The Land of Magical Hoodoos!

Hey everybody! So after we left the beautiful serenity of Colorado where we drove through 8,500 ft green plains dotted with ranches, horses and wildflowers and surrounded by the majestic white peaks of the rockies.. we were pretty amazed when we arrived in the rugged, alien-like landscapes of Utah and Arches and Capital Reef National Parks. As it turns out.. that was still only the beginning!

From Capital Reef we set off for Bryce Canyon NP, which was about a 3 hour drive (just like going to the grocery store and back for us now!) and we were looking forward to finally getting in a good hike more than just walking around a bit. For those who have never heard or seen pictures, take a look on our Shutterfly picture site (link on the right called Road Trip USA Photos) because the scenery of Bryce Canyon is something that I didn't know even existed in our country.. or planet for that matter! We drove through the park after stopping by the visitors center for maps and some quick info, and decided on a 3 mile loop that we would hike around what is called the "amphitheater". The park service claims it is the "best 3 mile hike in the world" so we had to check it out.. and it would give us a couple of hours of exercise before driving on to Zion National park later in the afternoon. While we definitely haven't tested enough 3 mile hikes to verify the parks claim.. we both agreed that we can understand why it would be in contention at least for what they say. It is a truly unique hike that you can't find anywhere else.. the "hoodoos" as they're called just leave you in awe and wonderment as to how they ever came to be.. and WHY?! The hike also had us climb down 580 feet and then back up again, at an elevation of between 8 and 9 thousand ft! And the Denver Broncos think that what they do is tough at a mere mile high..

After spending a couple of hours hiking and then taking our typical PB & J lunch, we hopped back in the car to scoot on down to Zion National Park where we would finally stay put for 3 whole nights! Our longest stay yet...