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We woke up late again - I guess it must be the change in time zones as we are an hour ahead here in Utah. We have become really good at packing up the tent quickly and moving on, although, it is quite tiring. We had a quick breakfast and then drove on to Sunrise Point to start our hike through to the Queen's Garden.
This hike has been labelled as "easy" by the National Parks information centre but it was a pretty tough terrain. The descent was steep and slippery with loose gravel and sand in places. It was, however, a walk through some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen in my life! "Wow", is all I kept repeating for most of the walk - over and over and over!
Hiking through the Bryce Canyon is like nothing I have ever seen before (or since)! The rock formations are not only marvellous in terms of shapes and size, but also in colours. Layer upon layer of chalk-tipped, arthritic-crooked, terracotta-earth fingers point accusingly towards the turquoise sky. There is no grass or any indication that there was any soil there at any time but, even in this heavily eroded terrain, gnarled Ponderosa pines and twisted juniper trees poke precariously out of the steep slopes.
Luckily we started on the dusty path quite early as the heat becomes unbearable later on. And still, as we head uphill, more and more people are foolishly heading down towards the unprotected canyon floor. We get in the car and set the air-conditioning on full blast - relieved to have some shade and cool air at last!
Our lunchtime stop was in the tiny settlement of Boulder. It can't really be called a town - it's just a small collection of houses and farms as well as the Anasazi Museum. We spent such a long time enjoying our lunch at the Burr Trail Grill that we didn't have enough time to stop at the museum. This was partly because the lunch was so delicious and tasty (the biggest and yummiest Turkey and Bacon sandwich with the fluffiest potatoes I have ever had), that we had to savour every single bite and also partly because they had wi-fi so we spent a bit of time updating our emails and uploading photos to FB. As if the food wasn't enough, I also got a slice of warm spicy cherry pie "to go" (as they say for takeaways in the States). I couldn't help myself - they were strategically placed on the counter, just by the checkout till, on cooling racks. I couldn't resist!
The drive today took us through part of Scenic Route 12. We'd actually planned to go to Lake Powell (again) in Arizona but we completely missed the turnoff and only realised it once we were about 10miles up the steep Boulder mountain and looking at spectacular views across the valley below. It turns out that this mistake was probably all for the best!
And scenic it certainly is: from Bryce Canyon, Route 12 snakes through some of the most remarkable and dramatic twists, turns, hills, gorges and, deserts and fields that I have ever seen. To think that people have lived in this harsh terrain for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and then to have Settlers trying to cross in their horse-drawn wagons just boggles the mind. Utah seems to have some some of the country's most diverse landscapes!
Anyways, after traversing Boulder Mountain and the verdant Dixie National Forest, we finally arrived in Torrey and the Thousand Lakes RV Park. What a beautifully run little oasis! So many lovely touches everywhere: from the wooden cutouts of cowboys to the plunge pool and evening BBQ where you could socialise with other campers. Unfortunately, by this point, we needed clean clothing, so we spent the evening doing our laundry and reading. Sometimes, it's important to take care of domestic needs. It's often the little things that count!
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