Miles travelled: 6406 to 6547 (total of 141 miles / 227 kilometres)
Weather: Overcast & Cool (with a spectacular rain & hail storm)
Highlight of the day: Capitol Reef Bushwalk & Apple Pie
Although it didnt rain very much overnight it was delightfully overcast and cool this morning. Perfect bushwalking weather. At 8:00AM we parked at the end of the Grand Wash then walked 2 miles down the road to the Cohab Canyon trail. This connected to the Frying Pan trail which went over two ridges and then descended into the Grand Wash. Weather stayed cool until we started down the steep descent into the Grand Wash, a narrow canyon between steep cliffs. We enjoyed the walk immensely but were grateful for the cool weather. During the last stretch we sustained our enthusiasm by imagining how good the apple pie from Gifford House would be. Finished the walk at noon in 77 F/ 25 C heat – which is quite cool compared to previous days.
12:10 Apple pie! It was every bit as good as we had been told and imagined, which is pretty amazing when you consider the build-up this pie had. It was all we thought of in the later parts of the morning€˜s bushwalk. Afterwards we toured the visitors centre, old Mormon buildings and Fremont Indian petroglyphs. The Fruta school was built in 1896 but looks remarkably new.
1:24PM Leaving Capitol Reef.
4:00PM Driving in the mountains through aspens, pines and patches of snow. Temperature drops to 43 F/ 6 C and we are actually cold for the 1st time in US. YAY!!
Between these mountains and Bryce Canyon we drove along the section of highway that I was most apprehensive about. Erik had told us about the stretch of highway that goes along an escarpment with sheer drops on either side and suddenly there it was with only a 30 MPH warning sign. It was approximately 3 cars wide (ie. One lane each way with a half car width separating us from the plunge). I was pleasantly surprised to find that despite the wind gusts I could easily control the van and commented to Disa how easy this all was. Disa from the passenger side overlooking the sheer drop (800 feet/ 250 metres?) begged to differ. Anyway I didnt kill us. (The one week wedding anniversary is the dont-plunge-off-the-cliff-and-kill-us anniversary).
5:00 We arrive at Bryce Canyon in a very heavy rain and hail storm. The driver (we wont name him, but his initials are Scott Cragg) turns into a one way/no entry drive and is cheerfully escorted to a campsite by the friendliest campground hosts ever. This is really saying something as all campground hosts in US are wonderfully friendly. They are volunteers who work for 4 or 5 days as hosts then get paid in kind (ie. Having 4 or 5 days free accommodation in the park to have their own holiday). This system ensures campground hosts are brilliantly approachable, friendly people. Anyway these 2 took the cake. After escorting us to a perfectly acceptable camping spot they made a list of other, better vacant spots and directed us to them, all the time standing beside the van in the storm. They even said enthusiastically €œYou guys are awesome€ when they found out we had managed to pick up the correct campground paperwork. The 1st, and I suspect only, time Ill ever be described as awesome for turning into a no entry road!
5:30 The rain & hail stop and the sun comes out. We decide to explore. I had never heard of Bryce Canyon prior to planning this trip and had somehow, in looking at photos on the web, underestimated the size of it. Its breathtaking, beautiful, and big. Check out our photos. Those are full size pine trees growing in the hoodoos (the amazing orange, yellow, brown, red rock sculptures). The rain had heightened the colours of the hoodoos and turned the rim trail into a clay mud bath that clung to our boots and built up until we were several feet taller than normal. We took photos from Sunset Point at sunset then headed back to the van.
8:30 Dinner, wine & bed (vegetarian chilli with rice, hot salsa & sour cream, Kirigin Cabernet Sauvignon and 2004 model Dodge Sprinter fitted out by Disas dad & mum, Erik & Mary).