Bryce Canyon, Day Two
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Bryce Canyon National Park,
Utah,
United States
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Up at at 'em at 5:30 a.m. I am going to Bryce Point and see the sunrise. It was worth the effort. I videotaped the sunrise at times as you could see the sun lighting up the rocks and hoo-doos an inch at a time. WOW!! This made the trip to Bryce worthwhile.
Our accommodations in Bryce N.P. were a rustic cabin. It was a great place to stay for a night. The mattresses were the worst in the world so one night was all our backs could stand. We had a fireplace and it was a log cabin. It was an older cabin and decorated as such, but it fit the park and the mood of the place.
When we viewed sunrise, it was 38 degrees. When we got back to the cabins and left around 11:00 a.m., it was almost 70. It never ceases to amaze us the difference in temps as we travel.
Our next stop is Torrey, Utah. This is a long day of driving and while the mountain elevations and scenery are spectacular, Joe is tired of driving/riding/stopping for pictures and wants to be in Torrey. We leave Bryce and travel to Kodachrome Basin State Park. More views, more pictures!
We drive Scenic Hwy. 12 to get to Torrey. It's the most scenic road in the world...okay, at least in Utah. But because it's scenic, that also means lots of climbing to 9000 ft, going down 2001 feet and back up again. It's a slow drive. We pass through Escalante, Boulder and arrive in Torrey...tired, one of us was a bit crabby (and it wasn't me). We unload the car, I start the laundry and Joe heads to St. Anthony of the Desert Church for mass. That was just what he needed as he came back in a much better mood! LOL
Outside the general store (run by the same folks who run the hotel), Joe runs into a man from Grand Rapids he's know for years who is vacationing with his family. They were stopping at the Chuckwagon for groceries and gas. Small world, huh?
We finally have Internet here in Torrey, population 120, so we check out the five restaurants in town for recommendations on Trip Advisor. We decide on Brink's Burgers and Dora sets our path. We follow Dora's directions but end up in a different town 8 miles down the road at the Sunrise Diner! Beats me what happened! I think Dora (the GPS) was as tired as we were. We ask at the Sunrise Diner if they've ever been named Brink's Burgers as Dora insists she is right on the money. Our waitress says no, Brink's is back in Torrey. Sure enough, as we drive back to town, we see Brink's about 2 blocks from our hotel! Oh well, it was a fun adventure.
Back to Austin's Chuckwagon Lodge where we are staying for an evening in the pool, some Internet time and some rest...
Oh, yeah, one other fun thing in Torrey is the traffic enforcement unit of the Wayne County Sheriff's Department. As we entered town, the speed drops dramatically to 35 m.p.h. and, according to the sign, it is strictly enforced. Sure enough, we see a Sheriff's cruiser alongside the road running radar...or is he? We check it out further and stop by the cruiser to say hi. We meet Parker Bogus Doolittle, Deputy Sheriff. Parker is a dummy dressed in a Sheriff's uniform who is a decoy. He's really quite ugly but is said to resemble the past sheriff.
Parker has a legal pad at his side, his uniform shirt is laced through the steering wheel and he's wearing a badge, name tag and hat...he's too funny! Right down the road is another deputy in a full-sized pickup truck who IS running radar. I guess when you have this much territory to patrol, you will resort to any means to keep the travelers' speeds down! LOL LOL
