Enjoyed two more Wonderful days at Bryce

We've stayed in Bryce Canyon for 4 days now and really have enjoyed the great workouts and then the relaxation mid afternoon with a nice cooked meal at night.  Last night at 9:10 p.m. I looked at Randy and said we've made it until 9:00, we're allowed to go to bed now.  We were half awake reading in the camper.  We both chuckled as we are typically die hard stay up at night kind of people.

Yesterday we hiked 8 miles in the Canyon, an area called Fairyland Loop. While it was longer, it was not as rigorous as our first days hike.  The pictures here show some small fin like areas that Randy is shown walking on.  They are very slight grades and do not fall on either side much distance at all (so they are not dangerous mom's).  You'll see some pictures today that show the small wild flowers that grow in the desert canyon.  The history of the Hoo Doo's in the canyon are quite unique.  The big thing that we've learned is that the number of times each year that this area freezes and thaws (180 times in the year 2010) is why there is so much shift and erosion.  Top that with large rains during the summer and the rock erodes to create these pinnacles.

We bicycled 32 miles today to Red Rock Canyon.  Didn't take any pictures. We were either going downhill or uphill and my camera hand couldn't get to the camera.  We do stop don't get me wrong but we hoped to get back to the canyon to have lunch at the Lodge which we did.  We're enjoying wine tonight with some folks we met today that own the same motorhome we do. This guy has really modified his rig to have solar power on the roof etc.  It's going to be fun to see all that he has done.

We leave tomorrow to head to Placerville, California to spend time with my brother Bob and his wife Wendi and their children.  We're really looking forward to seeing them and they live in just a beautiful part of California.

Saturday, Riding the tandem to Yovimpa Point

So we thought we'd get some hill climbing in today on the bicycle.  The route was from our campsite in Bryce Canyon City at about 7,500 feet elevation, to Yovimpa Point which was at 9,115 feet.  It was beautiful, it was hard, the vistas were outstanding.  The other really neat thing is when you're rolling along as SLOW as we were you really get to see all of the scenery.  For you bicyclists out there, here's our stats for the way out.

20.13 miles one way, 1 hour 53 minutes to get to the point, an average speed of 10.70 mph (Randy and I can typically average 16 to 17 mph when riding in Battle Creek), and a max speed of 43.69 mph.

On our return trip we traveled 20.5 miles (an extra 4 tenths of a mile to go to the camp store to get another pomegranate lemonade and only Frito's this time), it took us 1 hour 4 minutes to return, our average speed was 19.1 mph, and our max speed was 50.8 mph.

Pooped again, but feeling really good.  Cooking in camp each night, burgers last night and chicken tonight.  Fun to have Randy cook so much for us as we don't find as much time during the school year.

Hiking in Bryce Canyon Friday

Bryce Canyon is really spectacular; it was my (Pat) first time here and I'm really glad Randy thought we should make it part of our trip.  Randy was here last year when he traveled with Jessi.  We did a 6.4 mile hike that was full of terrain (ups and downs) and really quite challenging for our first day out hiking. Wandering amongst the hoo doo's was breath taking.  I thought Randy would have to carry me out to the shuttle but I managed to make it to the camp store.  There we drank some pomegranate lemonade and ate Frito's and a candy bar.  Re-newed I was able to make it back to the shuttle and to camp. 

At 9:00 p.m. we decided to go back into the park and view the full moon.  We stumbled upon an astronomer and he showed us Saturn including its rings in his telescope and with a set of high powered binoculars we saw   the moon and its craters.  Really great day, but our legs HURT!

Driving Scenic Highway 12 in Utah

As Randy posted in his narrative about the drive out here, highway 12 which was a detour for us to get out of the wind turned out to be a delightful experience.  The first picture I've pictured however is from the Rocky Mountains, snow capped still.  The 2nd picture and beyond are of the drive leading into Capital Reefs National Park and then out of the Reefs into Bryce Canyon. I hope you enjoy this batch of photo's; you almost could say that Mar's seems to be here on earth, the rock formations were so unusual.  

Both National Parks were booked for the weekend as camping spaces go.  They are first come first serve and they were full by Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m.  We knew we might miss out but were trying to get here in time to stay in the National Park.  We're staying at a campground called Ruby's just outside of Bryce Canyon, it's nice and will suit our purposes for our stay here.  Thanks for following us!

The Test Drive

So we bought a new Ford Focus last fall as it is light enough to tow behind our small motor home. Last week we had everything mounted and wired so we could join the two together. As you can see in the picture, the car doesn't look that much smaller than the 23' motor home.

We decided that the appropriate test drive would be to pull away from home at 6:00 pm on Tuesday and drag it all the way to Bryce Canyon NP in Utah by Thursday night. Better yet, we decided to take highway 70 out of Denver, and that means pulling it over the Rockies including Loveland pass and Vale pass, with 6-7% grades both up and down. We ended the drive on scenic highway 12 in Utah which also has two 10,000 foot summits and more hairpin curves than you can count.

Other than the fact that the car is absolutely filthy, everything went great. Hardly know  the car is back there unless we are going uphill.

Finally on the Road

Well, here's our set up. It may look cool but it sure wants to move with the wind as we drive out of Michigan on I-94. We're trying to reach Bryce Canyon by Thursday evening. Friday and Saturday nights this coming weekend there are ranger led hikes down into the canyon with no lights under the full moon. We hope to be two of the lucky people to go on this adventure! Thanks for joining us on our blog.