Peter Rafalow
Nov 1 · 4 min read

Days 20 & 21: Bryce & Grand Canyons

It’s hard to imagine two days that can delight one’s senses more than visits to Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon. The scenery and splendor of these two national parks cannot be adequately described by prose, photographs, video, or this blog in any adequate representation. If you haven’t been to either of these places, please try to visit. Bryce, in southern Utah, is a short drive from Zion, albeit a winding, twisting, slow-going but spectacular one. Zion is located at a significantly lower altitude than Bryce, and was therefore much hotter during our summer visit. Both parks offer amazing bus shuttles for the various sites, but the spectacular views of each could not have been more different.

Bryce Canyon isn’t very far from Zion, so we left early in the morning in order to visit the park all day, followed by driving to our hotel in Tropic, UT. The most direct route, and also the most mountainous, is by taking the Zion-Mt. Carmel highway out of the Zion canyon. This highway is a two-lane road (sometimes single-lane) with a steep ascent and many switchbacks.

The drive from Zion to Bryce is more of a “back-road” drive that rises above Zion’s perimeter before descending into a plateau filled with buffalo and tiny towns which consist mainly of one intersection. What could the residents of these towns do? Leaving Zion, at a steep grade, was both a nail-biting and awe-inspiring experience, including going through a tunnel of a mountain of limestone which is limited to one lane and park ranger station check points at both ends.
Pretty cool.
Okay, just for clarification, this canyon really is red. These are rock formations formed over millions of years of erosion that are very, very red. It is a precursor to what’s ahead at Bryce Canyon…and it’s spectacular. (With all due respect to a very famous “Seinfeld” episode.)
We found the place where they roam.
This is the only lodging within the park, which is booked solid all summer long (and not cheap). It is on the shuttle route, so we stopped there for lunch. Lunch wasn’t great, but the lodge is pretty nice…in that rustic sort of way.
We found Bryce Canyon to be somewhat of a “one trick pony,” in that the views are all very similar. The main area is called the “amphitheater,” with a trail that goes all the way down to the bottom. We enjoyed looking at the trail rather than hiking it. At Inspiration Point, the altitude is 8,100 ft, or 1.5 miles up…pretty thin air.
Hoodoos are the Bryce Canyon trademark, and they are stunning to see in person. It kept reminding me of the lyrics from the song “Mr. Big Stuff” from the 1970’s. (Millennials need not bother to figure out this bad joke.)
Entrance signs to where we stayed overnight. It’s in Tropic, UT, and not in Bryce Canyon. About a half-hour east and in a valley well below the national park, the rooms are actually bungalows, and the main building’s restaurant was fantastic.
The view from the restaurant patio just before an incredible summer storm hit. We’d never seen anything like this sky before. Not sure why I didn’t have any sense of a level horizon before taking this picture.

Picture of the Day: a photo of the park was too obvious a choice. The Thunderbird Restaurant is on the main road in Tropic, UT. Loved the sign, but didn’t stop in to try the homemade pies. I’m sure that they’re delicious.

The Grand Canyon was originally only an option on our drive from Bryce Canyon to Flagstaff. Because we had been to the granddaddy of the canyons with our kids in 2001, we weren’t sure if we were going to add this stop to the day. We were glad that we did.

I’d like to buy that black shiny rock over there and a double-shot latté with almond milk and a single vanilla shot, please.
The drive into northern Arizona is showcased by the Vermilion Cliffs National Park, which we only drove past. This view goes on for miles and miles and is majestic.
It was during this drive that we turned on satellite radio and learned of the El Paso shooting. It was the second of three mass shootings that occurred during our trip, and was a sobering juxtaposition to our tranquil surroundings.
The Grand Canyon was the last of our national parks, and the only place where we saw any elk.
We really never got tired of looking at this. Funny though; it’s been over 18 years since we were here before and it hasn’t changed a bit!
The El Tovar Hotel was built in 1905. We celebrated Anne’s birthday with dinner here in 2001 with our kids. While we didn’t eat there this time around, it was still nice to visit and pay way too much for a cocktail.

Picture of the Day: Rim shot.

It may be a little hard to tell, but this photographer is literally one-half step from the edge of the rim. Straight down…no fence…no fears…no thanks. I had to take this shot because I was having waves of vertigo just looking at him. I’m sure his shot was worth the risk.

Second Wind

Cross-country trip with Anne and Peter

Peter Rafalow

Written by

Second Wind

Cross-country trip with Anne and Peter

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade