Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: USA Road Trip 2011
South to Bryce Canyon
| It is usually in the very
nature of a road trip that it involves constantly moving
onwards, and this one was now being true to form, as I was
embarked on a series of one-night stopovers. The familiar
Hampton Inn breakfast felt quite civilised at the relatively
small Richfield property. After a short break to get
organised, I was once more ready for the road. First stop
was the local Wal Mart: I was becoming alarmed by the rate
at which I was consuming space on my camera memory cards and
thought it might be a prudent move to acquire a spare.
Sadly, they didn't have the right type. I set out initially on I-70, which was on a temporary southerly course at this point, before picking up Route 89 to Panguitch, followed by Route 12 through Red Canyon to Bryce Canyon City. The Red Canyon route was interesting, especially when the road passed through a couple of rock arches in quick succession. |
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Ruby's Store at Bryce Canyon City - part of the well-known Ruby's Hotel - was able to help where Wal Mart had failed. The assistant even let me try an identical card in my camera prior to purchase, to make sure that it worked. There would be no more panic about running out of photo capacity! I took the opportunity to have yet another sandwich lunch while I was there. |
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It was soon time for the day's highlight: an exploration of the nearby Bryce Canyon National Park, directly south of Bryce Canyon City. The first stop inside the park, Sunset Point, provided another of those stunning, jaw-dropping vistas that would never actually be bettered for the rest of the afternoon. Although I took plenty of pictures, a photograph just can't take in all that the naked eye can, so the sense of utter vastness rarely comes through. However one can but try one's best!
Sunset Point
Other viewpoints
All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. Back at Bryce Canyon City, I had spotted the Best Western Grand earlier, so I knew exactly where to go. I was quite impressed by the hotel, and by my nice quiet end-of-corridor room. I returned to Ruby's for dinner (named, incidentally, after a man called Reuben). The walk over there emphasised the 'touristville' nature of the town. What on earth was a Trabi doing there, in the middle of the American south-west?!
I finished the day off by watching the new-release movie Super 8 in my room.