Day 10 (Bryce Canyon)

Here are some pics from our trip to Bryce Canyon (copy and paste the link). Enjoy...

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Day 10 (June 19) got off to a great start! Because Father’s Day is tomorrow and we plan on driving to the Grand Canyon in the morning, Julie whipped up a special “early Father’s Day” breakfast for me. We all devoured the pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs that she fixed, and then made ready for our trip into Bryce Canyon. As we were preparing to unhook and leave the campsite, we decided we needed to tell the boys about the surprise for the day, as they were not privy to our plans for a horseback ride into the canyon. When told, they both got very excited (I think because they weren’t the ones that were going to be doing all the walking today). We drove up to the park and caught the shuttle to the Bryce Canyon Lodge (one of the oldest original lodges in the Union Pacific Loop Tour which includes Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyons and the Cedar Breaks) where we registered and then ate a brown bag lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a banana. After our quick lunch, we hustled down to the corral to get the tour going. We each were paired up with an animal according to our riding “ability”. Since Julie had quite a bit more experience than the rest of us, she got to ride a horse named “Sassy”—very appropriate name—while the boys and I got saddled on mules: Bryce on “Blue Jay”, Collin on “Chubby”, and I on “Goose”. After the obligatory safety briefing and remedial instructions, we were on our way, led by our guide, Cache (pronounced ‘Cash’). The ride into the canyon was absolutely breath-taking. Much like the Badlands, Bryce Canyon is a place you really have to experience to get caught up in its splendor. The views at certain points along the trail provide in excess of 100-mile visibility on a clear day (as was today). However, the anomalies known as “hoodoos”, which Native Americans called “stone man” as they thought that upon entering this canyon, the land would cast a spell on man and he would forever be turned to stone, are the main attraction here. Each hoodoo takes on its own “personality”, such as “the old lady playing an organ”, “Mrs. Doubtfire”, and “last kiss”, just to name a few—using your imagination, there are literally thousands of images that can be observed in the canyon. All of the pictures were taken on horseback, so they may be a little tilted (thank goodness our camera is equipped with a hand steadying feature!). Collin’s mule was a little stubborn at first, so Cache gave him a whip to get ole Chubby going. Julie’s horse, Sassy, loved to prance when the mood hit her, Bryce’s mule, Blue Jay, was quite the flatulent beast, and my mule, Goose, loved to stick his nose near the rear-end of the closest female equine—I imagine that’s how he got his moniker. Regardless, we made the 8-mile loop in about 3 ½ hours and had a wonderful time. I’m quite certain we’ll all be a little saddle-sore for a few days given the way we were walking after the ride! Afterwards, we took the shuttle to Bryce Point to have a view from the rim of the canyon, then headed to Mossy Cave for a quick look at the cave and a nearby waterfall. Following that short excursion, we headed back to the Cannonville KOA for the night where we feasted on hamburgers, pasta salad, and baked beans. Immediately after dinner, we all hit the showers to wash off the dust from the ride, played a quick game of Texas Hold ‘Em, and called it a night in anticipation of our short 5-hour ride to the Grand Canyon on Sunday…