Grand Finale - Bryce and Zion

The final Road Trip is finished. I'm now done with the Road Trip after taking an awesome 5 day, 4 night adventure with TP, Mr.T and Beana as well as the Treason dogs Scully and Bronson. We all piled into an RV (Clyde), relegated Pre to a tow dolly, and headed North to Utah to experience both Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. What a grand finale to Road Trip 07!


We borrowed the RV from TP's boss and picked it up on Tuesday. It was a 36 foot long Land Yacht behemoth, and TP quickly took to loading it with a quantity of food that could easily have fed a small country (perhaps 90 percent was brought back with us). And on Wednesday morning, we attached Pre to the rear, and embarked on a scenic 9 hour trek from Phoenix through the desert, past the Grand Canyon, across the Lake Powell dam and on to Utah and a KOA just outside of Bryce Canyon NP.


Along the Road Trip, I had frequently passed by KOA's, without ever taking advantage of them. These are (k)campgrounds that are somewhat standardized - the Walmart of camping. My mistake, because the ease of use, stocked camp store, washer and dryer, and clean bathrooms and showers were quite impressive and would have made for some easy camping.


Of course having an RV to live out of also makes for easy camping. With stocked refrigerator, freezer and cupboards, combined with the KOA facilities, it was like being at home. I can now see how the RV "full timers" can live for years on the road. Just pull in, hook up to the water, electric and sewage, expand the slideouts, perhaps set up your satellite dish, and spend a few weeks at a stunning location with all the comforts. Outside of gas (and of course the RV purchase), it's a pretty cheap and interesting lifestyle. (Here's a link to one of many sites about Full Timers.)

We arrived after dark at the KOA and performed the basics of setting up our campground. Mr.T steadied the RV, I started a fire, and TP and Beana tended to the dogs, unpacked, set up chairs, etc. We then sat around the campfire snacking for dinner, cooking smores for dessert, and drinking the rest of the night away. It was a relief after such a long drive to be settled in and ready for the next few days. (BTW, thanks to Mr.T for doing 100% of the driving.)

The next morning, with TP tending to the pups and Mr.T actually working!, Beana and I headed into Bryce for our first look and a stunning and strenuous 5 mile hike. The first look is literally breathtaking. At Sunset Point we looked out over the Amphitheater, which contains some of the most striking Hoodoos (strange spires and pilings of limestone shaped by wind and water). Sunset Point was also the start of the combined Navajo and Peekaboo trails we had chosen for the day.


The hike started out with a series of steep downhill switchbacks that led straight down to Wall Street, a half mile long slot canyon with steep walls on each side towering straight up. This beginning was just a first glimpse of the many stunning sights along our hike.


The combined Navajo Loop and Peekaboo Loop trails formed a meandering figure-eight through the Cathedral. It was a series of treks up and down ridges of hoodoos. Because of the vast depth and diversity, coupled with the dramatic elevation changes, every few dozen paces provided new and exciting vistas and I couldn't keep my camera in my pocket. I took 130 pictures during the nearly 4 hour hike, more than at any other complete day. (Check more of them out in the photos section, some are pretty awesome.)


Many thanks to Beana, without whom I would not have pushed through the long, strenuous and wondrous hike of Bryce Canyon. It was unforgettable and "bad ass". If you visit Bryce, it is magical to look at, but to fully be appreciated, you need to hike down into the hoodoos.


Returning to the KOA, we found it inundated by about a hundred cyclists who were on a week long trip through southern Utah and its parks. TP had already befriended all of them and we spent hours listening to their travels and stories before firing up the grill for burgers and dogs. As has been standard when camping, nearly everyone else at the campsite was asleep shortly after sundown. I'm not sure why there isn't as much appreciation for the night sky. This remote part of Utah provides some of the clearest skies with the Milky Way easily visible and passing satellites can be spied if you are looking in the right direction.

The next day, with TP still tending to Scully and Bronson, and Mr.T finishing up his work week, Beana and I took the advice of a fellow RVer and headed to the slot canyon that is part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (a part of Bryce makes up the top step of the Staircase). After 6 miles on a dirt road, we stopped at a secluded creek and proceeded to follow it out and back more than 2 miles as it wound through a long series of slot canyons that it created.



We walked right along the creek bottom, stepping over or into it as we wound through the canyons. At first, the canyons were no more than 8 feet or so, but as we went downhill with the stream the narrow canyon towered up probably more than 100 feet. The walls were washed smooth, and prodded out with bulbous noses and chins. With very few others in the canyon, it was a beautiful and peaceful trek. Scully and Bronson would have loved it, and had we known what awaited us, we would have dragged them and TP along.


Returning to camp, it was time to pack up and make the move into Bryce Canyon's campsite. Beana and TP took Pre in to scout out a site, and Mr.T and I went to drop the tow dolly off at the local U-haul. We reunited and set up at the Sunset campground, just outside of Sunset Point. So we went there to see the sunset. The prior night Mr.T and I had gone to see the shadows as dusk approaches, and this time, Beana and TP joined me for the beautiful display. It's an impressive display as the sun falls and the moon rises and the depth and beauty of the canyon is displayed as the shadows grow across the Amphitheater.

The night ended with clouds creeping in and a BBQ of salmon, shrimp and veggies. I wrapped the salmon in aluminum foil, but in a stick of butter, and placed it on the grill. Beana prepared the skewers of shrimp and veggies. Surprisingly, all turned out superb, though so much was cooked we could only finish half of it.

The next morning, we jumped into Pre for the 18 mile driving tour which presented stunning panoramic vistas along the rim of the canyon. We returned back to camp just before the rain started; the rain followed us all the way to Zion National Park.

While I liked Bryce Canyon the best, TP, Mr.T and Beana seemed to like Zion better. Zion was BIG. Huge rocky mountains, boulders of enormous size, provided an overwhelming and dramatic contrast to the intricacies of Bryce. The continuing rain kept hidden and misted some of the larger panoramas that were probably there, but this was made up for by the waterfalls and powerful rivers the downfall produced. At the entrance, the ranger was almost giddy at the dramatic changes water causes at the park and urged us to continue on.

Unfortunately, the rain coupled with my exhaustion, dissuaded me from venturing in for a hike. I regret that I did not see more. Mr.T and Beana caught the shuttle (the only way into a part of the park) and were able to do a little hike. They said it was great. On their way back, a part of the canyon collapsed and stopped traffic. Apparently, Mr.T and a half dozen other tourists hopped off the shuttle, cleared the road way, and Mr.T absconded a rock the canyon had spit out.

One night at Zion's camp (spent mostly in the RV due to rain), a long beautiful ride home and it was over. The best trip yet, I'd say.