Bryce Canyon | Ruby's Inn RV Park
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah - This has
been a fabulous day - the scenery today has possibly been the best of the
trip! We have seen mountain and meadow, rock and river, green and gray,
flora and fauna. We left Torrey, Utah on Highway 12 towards
Bryce Canyon National Park.
To arrive at our destination we traveled through the Dixie National Forest
and The Grand
Staircase Escalante National Monument. Our day started sadly as we came
across a dead doe by the side of the road, with her fawn struggling to
survive. So sad. The rangers will do what they do. Highway 12 goes over
mountains - and for the first time in weeks, we traveled through Quake Aspen
and Pine forests - actual lumber - not scrub pinyons. We also drove through
huge meadows and saw a marmot! The meadows were filled with beautiful wild
flowers. We traveled up near 9,500 feet and then began a descent into
Escalante. We also came across a cattle drive - a real, honest-to-goodness
cattle drive. A man and his daughter were driving a herd of cows and their
newly-branded calves up to the high country.
Utah cattle drive
Escalante National Monument
After we went through Boulder, Utah we entered Escalante
National Monument and drove along an incredible 40-mile-long road called The
Hogsback, 4 miles of it along the top of a narrow ridge with canyons
plunging to either side. It is sometimes called the "Million Dollar Road to
Boulder" - built by the CCC in 1940. Road kill was being devoured by Turkey
Vultures along The Hogsback.
We entered Bryce Canyon and found a campsite, then headed into the park. We
are staying at a very interesting place - Ruby's Inn - a "resort" with a
lodge, campground, tours, groceries, shops, a rodeo, cowboy BBQ, several
pools and hot tubs... well, pretty much everything and it is very nice. The
sights are amazing in Bryce. I will show you a few photos of our drive this
afternoon.
Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon
We stopped at most of the look-outs in the Amphitheater area
and looked for the best hike tomorrow. We ran into hikers we had previously
met in Arches National Park - two boys who have just graduated from Wake
Forest and are on a big trip through the US. The weather is so nice here -
only in the 80's. It is so refreshing compared with the weather we have been
having just a few miles east. We went to the highest point of the park,
Rainbow Overlook, at 9,100 feet.
Tonight we stayed home and I cooked a nice dinner - salmon, rice and salad
and then I baked a crostata - from this month's Bon Appétit
Magazine. I used nectarines and raspberries in a lovely pastry crust. It was
very, very good and we shared with our neighbors - they had repaired the gas
fire-up valve on our fridge.
My brother, Steve, called. "How much room do you have in your freezer at
home?" Mom caught two huge halibut in Alaska and they are shipping it (and a
lot of salmon) to Steve and he is looking for freezer space.
Rainbow Overlook
Natural Bridge (which actually is an arch)
RV Park:
Ruby's Inn
RV Park & Campground