|
I got up Tuesday morning to find that it hadn't rained and we
were still alive, 20 feet from the cliff. It was definitely warmer
than Monday morning, and we got up and started to break camp for
a relatively early start. A solo camper walked by our campsite
as we were getting ready. She had camped up toward Cable Mountain
(she hadn't made it all the way), and was headed back down. So
we hadn't been the only ones up there.
Our camp in the morning. That open area behind Weihaw is a cliff!
At 9:30am we were off, heading back down the East Rim Trail.
Ben picked us up and we drove to the end of the road and did the
gentle Riverside Walk.
After doing the walk, we drove into Springdale where we stopped
at the Bumbleberry Inn for some pie, hoping the employees wouldn't
mind our stench too much (two days of hiking in 90-degree weather
without showers...well, you can only imagine...).
The south entrance to Zion National Park, as seen from the inside.
From there we made the 2-hour drive to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Along the way we passed through the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel. It
has some unique windows which give nice views of the surrounding
area.
A window into the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel. (this is not the tunnel
itself)
I'd of course seen pictures of Bryce, so as we drove into the
Bryce Canyon Lodge I was perplexed. The lodge is situated in a
forest on the plateau above the Bryce Amphitheater, and gives
no hint of what's below. So after taking a shower, I made the
200 foot walk over to the edge and marveled at the view.
After dinner at the lodge, I went on the briefest stargazing trip
I've ever done. I walked out toward the edge with my flashlight.
But as soon as I got within 10 feet, I decided I didn't want to
be walking so close to oblivion in the middle of the night, with
no lights around. Turning my head up at the sky wasn't a great
feeling, either, even if the sky was perfectly clear and the stars
were amazing. I quickly turned back and went inside our cabin.
If you get a choice, go for the Great Western Cabin instead of
the motel room. The water pressure of the showers leaves a little
to be desired, but it's comfortable and has ambience whereas the
motel room could be any motel room in America.
| 
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter
RSS Feed
