'Twas cold in the morning. We headed to the Bryce Canyon Visitors Center around 9am. This was the off season for Bryce Canyon, but the center was teeming with people. The three tour buses filled with Europeans contributed to the numbers.

We learned about the Bryce Canyon Lodge in the film so we thought why not discuss our day's plans over a cappuchino. Well, they didn't have a coffee bar and we missed the breakfast hour, but they did have free coffee in the lobby, which was even better.

Today was all about Bryce Canyon. We planned on first, driving the scenic route out to Rainbow Point, have lunch, then do a hike (walk). The weather was warming up and by the time we arrived at Rainbow Point, the sun was coming out and it made our picnic more pleasant. We were now fueled and ready to take on a hike. We chose the Bristlecone Loop, a one mile trail that skirted the edge of the cliffs and wound its way through groves of Bristlecone Pines. It was a great walk. Bryce didn't hold back on the charm of hoodoos, the "see-forever" vistas, and the amazing colors.

We headed back towards the visitors center after our hike and stopped at all of the scenic stops along the way. After the first three stops, the boys were not as excited, but Barb and I could not stop marveling over Mother Nature's handiwork. We wanted to capture every iota of what we were seeing. It was just that amazing. There was one more scenic stop that we asked Walt to stop at. It was Bryce Point. Initially, we all got out and took pictures at a spot right in front of where we parked. I am notoriously always the last one to return. You never know if there is a shot of a lifetime just around the corner. There was this time. Everyone had returned to the truck. I pleaded with everyone to get back out of the truck and walk an extra 100 feet or so. I told them that view was unbelievable. They finally gave in. Walt said this better be good….

Do not miss walking out to the far northern point of Bryce Point. At this spot, you discover what Bryce Canyon is all about. Before you, the hoodoos, the vistas, the colors are laid out in their full glory. I thought Bob was next to me and I was pointing out forms and commenting on the spectacular view before us. However, it was not Bob, but his look-alike. He was really nice about me grabbing his arm. The gang thanked me for nagging them to walk those extra steps.

We had planned doing the hike to Mossy Cave, but we diddled longer at Bryce Point than planned. Instead, we headed back to camp. Along the way we looked for a place to have dinner. It was our turn to cook, but Bob offered to take everyone out in lieu of knocking knees around our table. We looked at the Stone Hearth Grille, an upscale restaurant that had a great menu along with huge prices. We settled on the Rustler for a couple of reasons. They answered the phone and they served Ruby Rainbow Trout. Three of us ordered the trout and it was very good. Bob ordered a Mushroom Pesto Rigatoni dish that could have fed us all.

We headed back to camp and called it night.

Tomorrow, we head for Hurricane UT where Zion, Red Canyon, and Snow Canyon are only a few miles away.