A very nice and relaxing three hour drive this morning out of Capitol Reef and down to Bryce Canyon.
I got to the Park around 11:30AM...and I was in luck...there were campsites available. Within a half hour of arrival, I was in a nice pull-through site. I took an hour or so to set up camp and have lunch before heading off to the "General Store" for my new favorite of life's luxuries...a hot shower ($2.00 for 8 minutes...I splurged on $4.00 for 16 minutes).
Now clean, fed and settled in to camp, I set off for a few hours to take a look around the Park. Right away, you can see what makes Bryce Canyon different from all of the other Parks in Utah. First, the colors here are very vivid...much more so that the other Parks...reds are "redder", oranges more orange", yellows "yellower". And, because it's a canyon (actually, it's a series of "amphitheaters" rather than a true canyon). the interplay of light and shadows off of the rock formations is remarkable.
Back at camp, it was time for a well-deserved cocktail before grilling up a batch of Tandoori chicken for dinner...a good day.
Friday, I was up before dawn to get some photos with the rising sun. Back at camp, I brewed coffee and cooked myself a big breakfast of bacon and eggs. At the suggestion of my guidebook, I drove all the way to the far end of the Park and worked my way back...stopping all along the way for photos. By the time that I completed this tour, it was already 4:30PM..."cocktail hour"!! A shaken Margarita (or two) preceded a dinner of grilled Buffalo strip steak, grilled fingerling potatoes, and a bottle of 2006 Muga Rioja Reserva.
Thereafter, I slept like a baby.
I have discovered the likely cause of my "good fortune" in getting a campsite. They are rebuilding the restrooms in my "loop" (B), so I have a 12-15 minute walk to use the restrooms in loop A.
Saturday was devoted to the less glamorous side of camping as certain "chores" must be performed periodically. So...I drove the 23 miles or so to the nearest town, Panquit, and did my laundry, picked up groceries, fueled up, and tracked down the Utah State Liquor Store to buy a full case of "real" beer. On the way back, I stopped at the Bryce Canyon Diner for a cup of soup, a turkey BLT and a great piece of coconut cream pie.
In no small part the result of tonight's "Tsunami of suds", I was asleep by 9:30PM.
Lots of rain lately...doesn't last long, but two nights at Capitol Reef and two nights here at Bryce.
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