Bryce is Nice

OK, the title is corny but what else could I come up with at 1am.

Waking up at the OHV parking lot was courtesy of some giant horse trailer (and when I say giant I mean a semi with about 50 horses) that was apparently there to prep for a group of tourists that would arrive later. That was about 6am. Not normally an issue when on the trail, but when you've arrived in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, getting to sleep is not always easy. Not to mention getting up in the chilly desert night for a bathroom break. Luckily, they were noisy but not right next to me so although I could hear them I didn't see them for another 2 hours.

After a leisurely breakfast, it was off to find Bryce Canyon. Apparently my midnight parking instincts are good and I found the entrance the Bryce about 10 miles up the road. Once again, a great mini-movie gave an overview of the National Park. Not as commercial as Zion, probably because it's further into the boonies. As with many National Parks, although there are probably many thousands of people there at any one time, it was so large I really didn't come across more than a few people at a time.

The hoodoos, spires, slot canyons and general magnitude of Southern Utah's vistas make the place well worth the drive. The best part is that unlike Zion, you hike "down" instead of up. Of course at some point there's probably an up to get back to your car but it just doesn't seem as bad when you leave going down hill. After a couple of different hikes through the valleys I found a shower at the general store and relaxed for a quick bite of lunch.

Looking at the map, I wanted to take some backroads to Grand Staircase so decided to leave Bryce around 2pm to give myself enough time. Great ideas lead to interesting results, and on to Grosvenor Arch...