Jodi, coming at ya!
From the red rock and arches in Moab, we set off to the Orange rocks and unique formations of Bryce Canyon. Our extended stay in Moab, due to the unexpected cold weather at our next destination, caused us to lose one of our two days planned in Bryce. Katie and Mary were thinking about just skipping the stop since we only had one day there, but I wasn’t going to miss out on the remarkably different landscape I’d seen in my research beforehand. We decided to go for it, and it certainly was an adventure.
Arriving at Bryce we stopped at the visitor center and spent some time learning about the terrain we were about to encounter. We learned about the “Hoodoos,” the interesting structures scattered throughout the majority of the canyon. If you’ve never been to Bryce I bet your wondering, “what the heck is a Hoodoo?” Well, the people of the Kaibab Reservation’s legend of the hoodoos is, before people, there were legend people who were animals that disguised themselves as people. They were bad, so the coyote turned them into stone. You can see the legend people covering the landscape, all different sizes, some standing or holding onto each other and some sitting. Most canyon’s are formed from running water, but the unique thing about Bryce Canyon is that most of the formations are the result of repeated thawing and freezing of water in the rock. . There are other hoodoos in the world, but there is no place with as many as Bryce Canyon.
Find out more at https://www.nps.gov/brca/learn/nature/hoodoos.htm
After our geology lesson we set off to find a campsite (this was one of the only places we didn’t book our campsite ahead of time) at North Campground. This ended up being one of our favorite campsites throughout the trip, the tall pines surrounding our site made us feel at home, and this was the first place that allowed fires on our trip thus far. (Thank god for that because it was FREEZING). Before settling in we decided to go on a little hike. Opening the REI National Parks App and looking under the featured hikes in Bryce we settled on the 3 mile Queens Garden Navajo Loop Trail. Starting at Sunset Point we weaved through the crowded area at the top of the trail, passing Thor’s Hammer, an especially tall hoodoo with a hammer like top, the pack of people thinned out substantially the further we went. We descended down the canyon with rock walls closing us in on either side, continuing down the walls opened up to the astonishing sea of hoodoos. Along the trail, there is a small detour to see the Queen Victoria rock formation then continue back up the canyon to Sunrise point. At this point this is where the trail gets a little confusing. There are several signs for the trail that you’re taking, but they were pointing in different directions. Finally we figured out that there was a small lookout you could go to that was technically part of the trail, and that’s why it pointed you that way. The nice part about Bryce though is that the park is so small that from most points on the main trails you can look up and see your starting point. Then we took the rim trail back to Sunset point. The Map suggested to go the opposite way, starting at Sunrise and going to Sunset point and cutting back across the rim to sunrise, but the way went was just fine too.
Side-note, talk about confusing names for two different points, sunset and sunrise point, good they not think of anything a little easier to differentiate between? We couldn’t remember which one we started at once we got going.
Thor’s Hammer
Upon getting back to our campsite we cooked up some good ‘ol hot dogs and beans over the fire. While the air cooled down and we started to feel the familiar bitter cold air we’re used to in Michigan. Now, you think we would be used to the cold because of where we are from, but for some reason, we did not prepare for this temperature in Utah. After dinner, we put on as many warm layers as possible and crawled into our sleeping bags. This is where I really lucked out, from the start of our trip we each claimed our spots in the tent and I got stuck with being in the middle. Tonight this middle spot was a blessing, I’m not sure if my sleeping bag was warmer, or it was from the bodies on either side of me sending off heat, probably a little of both, but I slept like a baby. Katie and Mary, however, did not. When Katie woke up the next morning she said she woke up several times just wishing it was over, the moisture from breathing froze to her face and she was super uncomfortable. Mary also said that she tossed and turned all through the night, and didn’t sleep well. So if you’re going to visit Bryce Canyon be prepared because it gets chilly.
The next morning, still bundled up, we took down the tent and packed up the car. It was my turn to drive (this didn’t happen often, as Katie basically drove the entire way) and I pulled out of the site and started to make my way around the loop out of the campground. Katie looks at me in a slight panic, “I can’t find my phone” she says with big eyes. I told her it probably fell out of her pocket and to just to look under her seat, but it wasn’t there. So before we even left the campground we went back to our site and I called her phone. We heard it buzzing really loud so we figured it was on the floor in the trunk. We completely unloaded the back of the Subaru and could hear it, but still couldn’t find it. All of a sudden Katie looked up towards the roof of the car laughing. She shut the back hatch, climbed up on the bumper to look on the roof and there we see her phone sticking straight up out of the crack where the hatch shuts. By some miracle, I drove around the loop with her phone on the roof and it survived being shut in the back hatch. When she was loading the topper she set her phone up there and forgot about it. Another tip- don’t do that.
After that little adventure, we went to the camp store, where Mary and I got donuts and a coffee and Katie probably got yogurt (she loves yogurt). We decided there was no better place to have your morning coffee than Inspiration Point which was just a quick drive up the road. Looking at the vast array of hoodoos covering the terrain we sipped our coffee and devoured our breakfast in amazement. After getting our fill of inspiration for the morning we headed off to our next stop on our adventure.
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