Recently Dick and I got to take a little trip to southern Utah.  We set our sights on Bryce Canyon National Park having heard of its unique beauty.  We arrived in the park around sunset and as we were anxious to see some of the sights, we drove right to Sunset Point. Aren't we clever? We got our first view of the canyon as the setting sun softened the colors on the incredible formations. Hundreds of sandstone formations in different sizes, shapes, and colors reached up from the canyon floor. The silence of the ancient stones seemed like a symphony. It spoke of majesty and grandeur and awesome beauty. We could hardly wait for sunrise! We spent two mornings seeing the sunrise on the canyon from different viewpoints. The first morning we went to Bryce Point and watched as the sun's light transformed the soft colors of the sand people into bolder hues of ocher, red, orange and white.  Those first beams breathing vibrancy into the stone was like hearing the symphony swell in an emotional crescendo of beauty. The second morning we viewed this awesome spectacle from Sunrise Point. The colors seemed even more vibrant and the shadows of some sand people provided silhouettes on other sand people and everywhere you looked there was something else of nearly indescribable wonder to behold. It really is almost too beautiful to absorb; pictures can't compare to being present in the canyon.
             In between the hours of sunrise and sunset we had lots of ways to keep experiencing the canyons wonders. We took two hikes (there are many hikes to choose from) and we stopped at each of the 13 points in Bryce Canyon that can be easily accessed by vehicle. Morning and evening drives anywhere in the park allows you to view mule deer and pronghorn sheep grazing along the sides of the roads.  Photo ops abound. A short one mile loop at the southernmost point in Bryce Canyon brought us into close contact with several Bristlecone Pine trees. Bristlecones that are thought to be close to 5000 years old, the oldest living things on earth, can be found in California. They are magnificent gnarled and crackled pines that can survive even at the tips of windswept points where other vegetation flounders. The Bryce Canyon specimens were much younger with the oldest being at around 1600 years old. Our favorite hike was the three mile loop from Sunrise Point down into the canyon floor which winds around and brings you out of the canyon at Sunset Point. I was a bit slow but steady and what the heck...the canyon wasn't going anywhere!!!  The highlight of this wonderful trek was going through a formation called Wall Street.  This aptly named formation consists of a narrow path between two stone walls that rise up to heights of 200 feet above the dirt floor.  At times you can touch both walls with your outstretched arms.  It may sound claustrophobic, but gentle light is visible at each end so that you feel snuggled, not smothered.
            We had hoped to add stargazing to our many activities as Bryce Canyon. At around 8500 feet, the elevation and location is purported to be a very special place to view celestial lights. We missed this experience as we were visiting the canyon in July and cloud cover prevented us from seeing much, not to mention that it doesn’t get really dark until well past 11:00 PM that time of the year.            
            We can tell you about Ruby’s Best Western where we stayed each night.  It is it’s own man made, international wonder in that it is a motel city with large comfortable rooms, restaurants, RV and camping sites, a small lake, teepees, pools and stores with everything from soup to nuts, fishing gear, books and of course plenty of souvenirs. People are from everywhere, and everyone seems to be as awed by the sites as we were.          
            Well that sums up the first 48 hours of our Southern Utah road trip. Spectacular, majestic, panoramic, dramatic…I am hoping that these paltry words will encourage each of you to consider this trip. I’m sure you will find that the beauty of Bryce Canyon is unique and not to be missed. We also traveled to Zion National Park and had an enjoyable night in Hatch, Utah. Hatch is a neat little town with comfy, inexpensive little log cabins along the road to stay in. It is a great stopping point between Bryce and Zion. Zion National Park is also a must see when you are in that area. It is much different than Bryce with massive, colorful rock formations. If you go, check out the river walk at the end of the bus route and bring an extra pair of shoes that you don’t mind getting wet.