Finally off to Bryce Canyon Nat’l park I skipped Canyonlands Park and Dead Horse Park. I need to get moving. Rt 191 to Rt 70 again -Then Exit 23 to US 89. They were paving RT 89 and all the signs were down -and it is very sparsely populated. Understatement of the century. I had to stop some campers and ask if i was on the right road. It was far -or seemed so. In country so forgotten only a crazy woman would follow her husband here to settle. It wasn't all that beautiful and I suspect I am getting rocked out.
I had a bought a Styrofoam cooler in Grand Junction and put it in the back seat of the rental with a case of water and pedalite nutrition drink. It forced me to stop and buy ice and empty the melted water. It was Bonnie and Paul’s idea. Thank you! I had also bought duck tape and Fix a Flat in Grand Junction -didn't need it but................ The little Toyota Rental was just fine but slow going up the mountains -speed limit is 75 -which i wasn't at all comfortable in the little car but i did ok -even when the trucks passed me on the hills. I was a little upset until I came upon a car and truck crash - both had just passed me. Debris was all over and I slowly went pass -lots of cars had stopped to help. I was just glad it wasn't me. That sounds horrible but I was really tired by that time and just wanted to be at Bryce
The motel I stayed in is outside the park called Ruby’s Inn. Bryce Park has a National Park Lodge that was located inside the Park , but it was old and smelled musty and booked a year in advance -I am glad I didn’t get in! So Ruby’s Inn is about 3000 rooms and camp sites and tent sites and restaurants and has built a whole town around itself and its buildings. I had a king size bed /room off in a building by itself with about ten rooms with their own doors. I parked my car right outside. Not a “Bates” motel but circa 1950. It needed to be updated. The best thing I packed was a bath mat from the dollar store -I used it everywhere and left it in Las Vegas -it served me well. I was across from a little canteen and ate about 8pm right after i unpacked. Took a shower (the tub NEVER emptied -so I soaked my feet at the same time - YEA!!!!!) and went to bed.
Next day I explored Ruby’s Inn “town” found a store for the campers YEA and bought Yogurt and a Bagel that I could toast. I should have bought a couple of them in Moab or here in Bryce. They recommend a free shuttle to get to the park from the motel. But since I had my America The Beautiful Park , pass I decided to drive. Checked out of the Inn and packed up my car and started my day in the park. Stopped at the Visitors center first and found out they had no CD tour to rent (stupid marketing error -yes I told them about it!) so I left to drive the 18 miles to the end of the Park (all up hill) and stopped at each point (all on the left) on the way down. Bryce is the prettiest park /Pink rocks and pine trees and just beautiful. At the very top of the farthest point I was doing a little hike (I always wore a T-shirt from New Jersey or Cape May when I visited the parks -it helped start conversations) and a big guy in a white shirt and black pants came huffing on the path in from of me -then he stopped and said ‘I was born in New Jersey”. LOL he was working at the lodge.
I had lunch alone at the musty lodge (after I waited in line 30 min to use the smelly bathroom - YUCK) .I had finished seeing what I could at Bryce. Lunch was ok -a little spicy for my taste-and I thought the lodge was horribly camping rustic. Barry likes this lodge! The hostess was there with her husband -both were retired and doing volunteer work for the park to experience new things. I can see Barry and Deb doing that.
After lunch , went back to the visitor center spoke to the head ranger about a ‘fault line’ that ran under Ruby's Inn -Deb told me about these rift lines in the earth that show movement - in fact i think we went to a museum in London (instead of the wax museum) to see an exhibit on faults? Anyway - the Head Ranger was about 49 and very cute -so when he got so excited talking to me about the fault lines -I did my best impression of someone who knows what he is talking about -while I looked for a ring. Then I bought a map to show Barry -and went to find it on my way out to Zion park. Took some pictures of what I thought the ranger described. I very much would have liked to have seen the pictographs he said they just discovered in that same area -not yet for public viewing but as he described it -the Rock paintings were right above a large rattlesnake den -and they were waiting until Winter to explore it. I guess he saw my eyes light up -I don't know if it was true -but I packed for every contingency except rattlers!!!!
On my way to Zion in my little rental car. Thinking, I should have written that rangers name down and sent him a thank you here is my number and address letter. LOL yea that would have happened ......................................Rt 89 again . Turn off Utah Rt 9 at Mount Carmel -up the 'HILL' to Zion and the drive from HELL. For the rest of my life I will have nightmares about this place.
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