We woke up to rain tapping on our tent, encouraging us to sleep a little longer. This is the first instance of weather really changing our plans once we got the trip underway. We didn't do much in the morning as it rained, but we decided to try to do what we could so we didn't waste the day.
We drove through Dixie National Forest and the scenery began to change back to something interesting. So many novelties that are fun but pointless. Why did I enjoy driving through this little rock arch tunnel? I'm not sure, but I did. It made me want to drive through a giant redwood.
After a little more driving and at least one more rock tunnel, we arrived at Bryce Canyon. It came out of nowhere, popping up after driving through a small town area. It was more like driving into a city park in a small town than a National Park in Utah.
Since the rain put a damper (get it?) on our plans to hike here, we opted for the driving tour. At one point near the highest point, it snowed for a brief moment. There were piles of snow at the top lookout though and it was cold. The view was great though. The reddish orange rocks were different than the ones we had seen at other parks.
At one of the observation areas, this raven sat and posed for the cameras. There were plenty of people around, but it just sat there as people snapped shot after shot.
This was an area called Natural Bridge, which is actually a misnomer since natural bridges are created by meanders (slow moving streams). This is actually an arch by definition. Whatever you call it, though, it's really cool sight. I like how different it is because of the type of rock here.
Once we completed the auto tour of Bryce we drove down to Zion National Park. Just the drive into this place was crazy. We had to slowly make our way down a long switchback road to the base of the canyon and then pick up a shuttle from there to access any of the hikes or overlooks in the park.
We took the Emerald Pools trail, which was an easy trail that was steep at times. It led to several waterfalls that pooled in a few different areas of green water.
In the middle of the easy trail there was a branch to a difficult hike up to the highest of the pools. This one was worth the hike as its source was a massive waterfall which I couldn't even fit in one frame.. I need a wide-angle lens. It was a nice, secluded area with a stream cascading over rocks.
The Virgin River, which carved out this amazing piece of nature, snakes along the trails and along the road up to the top, making for plenty of nice shots.
I traveled to the last stop on the road where the shuttle turns around. I was slightly disappointed by the view since I was hoping to get a nice panorama or at least be higher above the river. I guess I'll have to come back and hike to the top of Angel's Landing if I want that. I do like this shot, which I took as night was falling and it was almost time to get out.
Unfortunately, we didn't have anymore time to spend in the parks, however I plan to return to Zion as soon as I possibly can. It's like letting someone taste the most delicious candy in the world and then taking it away.. I have to get the candy! We parked at a Wal*Mart after exhausting a few leads on campsites. Seriously, every campsite in Utah seems to be filled this week!
Total distance: 275.5 miles. This one was definitely mostly park roads. Not a whole lot of actual distance but a lot of back and forth driving in the parks we stopped at.
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