Woke up feeling incredibly stoked for the day ahead, must have gotten good sleep, because I was up and ready to go even before my first alarm went off. It helps having neat things to look forward to!
In any case, I spent the better part of the morning, and some of the afternoon, exploring Bryce Canyon. I know this might be sacrilege to even suggest, but personally, I found it way cooler than the Grand Canyon. Not that the Grand isn’t spectacular, but Bryce was unlike anything I’ve ever seen! If I’d seen it in a movie set on an alien planet, I might have commented “Oh come on, that’s hardly realistic.”
Wall Street in particular was incredible, but seriously, I had to repeatedly go and collect my socks after having them blown off my feet so many times (people still use that phrase right? Or do I just sound insane? I worry about these things). There’s a trail that leads right down into the canyon, and I’d love to come back someday to hike the entire thing.
I really can’t get over how otherworldly it all looked. definitely the most visually striking of the parks I’ve been to so far.
It’s very tempting to fill this post with nothing but the dozens of pictures I took, but, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, the best was still to come.
After looking at the map and doing a little reading, I decided to take Scenic Byway 12 to get to Moab. Or, as the plaque at the beginning called it, “The All American Road.” I guess it’s been declared something of a national monument itself. It’s been a famous horse trail for ages it sounds like, but only recently got paved back in 1985.
It winds 120 miles through an incredibly diverse landscape. The beginning winds you through these incredible sandstone tunnels and arches, before climbing into gorgeous hills and mountains, running along the spine of one of the tallest, before plunging down into an amazing forest. It even passes through Capitol Reef!
One of the best drives I’ve ever taken in my life. The only downside… is that it took over four hours, plus the three not on this beautiful stretch. I can’t really complain, but with the time I spent in Bryce, I was really running out of daylight by the time I pulled into Moab. Still, can’t really complain, such a lovely surprise.
Definitely want to space out the driving a bit more than I did this day. The driving itself wasn’t so bad, but I wished I had more time to stop and look. Part of the reason I’m taking this trip is to have an idea about where I’d like to go on future vacations, and camping along the 12 is definitely near the top now.
That’s all for now! I’m falling behind again, but what can you do? I’m actually in Colorado as I write this! Stay tuned to find out how that went!
Where’s George? 