The finale! El Fin! This past weekend, we headed down to Bryce Canyon National Park, the fifth and last of Utah’s national parks we’ve visited (and the fourth national park that Katie has visited in her short 9 months). Huzzah!
(Yes, we brought the stroller. In fact, I even said out loud, “I’m so glad I brought the stroller,” to which William replied, “I’m so glad I brought myself!”)
To celebrate, Brian and I put together this puzzle in our hotel room, which features photos of all five parks. In the grand tradition of jigsaw puzzles, one piece turned up missing.
We saw many, many views just like this:
Which got . . . kind of dull.
The kids began to tire of smiling in front of sweeping hoodoo vistas and tried to mix it up a bit.
And yes, we did hike down into one of the canyons. The best thing we saw there was this sorcerer tree:
Aannnnnnd yawn. Maybe we should have stayed away from a trail called “Swamp Canyon/Under the Rim.” (Although it gave us a great new code phrase for when Katie has a messy diaper.)
However, I did accomplish the monumental task of finding the most inane of all the sentences on the park’s many interpretive signs.
Tentacles of invisible streams, indeed.
I also appreciated the big ravens. They are massive and terrifying. No wonder Poe liked them so much. Quoth the raven: Shut the doooor.
We also took advantage of the astronomy programs offered by the — get this — Dark Ranger. Which would be a ranger specializing in astronomy and dark skies. But it really sounds like he needs a cape.
Despite all these delights, I was fine moving on after a few days and exploring a different part of the desert. Where to? Stay tuned!
Casa Camisas 