This will be the last of my posts on our trip to Bryce (although I may or may not include some more pictures in tomorrow’s Tell-All. We shall see.)
Day Two:
No matter how I sit or lie down, my skin burns and itches; the most comfortable position is generally on my back (since at least that’s not sunburned), but my arms are fried all the way around and seem to hurt no matter what.
Today, I am beyond grateful we nixed the idea of camping and decided to go for the “high luxury” of the cheapest available hotel.
Since the frugal part of me feels guilty about paying the $25 admission fee to Bryce Canyon and not going to visit it at all today, Matt and I have worked out a plan: since the sunscreen is beyond expensive, we are going to just drive from one viewpoint to another, scuttle from the car to the shade as fast as possible, and avoid the sun as much as we can. We’re also going to check out the Visitor’s Center a little more (including the short 20-minute film they have about the history of the canyon) and go back to Clark’s again for lunch, since we were so impressed by it after last night’s dinner.
Even though we’re not going to get in all the hiking we wanted to do, I’m still glad we decided to come back to the park today and brave the sun because no matter which angle we’re looking from, this place is breathtaking.
A part of me maybe feels a little guilty for spending so much time in the hotel, rubbing aloe vera all over our sunburns and watching episode after episode of Auction Kings and Storage Wars, but this has still been the perfect blend of sightseeing and relaxation that a vacation should be.
Day Three:
We want to get back to Logan tonight by about 6, so we know we have to get out of here pretty early to make it back by then. We decided to outsmart the sun though and get up early to go catch a little of the Navajo Loop trail that we were eying the other day. (Besides, we knew we had to get back into the canyon to take some of our favorite little smooching pics! I don’t know what it is, but it’s like I’ve made a secret goal to take pictures of us kissing all around the world. So in case anybody was worried that our newlywed-ness had rubbed off, here’s proof so that y’all can know that we’re still crazy in love over here!)
Even though part of the Navajo Loop trail is blocked off (so that we really can’t loop around at all), we’re glad we decided to make this last-minute stop into the park. The trail descends right into the midst of a lush microclimate of greenery and trickling water, a fact we were apprised of in the movie we saw yesterday. We keep looking around, eagerly anticipating some wildlife, but all we see is a tiny chipmunk and a bird or two. Not even the bugs appear to have come out of hibernation yet.
Our hike only lasts about 45 minutes, and then we’re back in the car, going through the drive-through at Arby’s as our last checkpoint before we make the almost-six hour drive home.
As we drive out of Bryce, I take one last look through the rearview mirror as the trees close behind us and a group of three mule deer eat at the side of the road. I raise a prayer to heaven that, once again, my soul has been filled by managing to “get away” from it all and enjoy the best of creation.
Until next time, Bryce!
