We made a short stop at Point Imperial, and then drove out to Cape Royal. We walked out to the view point and could finally see the Colorado River. For me seeing the river was extremely important—it somehow completed the Grand Canyon viewing experience. 
We relaxed for awhile on a bench at the rim of the canyon enjoying the view of the Angels Window. Another short stop to see the Walhalla Ruins, and we were on our way out of the Grand Canyon National Park.
Back we went through the rolling green meadows of the Kaibab National Forest, and onto Route 89. Our next destination was Bryce Canyon National Park. We enjoyed the relatively short, very scenic drive, filled with greenery of the surrounding farms, and the shocking reds of the cliffs in the distance. We reached the town of Topic in a couple of hours. We were worried for a second when after crossing the town line, we saw no signs of civilization. However, in a minute or two we were driving through a cute little town, neat tiny houses on both sides of the road.
Again, we were a little worried when our hotel, the Stepping Stone Inn, turned out to be one of those tiny houses on the side of the road. The men went to check in, while Talia and I made a mad dash for the post office across the street. We were determined to make it at 4:56pm. Yet we forgot that we have crossed into a different time zone, so here in Topic it was really 5:56, and the post office has been close for almost an hour now.
We did not need to be worried about the little Stepping Stone Inn. It was one of the cutest, cleanest hotels we stayed in, and especially unbeatable for the price. Our rooms were in the back, and each room exited directly outside. Cleaned to the shine, each room had a microwave, a good sized fridge, a hot pot, and the beds were covered with beautiful quilts. We were in love.
A shaggy black dog somewhat reminiscent of a cocker spaniel, was casually hanging out just outside our door ready to flop on its back and provide us with its belly for a good long rub. The dog was really laid back—it just laid there sleeping while I petted it, checked out its ears and even teeth. Thus it was so much more shocking, when this same dog sprung up on its four legs and ran out barking straight into the street as a large truck approached. I closed my eyes. The truck pulled in into the neighboring driveway, and everyone was fine. The truck was carrying 2 large dogs, who were calmly peering down at our fierce little friend. We thought he probably did this rather often since these dogs were his neighbors. Ryan called him a dog with a death wish…We quickly repacked our cars such that we, together with some camping food and fire wood, could all fit into one car. The plan was to make a fire and have dinner at a picnic area in the park. We first drove to Inspiration Point of the Bryce Canyon National Park. Climbing up to the rim of the “canyon” from the parking lot we got our first glimpse of the hoodoos.
Bryce Canyon is not really a canyon. Rather it is a very large amphitheater carved out by various erosion forces from the eastern rim of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, leaving a multitude of hoodoos behind. The word “hoodoo”, besides meaning “voodoo”, and “to cast a spell”, also means “a pillar of rock usually of fantastic shape, left by erosion.”We made a stop at Bryce Point, and then drove out to Paria Point to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, the sunset was sabotaged by a few clouds covering the sun, though it did peak out for a few minutes right before falling behind the horizon.
It was now well after 8pm and we were debating over dinner as well as tomorrow’s hike. Nick was voted down in favor of getting up early and watching the sunrise with the hoodoos. (The word “hoodoo” got a lot of use during our times in the Bryce Canyon National Park.) Due to the planned early rise we scrambled our plans for a fire and a cook out tonight at the park. We drove back to our hotel where Talia prepared us a most nutritious meal of Trader Joe’s mac and cheese as well as some ramen.
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