Great Western Adventure: Utah - July 8 & 9, 2016

7/13/2016

Canyon #1: Zion ~ July 8

Entering Utah, we visited Zion, our first National Park. We were able to immediately get an access pass for James, which is good for life in all national parks. Very handy! Zion is a box, or closed, canyon with a great shuttle system through its interior, so we rode to the end and hopped off at a few stops to look up at the gorgeous cliffs and hike around along the Virgin River. James was the first to take off his shoes and socks and wade in the cool water and everyone else followed him onto a big rock in the river. Leaving the park, we drove on a beautiful road with many hairpin turns and saw a family of bighorn sheep!

Canyon #2: Bryce ~ July 9
I had heard about the “Hoo Doos” of Bryce Canyon, but seeing all these huge pillars carved by the elements was really amazing! Unlike Zion, the shuttle takes visitors around the rim of the canyon and there were many areas with unprotected cliffs that scared us! We kept stopping to take pictures of these amazing rock formations and then ventured into the canyon through a series of switchbacks.

This picture of Dan is one of my favorites of the trip so far!

Hiking the interior of Bryce was so cool — we wandered through the rock formations and there was an incredible view around every corner. We ended the visit with ice cream (and a visit to jail) and then drove to Page, Arizona.