stuffed with five people and a dog, but I'll save that rant for another post) and then rode 6 miles to Swamp Canyon.  The ride to the park entrance was all uphill, as was the ride to Swamp Canyon, but it was worth it.

Swamp Canyon has no discernible swamp

Di providing much needed prettifying of Swamp Canyon

From Swamp Canyon we rode back downhill a bit and then back up hill to Paria View.  I don't know why folks thought so badly of this view as to label it pyrrhic because it looked pretty nice to me.

Paria View is definitely not pyrrhic

From Paria View we rode downhill a bit and then uphill to Sunset Point.  It was a little past 7pm at this point and the sun was going down, so I assume this is the right time to be at Sunset Point.

Sun setting on Sunset Point

Those tall spires you see in the canyon are called Hoodoos.  I know this because Di casually asked me, "Don't you think those hoodoos are pretty?"  "What's a hoodoo?", I replied.  It felt like a joke was coming. (This morning a saw a mattadear.  What's a mattadear?  Nothing honey, how are you?)  Di explained what a hoodoo was and proceeded to find every excuse to use the word hoodoo.  ("Look how the sun is shining on that hoodoo over there!"  "That's a really tall hoodoo!"  "I like hoodoos!")

Look at all them hoodoos!

I walked a path that brings you down into the canyon.  Unlike the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon lets you get close to it.  You get the feeling you are part of the canyon instead of seeing it from afar.

Walking down into Bryce Canyon

Folks walking the switchbacks of the trail

I walked back up the trail and the sun had gone down a bit more and it made the canyon look different.

Even more sun setting at Sunset Point

Di joined me on the path and I got one last picture of the canyon.

Di living on the edge (as usual)

It was getting late so we left the canyon to make sure we were back in Bryce Canyon City before dark.  It was all downhill from Sunset View back to city, so we had a lot of fun riding about 5 miles with virtually no pedaling.  It was so much fun riding our bikes without the bags that Di and I started thinking really hard of how to lighten our load.  The best idea we have yet is to every day FedEx our stuff to the next town so it is waiting for us when we arrive.  We're not sure how practical this is, but it sure sounded great when we were talking about it.

Di says we should end each blog with an indication of where we are going tomorrow.  I don't know where we are going tomorrow and Di is already sleeping, so this blog entry will have to end with a cliff hanger.