keith&carol
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2002
- Messages
- 208
Much refreshed from our overnight stay in Kayenta, we set off to Bryce Canyon which is our next stop. Initially this means retracing our road back to Page with all those awful bumps but as luck would have it we miss the turn and decide to carry on another way which adds a few miles but thankfully has a much better road surface. We stop at a Trading Post for coffee and much to our amusement, the inside is filled with stuff my Gma used to have like a tin bath and washboard etc. Is this a sign of hardship still existing in the great US of A or merely a sign of local eccentricity?
We find our way back to Page and cross the Dam near Lake Powell to pick up our new route. The scenery rapidly changes to one of more greenery but still sparse signs of habitation once we leave the Tourist Area. A Historic Marker gives us an excuse to stop for a leg stretch. It tells of the first Mormon Settlers arriving there and building the very first Mormon Church. They were driven out by floods and marauding Indians eventually but they must have been very brave people to attempt to settle and raise Children in those times.
We pass through a small town called Kanab which has an old stage set of a Western Town still standing rather oddly at the side of the road and then turn North towards Bryce. We were hoping to find somewhere for a Lunch Stop but nowhere appeals and most are closed anyway. There are clear signs here of the decline in Tourism. Even most of the official Tourist Offices have been shut so it's lucky we'd done some homework beforehand or we would have missed a lot.
We eventually come to a rare site, a Rest Area and heaving a sigh of relief, if you know what I mean, we stop and raid the cool bag for bananas and crisps which will have to do for lunch. A local workman is sitting at a picnic table telling another traveller that it's been 20 years since he saw a Mountain Lion near there- that's good then! We push on to the turn for Bryce Canyon and drive thru a wonderful area called Red Rock Canyon which looks as the name suggests. At one point we get out and try to climb for a better view but can't make it to the top. The drive has brought us up several thousand feet again and the air is quite thin so you soon feel breathless (well you do if your're our age and unfit) so it's back to the car. We're in a very lush area now and the green contrasts sharply with the red rocks. A cycle lane is running alongside the road now and several people are making good use of it. We reach Ruby's Inn which is one of the few Hotels in the area. It's built log cabin style with a main Hotel Building with shop , restaurant and indoor pool and a great many other rooms in blocks sprawling over a large area. We are in one of the blocks and once again the room proves to be very clean and comfortable (some Orlando Hoteliers please take note!!!!!!).
Across the road is another stage set Western Town and Mine . There is only one shop open but it's a treasure trove of rocks and crystals and we have a long chat with the elderly shopkeepers before making a couple of purchases and taking a photo of Keith locked in the Town Jail. Maybe I should let him out again so he can buy me dinner.
There is a buffet and a la carte or a fast food place so we opt to queue for the buffet. Our timing wasn't great because a Tour Bus has just unloaded but we eventually get a table and enjoy a good meal.
I haven't used the wheelchair much since Vegas because we've been able to take the car everywhere but to see anything of Bryce I have to do some walking so tomorrow should be an interesting day!
Carol
We find our way back to Page and cross the Dam near Lake Powell to pick up our new route. The scenery rapidly changes to one of more greenery but still sparse signs of habitation once we leave the Tourist Area. A Historic Marker gives us an excuse to stop for a leg stretch. It tells of the first Mormon Settlers arriving there and building the very first Mormon Church. They were driven out by floods and marauding Indians eventually but they must have been very brave people to attempt to settle and raise Children in those times.
We pass through a small town called Kanab which has an old stage set of a Western Town still standing rather oddly at the side of the road and then turn North towards Bryce. We were hoping to find somewhere for a Lunch Stop but nowhere appeals and most are closed anyway. There are clear signs here of the decline in Tourism. Even most of the official Tourist Offices have been shut so it's lucky we'd done some homework beforehand or we would have missed a lot.
We eventually come to a rare site, a Rest Area and heaving a sigh of relief, if you know what I mean, we stop and raid the cool bag for bananas and crisps which will have to do for lunch. A local workman is sitting at a picnic table telling another traveller that it's been 20 years since he saw a Mountain Lion near there- that's good then! We push on to the turn for Bryce Canyon and drive thru a wonderful area called Red Rock Canyon which looks as the name suggests. At one point we get out and try to climb for a better view but can't make it to the top. The drive has brought us up several thousand feet again and the air is quite thin so you soon feel breathless (well you do if your're our age and unfit) so it's back to the car. We're in a very lush area now and the green contrasts sharply with the red rocks. A cycle lane is running alongside the road now and several people are making good use of it. We reach Ruby's Inn which is one of the few Hotels in the area. It's built log cabin style with a main Hotel Building with shop , restaurant and indoor pool and a great many other rooms in blocks sprawling over a large area. We are in one of the blocks and once again the room proves to be very clean and comfortable (some Orlando Hoteliers please take note!!!!!!).
Across the road is another stage set Western Town and Mine . There is only one shop open but it's a treasure trove of rocks and crystals and we have a long chat with the elderly shopkeepers before making a couple of purchases and taking a photo of Keith locked in the Town Jail. Maybe I should let him out again so he can buy me dinner.
There is a buffet and a la carte or a fast food place so we opt to queue for the buffet. Our timing wasn't great because a Tour Bus has just unloaded but we eventually get a table and enjoy a good meal.
I haven't used the wheelchair much since Vegas because we've been able to take the car everywhere but to see anything of Bryce I have to do some walking so tomorrow should be an interesting day!
Carol
