Hoodoo You Love
Trip Start
May 09, 2009
1
14
22
Trip End
May 29, 2009
Bryce Canyon National Park,
Utah,
United States
Thursday, May 21, 2009
We rose early planning to grab a quick breakfast at Ruby's before heading for Bryce. Ruby's is in Bryce Canyon City, a newly incorporated town that is basically Ruby's Inn. There is Ruby's Inn, Ruby's RV Park & Campground, Ruby's Lodge, Ruby's General Store, their buffet restaurant and fast food "diner", and across the street is a Western movie set boardwalk with more stores selling t-shirts and ice cream that probably also belong to Ruby. At least four tour buses were staging and the restaurant was full of French and German speaking tourists. Ruby's was attempting to seat large groups of six from the bus groups, so we consented to sharing a table with Bryce and Bryce, two young men from California on their way to Denver and eventually the east coast. We chatted about road trips, routes, and things to do along the way. After wolfing down our share of scrambled eggs and bacon from the steam table, we wished them luck and headed for the park. One of the Bryces was stuffing mushy bagels into any available pocket along with packets of cream cheese for the road.
We headed for the Fantasyland Trail at Bryce Canyon. The skies were overcast so we didn't get that bright sunrise light coloring the stone. Back down amongst the hoodoos the flora seemed somewhat familiar. Mixed among with the ponderosa, limber, and bristlecone pines were douglas firs. Mahonia flourished along the trail. We also encountered manzanita, a shrub-like version of the madrona trees of the Pacific Northwest. Wildflowers included columbines, phlox, penstemons, and primroses. Of course, there were still the unusual plants we came across: locoweed, brittle brush, buffalo berry, and the cactuses that were in bloom. We circled the Boat Mesa, passing by Sinking Ship Mesa, and climbed back up to the rim. After a breather at the lodge, we hiked back down the Rim Trail to the trailhead where the car was parked.
After the morning hike, we relaxed a bit: showered, ran some laundry, and took the car through a car wash (thereby ensuring rain).
Later that day we attended a presentation in the lodge led by Dark Ranger Kevin. His powerpoint presentation about astronomy and the importance of dark skies was a bit more polished and political than the one we attended at Natural Bridges, but was very entertaining. The clouds had moved in so Kevin was unable to pull out his telescope for a hands-on demonstration.
