Today was Day 2 of Bryce Canyon and frankly, based on the epic majesty of what we saw on Day 1, we weren’t sure that we could be wowed more. We were…wrong.
We started off VERY early, getting up in time to haul our sleepy selves to Sunrise Point to watch the waking sun illuminate and highlight the thousands of breathtaking hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. This spot is legendary, and while cloud cover unfortunately prevented us from getting the full effect, we weren’t complaining. The view was spectacular and unlike anything we’d seen before.
After heading back to the Ruby Inn to get a little more shuteye, we decided to drive the main road through the park all the way to end, and stop at each of the thirteen viewpoints coming back. Each of these viewpoints, starting with Rainbow Point at the southern end, offered their own unique and unforgettable vistas.
One of the most impressive was Natural Bridge, which isn’t technically a bridge but rather an arch created by erosion over many millennia.
And here’s a little video clip at the Aqua Canyon viewpoint, elevation 8800 ft:
After heading back into town, I saw the last thing I expected to see. Many of you know my obsession with East German relics and artifacts, so you can only imagine the sound of my jaw dropping to the ground when I spotted a derelict Trabant 601, parked against an equally derelict looking Old West-style tourist trap. The Trabant is synonymous with East Germany, made famous to the world when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and thousands of these little smoky 2-stroke cars streamed westward, carrying countless dreams of a better life. Well, this Trabant certainly went westward too – far more westward than any Trabant could dare to dream!
After doing some research online, I found out that this car had been left here by a former East German who goes by the name of D-Rolf, who travels around the world in these cars. This particular car had been left behind by him in 2002, after the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. At the moment, he is traveling through Pakistan…in a Trabant, naturally.
Now, one thing that had been lacking over the last few days was decent food. Being on the road, we’d eaten a lot of mediocre garbage, and we’d had enough. So, we headed to the Lodge at Bryce Canyon for a decent meal.
It was just what we needed. Organic chicken, real vegetables, fresh ingredients, you know, the good stuff. And as you can see here, even Ruby was pleased.
Goodbye, Bryce Canyon. You are…beyond words.
Next stop: The Kims leave the wilderness behind and go back to city life. Salt Lake City, watch out!
