June 6, 2004 - Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah--Day 2

After our little jaunt yesterday afternoon/evening, we decided to take some time at home and sort out all the information we had, make decisions as to how best use the time we have here, and generally recover.  We tend to run around for a day, lay back for a day to rest up, and then run around again.  Works best for us anyway.  So, since we can't sit around all day, we made reservations for the green bus to take us to the end of the park leaving the visitor center about 5:10PM or whenever everybody with reservations showed up.  We could have driven the 17 miles ourselves, but why burn the fuel.  Imagine that.  This old man looking forward to public transportation.

We got there safe and sound.  The microphone on the bus was broken, so Nick the driver just drove.  Which was fine with us as we were busy looking for pronghorn antelope and mule deer.  When asked why it's called Rainbow Point, Nick said it was because of the rainbow hues in the rocks.  That wasn't hard to understand.

It's rather refreshing knowing that at each viewpoint, or peek over the rim, that we're somehow going to be pleased.  Yes, in some respects the view is the same, but in a much broader sense it's different.  And we discovered that the view would change if we just stayed there and let the sun change the angle of the shadows.

Agua is Spanish for water.  It might have been there, but we didn't see it.  This was the second of three planned stops for the bus.  It went past a few other viewpoints, but we didn't feel cheated particularly.

The Trojan horse and Snoopy lived here, according to Barb.  And so be it.  After a bit, I had to agree that there could be some resemblance.

Notice how the elevation numbers indicate we're going down hill?  After a little 20-minute walk at Rainbow Point, at 9115 feet, it didn't bother us to be going back down, either.  This really isn't a "bridge" per se.  To be a "bridge" the hole must have been made by water flowing through it.  This is more of an arch that kept growing without having it's roof cave in.  Yet.

Still, it's pretty impressive.

By the time we got to the last stop, Fairview Point, we were pretty well pictured out.  Well, except for that little local fellow intent on his dust bath or scratch.  He'd roll around in the dust and then appear to rub some of it onto his belly.  Must have had mites or fleas or something.  Was fun to watch, anyway.  So ended Day 2.