Miles travelled: 6547 to 6722 (total of 175 miles/ 281 kilometres)
Weather: Clear & Sunny
Highlight of the day: Bristlecone Pine Walk
7:30 Finally awake – we had planned to be up to witness the sunrise at Sunrise Point but didn’t so took our time with breakfast & coffee.
9:19 I mistake a helicopter flying in the canyon for a bird (Disa claims I said it was a penguin) but I was driving at the time.
9:28 We reach Rainbow and Yovimpa Points (elevation 9115 feet / 2778 metres) to do the Bristlecone Pine walk. I am particularly excited by this as Erik told me about the bristlecone pines on our second day in the US and I didn’t think I would see one (I was wrong – see entry for 24 May 2006). The bristlecone pine is the oldest living thing on the planet at approximately 4000 years old (yes I know there are challenges from the Huon Pine). The ones at Bryce (we could only find 3, one seemingly dead, one smaller than me and one taller) are not this old but I was still excited about them. We did the walk and took heaps of photos of the pines and admired the views of the canyon.
11:45 Stopped at Natural Bridge Viewpoint to admire views.
12:00 – 2:00 PM Visited Inspiration Point then did the Queen Victoria’s Garden walk into the canyon to see the hoodoos from a different perspective. Lunch at the campsite store then left Bryce and did the Mossy Cave walk to see the mossy cave and small waterfall. Then headed to Zion National Park.
4:26 PM Stopped at shop in Long Valley to purchase Beaver Cheese. They had ‘The Book of Mormon’ in many different languages and almost as many flavours of jerky.
4:50PM Buffalo!! A small herd of buffalo in a paddock. The first we’d seen. Unfortunately the paddock adjoined a restaurant boasting Buffalo Steaks on its menu.
5:00PM Arrive at Zion National Park. Still amazed that you can travel from one amazing yadda yadda yadda Zion. See amazing crosshatched mountains then do Canyon Overlook walk taking lots of photos. Travel through tunnel and down switchbacks to visitors centre to obtain a camping spot. Our luck has run out. All camping spots full and it’s 6:30. We’ll have to go somewhere else for the night. We decide to catch the shuttle bus up the canyon but are not able to get off to spend any time there. Still we enjoy seeing the sights from the bus. Deer, wild turkey (the first we’ve seen), rock climbers descending (Zion has the second most climbed cliff in US. Only El Capitan in Yosemite National Park is busier). Park is very beautiful – the same red sandstone we’ve seen at Monument Valley and Arches.
9:30 We arrive at our campsite at Quail Creek State Park ($10.00) after rejecting the Sand Hollow park ($21.00). Dinner (pasta and Scorpion beer), wash & bed. What a late night!