June 5, 2004 - Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah - Day 1
Easy drive from Zion to Bryce, up I-15 to SR 20 to SR 89 to SR 12 to SR 63 and we're here. Something like 139 miles. And what an experience we had getting parked! The National Parks (some of them) have gone to a reservation system. That's good news/bad news. The good news is we know we have a space waiting for us. And that's about the end of the good news. It costs $9 for the privilege of making the reservation, which sort of stuck in my craw. We did it online to save the phone time, and besides it gives us the chance to discuss our options. We had to select our own site, which was a bit awkward because we have no idea what the sites look like. A 60-foot site sounded good on the face of it, so we chose space A-2. Except that when we got here we discovered several things wrong. To begin with, the trees hadn't been trimmed and we'd have scraped all the utilities (two satellite dishes, a bat-wing TV antenna, two air conditioners, a skylight, and a couple of vents) off. Secondly, it was so narrow we'd have been inches from the rocks on one side and the pavement on the other side. Lastly, it was aligned in such a way that our door would have to open into the roadway. Totally unacceptable. The gracious camp hosts offered another vacant site that would work, and we were to call the reservation people to tell them we'd changed. Seemed simple enough. It wasn't. To begin with, there's a $10 fee for changing that $9 reservation. We got that waived because it wasn't our fault we needed to change and we were already here. After several calls to different people (reservations -- customer service) it looked like everything was OK.
For some reason we'd spaced on the fact that there were no hookups here, so we had to leave to fill the fresh water tank, which wasn't a real big deal, except the little map we'd been given didn't show some of the roads and we wandered around with the 40' Road Abode in areas I'd just as soon not had to drive it in. After settling in, a park Ranger came by having been advised of our change, so the paperwork he gets from the reservation people could be changed. Again, he was as pleasant as could be......as he explained we'd probably have to move day after tomorrow. Further questioning revealed there is a two day "window" for reservations, and nobody could tell if this space was available past tomorrow. Grrrrrr! By this time I'd lost that little bit of patience Barby had loaned me, and I called the reservations people who after putting me on hold came back and explained they couldn't change A-2 to A-21 on the computer system. That did it. I nearly popped a fuse. She was only too happy to transfer me to customer service.
I took a deep breath, and told the nice customer service lady that I needed her to do one simple thing for me. Change A-2 to A-21. Before she got brave enough to tell me she couldn't, she let me tell the whole story again, which I did with appropriate emphasis on some simple flaws in the computer system. After asking some probing questions and sympathizing with our plight and congratulating us on finding a space that was satisfactory, she said she was the one that could help us. And I fell for it. Hook line and sinker. Customer service that is actually going to provide service to a customer. Well, almost. Seems she couldn't change the A-2 to A-21 either, but since nobody had this space reserved until the following Friday, and we only wanted it until Wednesday, she'd "reserve" it for us for Monday night and Tuesday night, and cancel (again, at no charge) the first two days of our reservation (Sat. & Sun.). The system could not handle us being here those two days. There's this two day "window" for reservations. She said I'd have to take it up with the local people. So, she refunded the $29 we'd paid and charged us $19 (the $29 is 50% off the normal price with the Golden Age Passport for folks 62 & older--that's another story though).
Continuing the story, we walk over to the visitor center to find a ranger to pay them for the other two nights we're staying here. They couldn't believe the story. They've had nothing but headaches and complaints about the reservation system since it was initiated. They all liked the first-come first-served system better. After more than one attempt to give them our money they sent us on our way. Way too complex to figure out how to handle the transaction inasmuch as walk-ins are prohibited now that the reservation system is in effect. So, forewarned is forearmed. If you want to get two days free parking you now know how to do it. Just kidding.
