When we arrived in Cedar City, the bike shop (which we direly needed for tune-ups) and library were closed, so we made the decision to have a rest day. Pastor Scott at the First Baptist Church let us stay in the gymnasium for two nights, and he even left out pastries and food to refuel.
At Cedar City, there was a pretty impressive Shakespeare festival. They have an Elizabethan stage (which, if you want to watch Shakespeare, it's gotta be on an Elizabethan-style theatre). Everyone was tired, but Alex saw "The Merchant of Venice." Although Shakespeare makes for rewarding (yet arduous) reading, it's definitely meant to be watched for enjoyment.
We left through Canyon Road up towards Cedar Breaks, which is a 5,000 foot climb over 20 miles (the highest climb we've ever done. When we left the city, the canyons were breath-taking.
Off in the distance we saw Zion National Park. We were thinking of dipping south out of Utah in Arizona, but we decided to go through Utah to avoid the heat of the desert.
We climbed 5,000 feet and enjoyed the view from Cedar Breaks.
Everything in Utah looks idyllic and perfect; the geologic formations, the trees, fields, and lakes.
In Panguitch, we spent the 4th of July. It's a small town, and a motel kindly donated a room to our cause. We lit a few sparklers in the parking lot to celebrate the holiday, but that we needed to rest up to spend the next day in Bryce Canyon.
PANGUITCH TO BRYCE CANYON
We had lunch by the cliff, and relaxed for the afternoon.
The view from "Inspiration Point" at Bryce Canyon is aptly named. Apparently those column-like projections are called hoodoos. 200 days each year, the canyon reaches freezing temperatures (it was 33 degrees Fahrenheight when we left in the morning... too cold!), and somehow the freezing and thawing cycles chip away rock in these amazing structures.
Loreen paving the path for us up a big hill.
Escalante National Park is surrounded by amazing rock formations. I can post so many pictures, but I'd probably bore you to death.
It's lunchtime, and I need to refuel so that we could head up a 2,500 foot hill to Boulder, Utah. Thanks for reading the blog!
Everything in Utah looks idyllic and perfect; the geologic formations, the trees, fields, and lakes.
In Panguitch, we spent the 4th of July. It's a small town, and a motel kindly donated a room to our cause. We lit a few sparklers in the parking lot to celebrate the holiday, but that we needed to rest up to spend the next day in Bryce Canyon.
PANGUITCH TO BRYCE CANYON
I've always rolled my eyes when people start talking about the "sublime," but Bryce Canyon is best described with that word. We took a short 25 mile ride from Panguitch to Bryce Canyon, and here we are at the entrance of the national park.
We had lunch by the cliff, and relaxed for the afternoon.
The view from "Inspiration Point" at Bryce Canyon is aptly named. Apparently those column-like projections are called hoodoos. 200 days each year, the canyon reaches freezing temperatures (it was 33 degrees Fahrenheight when we left in the morning... too cold!), and somehow the freezing and thawing cycles chip away rock in these amazing structures.
At Bryce, we stayed at Ruby's Inn campgrounds. They donated a place for us to set up tents.
BRYCE CANYON TO BOULDER, UTAH
As I'm writing this blog, we're in Escalante, which is somewhere between Bryce Canyon and Boulder, Utah. Near here, there's the Escalante Petrified Forest, which we sadly don't have time to visit.
The irrigated fields of Henrieville.
Loreen paving the path for us up a big hill.
Escalante National Park is surrounded by amazing rock formations. I can post so many pictures, but I'd probably bore you to death.
It's lunchtime, and I need to refuel so that we could head up a 2,500 foot hill to Boulder, Utah. Thanks for reading the blog!
wow awesome photos! it seems like you all are doing really well. hi alex james james, miss you!
ReplyDeletejill erwich
Excellent decision not going to the "petrified forest" - it is lame. You guys are doing great!
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