Beautiful Bryce

After our afternoon in Zion we drove to Bryce Canyon and stayed at the very fun Ruby's Inn. (I can't say I was disappointed that we couldn't find any available campsites when we looked online.... it was humorous that once we got down south we saw many campsites open, but darn it, we had already booked the room.)

Bryce is amazing... I hadn't been there since I was a teenager, so it was fun for me to go back. Ryan went a few years ago with his Dad, so he had some good pointers of things to see and places to go. There was quite a bit of lightning the afternoon we were there, and we didn't want to be caught on the rim during that, so we hung out in the car for a bit, but it cleared up and we got out to enjoy the scenery and a little presentation by the ranger.

Unfortunately the only family shot we got is a little blurry... but we really were there together!

We decided to go on the Navajo Loop trail... you can see how steep it goes down... and with each step downward I thought about coming back up again... it was incredible though. Bryce is so beautiful from the rim, but going down among the hoodoos and being a part of that landscape is a whole different experience. I'm so glad we decided to go on this hike (even though it was labeled as 'strenuous' in the park newspaper).

The kids loved it too. Olivia kept saying, "I just can't believe I'm actually seeing this with my own eyes. It's so beautiful."

They loved the natural bridges and thought this one was especially fun because they got to walk through it.

These canyons were amazing! We survived the ascent and laughed together at some tourists that were hiking in flip flops or heels (what were they thinking?). I say we survived, but it was just barely... I had to stop after each switchback (in the shade) to let my heart rate slow down so it didn't pound out of my chest and to take a nice long drink. It is obvious that I need to get some more cardiovascular exercise into my life.

When we got back to Ruby's Inn we stopped to get ice cream and got detoured by the jail...

...and the silly props for photos...

...we make pretty good country folk, don't you think?

The last part of our short visit in Bryce was a quick reunion with a dear friend from high school that has family ties in Bryce. It was so fun to meet up with Amy for a few minutes and catch up on all that we've been up to in the last several years.

We loved Bryce and can't wait to go back! (We promise to meet up with you Heather next time around!)

**Been to Bryce lately?