Fairyland Loop

August 15

Click here for today's shots.

Another great day in Bryce with all its colorful drip castles.  We couldn't have scripted better weather this trip thusfar - today more gorgeous blue skies, morning temp at <70 probably high 80's by midday.  We hiked the Fairyland Loop trail, eight miles, a little over five hours including lunch.  It's mostly north of the Bryce Amphitheater, accessed from Fairyland Point, just outside the park entrance.  It's great fun to hike around the hoodoos, get close-up views of the unique structures, and declare what we each think they look like.  The last 2.5 miles is along the rim, which we expected to be easy, but that part had up-and-down, too.  It offered different scenery, though, with fields, some flowers and sparse woods, so that was a nice change of pace.  Also a nice 360 degree view so you could look back West at what we figured was Red Canyon or out East toward the Grand Staircase of Escalante.

We returned to the hotel at 3pm and hit the pool and read for a couple hours.  Bryce City is very small, and seems to be dominated by Ruby's (hotel, campground, diner, steakhouse, store, gas, etc.).  We weren't up for another dinner like last night's, so we decided to just buy cereal and have that for dinner in the park.  There aren't picnic tables right on the rim at Sunset Point, but there were some back 100 yards.  That was fun, then to the rim for sunset.  You're not looking at the sunset directly, but the light from the setting sun on the canyon.  It was nice, but a bit blocked by low clouds.  We found when we left that the real beauty tonight was in the western sky where the sun lit up the clouds and would have been nice from the high section of the Rim Trail we'd been on earlier in the day.

Packed up and heading to bed early for tomorrow's canyoneering fun in Escalante - 8AM and it's an hour from Bryce.  (Funny note: In the 8 page info and indemnification packet (really 8 pages!), they warned us: DON'T BE LATE or you'll hold up the trip.  They also later said DON'T BE EARLY, we're busy getting the stuff set for your trip.  I guess we'll try to be exactly on time!).  We'll have the complimentary full buffet breakfast first thing before we leave the hotel, but warned Brady that maybe he should stick to only 6 pieces of bacon tomorrow as opposed to his bacon extravaganza this morning.

Photo Fun: Bunny Ears

And the closing shot...

Miles and Brady on Fairyland Loop Trail