The happy part of all this was the people we were dealing with. All of them, even the poor lady I got a little huffy with because she couldn't change the numbers, were as nice as they could be. They just have a system that needs fixing. Oh, and another thing. The site we're in has a bit of a slope so we're not level, and the satellite dish for the internet won't work!! Either that, or a tree or two is in the way. But since the dish for the TV works just fine, I think it's the fact that we're not totally level. We drove around later and made note of which sites would accommodate us comfortably, so if you're headed this way and want to know which site to reserve, let us know.
Well, since we'd killed a couple of hours messing with the reservation situation, it was now about 4:30 PM or so, and we decided to take the red line shuttle bus to the end of its run, and make up our minds as to what to do tomorrow. There are two shuttle buses. Red and green. Red runs from the shuttle parking and boarding area outside the park, stops at Ruby's (a motel, RV park, general store, gas station, etc.), the visitor center (a quick walk down the hill from where we're parked), the north campground parking lot (another short walk down the hill from us), the Lodge, Sunrise Point, Sunset Point, Inspiration Point, and Bryce Point. Red buses run continually from 8 AM to 8 PM at 8-10 minute intervals. The green buses make three runs per day, go the entire length of the park (17 miles, and has a total of 18 stops it "may" make depending on where the people with free reservations are (we only made 3-4 stops). Most the riders start at the visitor center and go to the end, which is Rainbow & Yovimpa points. It'll wait about 40 minutes at the end, and the other stops about 10 minutes for viewing and picture taking. Bryce Point is the end of the red bus run. We'd listened to the driver explaining things as we went, and decided to get off at Bryce, look around, and catch the next bus back home where we'd study the stuff we picked up at the gate and visitor center and plan our four days here.
The end of the "point" at Bryce Point, and the "viewing ledges" nearby. As you will see, Bryce Canyon is a geologic wonder of wonders, and we, again, are praising God for this incredible masterpiece.
To say we were impressed would be an understatement. Barb decided the picture on the right was of her 5 sisters. We won't say which one has the big, er, ah, "bulge" there.
Erosion is a pretty cool tool for making odd formations. Lots of these shapes actually have names. Somebody really had too much time on their hands.
We really lost it when we read that last line about Ebenezer's cow. Absolutely shattered whatever reverence may have been held by anybody around us. Pretty big place. This whole place is called the amphitheater. Bryce Canyon really is a misnomer. It's a series of canyons. Bryce Canyon is the name of the whole area.
Well, now, since there's a shuttle bus at Inspiration Point, and it's only a mile and a half away, why don't we catch the bus there? This looks like a pretty tame level walk, right? Oh, Barb's got on her flip-flops. I've got my tennies on, and while I prefer to walk in my boots, a short distance should be OK. You gonna be OK with your flip-flops? "Oh, sure", she says, and we're off!
And on the way there's these pretty flowers at the base of this old dead tree. Gee, imagine that. Rocks and flowers, and now dead trees too! Is this a great lifestyle or what?
Three things going on here. The red in the background, the grey with a hole in it, and white showing in the hole. And if things begin to look the same, they're really not. Hang in here. These "rocks" have various names like spires, temples, pillars, and, the one we like most, hoodoos! A dictionary defines it as a pinnacle or odd-shaped rock left standing by the forces of erosion. I think that's about right.
In the last picture Barb saw the nativity scene. I saw grey rocks. You can guess which one was raised a Catholic.
A quick look back at the Bryce Point observation deck to make sure we're making progress, and a mini-amphitheater inside the main one.
The first picture assures us we're making progress--that's the observation platform we started from at the edge/top of the brownish colored rocks. And sometimes the trail wanders off the edge of the cliffs and I can breath deeply again, rather than sort of holding my breath.
On one side of us there's the road if we want to go down and flag down a shuttle, but we decide not to. On the other side of us is the only place in the whole world you can see this amazing view. That's right--no other place on earth has these rock formations! What looks like snow is not--just white sandstone pebbles/dust.
The Inspiration Point observation platform is just around the bend, and then Barb saw a bunch of soldiers lined up.
Holes, lumps, hearts (see the hole). and Barb on the ridge.
Well, we're almost there, and the view continues to command awe.