Bryce Canyon

I have found the perfect travel companion, my son Jared. While R was off backpacking w/the Priests in the Escalante area, just down the road from Bryce, over UEA weekend, J and I went to Bryce Canyon. He mentioned a few weeks ago that he had a report to do on this national park, so I decided that we should go. We haven't been there since he was too little to remember. We did not camp (I'm so past that when possible, plus Bryce is at a high elevation and it gets very cold this time of the year, mid teens the nights we were there), so we stayed at Ruby's Inn immediately outside the park. We arrived Thursday early afternoon and spent the rest of the day starting at the far end and working our way back, stopping at each lookout and taking the shorter hikes located in this area.

This is at the far end of the park at an elevation over 9000 feet. We hiked up to the top

lookout.

Jared was so excited wherever he looked, appropriately ooing and aahing. He took lots of pictures.

Here's one of the side canyons the second day in the park (Friday). Although it's a bit hard to see, there are two natural bridges in this photo. I had thrown in some old hiking boots into the trunk of the car, had forgotten that they were not the most comfortable the last time I worn them, anyway had left my regular shoes in the hotel room and had walked out in my socks, changing once in the park into hiking socks and the boots. The boots felt tight at the get-go (should have then gone back to the hotel, but figured that I'd be okay. Anyway, I have to remember that 20 years, lots of extra weight makes for a foot size change and I was definitely feeling it by the time we got to the canyon floor during a 3-1/2-mile hike. I stopped and added two Band-Aids to the heels, but still had a slow climb out, as with every step I could feel the blisters. J was soooo patient. He could not have been better. He took my hand and walked w/me. I had to stop lots, not only because of the ascent but especially because of the quarter-size blisters. Ouch.

Jared decided that he didn't like the canyon floor, as it seemed more like a forest and he gets plenty of that w/Scout camps. He liked being in the midst of the formations the most.

I made him go w/me to the dinner/show Friday night. He groaned, but he survived. This was a really good show, professional group called the Bar G Wranglers. They had plenty of variety and lots of funny bits, so I would highly recommend it.