Hi Michelle,

Do continue!

Yes, please do.

Thanks! I'm glad someone is reading. This was such a fantastic trip. We've been to Europe several times, S. & Central America, but are realizing we live in the most beautiful country in the world.

Comments: We agree with other posters, the new, sexed-up Pirate show at TI was lame. The girls thought it was really dumb. I thought it was really irritating.

Fri. 5/30 - We checked out of the condo and headed to NY-NY. The girls got to ride the Roller coaster. We then had lunch on the "streets of NY". We headed outside for some photos and then to shopping at the M&M Store. Fun and yummy. I had no idea they had peanut butter M&Ms. These are now my new favorites!! The girls shopped for about an hour and DH & I tried to rest our feet! My feet were wearing out fast. I was actually looking forward to the 2hr. ride to St. George so I could rest my feet.

We took off about 3, losing an hour as we crossed into Utah. My dad passed away 22 years ago. He had spent time driving truck thru many parts of the west. My cousin had told me just before leaving for this trip that my dad LOVED the drive thru the Virgin River gorge, right before St. George. So I was looking forward to seeing it. We had great late afternoon light as we made our way thru the gorge, so it was very beautiful! It made me think of my dad.

St. George - we were once again using a timeshare as a base for the next week. The condo was located in a newer area called Green Valley, so it was very quiet. The condo complex was very nice. We had a 2 bed/2bath, so that made it extra nice for all of us.

We settled in, shopped for food and I planned our next excursion.

Sat. 5/31 - In doing my planning, I knew that St. G would be handy for visiting Zion, but a long haul for Bryce & GC. Doable, but long. I opted to do an overnight to Bryce and was able to get 2 rooms for Sat. We could have fit in one room, but having the extra, non-family member made me feel it was not appropriate. Off to Bryce.

On the way, we stopped just before Springdale at an organic store/deli. Great gelati and snacks. As we travelled thru Zion, we were awed by the red, shear cliffs and stopped several times for photos, even before going thru the tunnel. The east side was also spectacular. The eastside hills looked like poured concrete, frozen in time. Interesting!

The drive was long, with all the stops, but absolutely beautiful. Hwy 89 showed the high desert, along with meadows and cliffs.

We got to Bryce about 3 pm., stopping by the visitor center. I asked about the Navajo/Queens Garden loop. The ranger really discouraged us from doing it since we didn't have proper hiking shoes, just running shoes. She said it was very slippery on the rocks going down Navajo. In fact, she recommended going down Queens & up Navajo! This made me think we would be sticking to the rim trails. We headed to the lodge just in time to check in. The lodge was just as it should be: Rustic, historical, national park-ish. Made dinner res. for 5 (only time we could get)We also inquired about mules rides down the canyon. Big decision: 2 hrs or 4???? Hum?

We were in the sunrise motel building. Very basic rooms and not fancy. It was clean, but I felt the bed linens were old, dull, maybe worn? They needed a good dose of bleach and starch. Even though, the rooms were fine and we couldn't beat the location. The little patio was a nice touch.

Dinner was good. I had a Utah chenin blanc that was quite good, not too dry or sweet. Afterwards, we headed to the rim - what a view! The hoodoos were so interesting and the late afternoon light made everything so magical. We walked over to Sunrise point and down the Queens trail a little. Checked out the store before heading to Bryce Point for sunset.

OMG! This part of the park was so cool!! More formations to check out in the last light. We then decided we had to come back at sunrise to see this part of the canyon - at 6 am.!!

We were told to go down the Navajo because it was steeper and come up the Queen's Garden because it would be easier. I do most of my hiking in my Reebok Classic Running shoes without any problem.

Utahtea

I am enjoying your trip report. How were the temperatures at Bryce when you were there?

I spent a few hours (2nd visit) in Bryce on May 21 and it was 35 degrees and snow flurries.

I'm sure it was much warmer the day before.

Thanks Myer, sounds like mid June or September may be ideal temps for Bryce then. I like it around 65-70 degrees.

utahtea: I thought of you during our trip and sometimes wished you were with us, since you are the southwest expert! I had read the same thing in trip reports. Go down Navajo, up Queens. I also alway use the Reebok Classic Running shoe. The ranger said anytime they have to haul an injured person out, they have improper shoes. I think she was just CYA. I guess this means we will have to go to Bryce again

Myer: your trip reports have been very helpful for our planning.

ncounty: It was really nice: about 70ish high and 38 first thing in the morning.


Sun. 6/1 - DH & I got up by 5:30 in order to get to Bryce Point by sunrise. The girls wanted to sleep longer. As we left the rooms, a couple of deer were grazing outside. It was just a short drive to the point and just before driving into the lot, we spotted a pronghorn right next to the road!! There was a small crowd at the point waiting. Mostly foreign visitors. We ran across mostly French, German, & Italian tourists. The light on the rock formations were constantly changing, so its hard to pick my best shots. All were so beautiful. We stayed maybe about 1/2 hour then headed back to get the girls up, eat and go on our mule ride!! Wooo hooo!!

We wisely chose the 2 hour mule ride, given our inexperience on horseback. It was $40/person. The corral was a short walk from our rooms. They matched us up with mules or horses according to our size. I asked the head cowboy if I could have a mule. He said he didn't know if I could "have" a mule, ha, ha. I told him I could if my husband was a jackass! Ha, ha!! The cowboy got a big kick out of that!! This trial ride company does the rides at Bryce, Zion & North Rim GC. They seem very knowledgable and run a good outfit.

We took off on the trail, going down at Sunrise Point. After 5 minutes on the mule, I knew we had made the right decision to go with the 2 hour ride!! The girls did fine, but me & DH suffered between our hip joints, knees and bottoms!! No matter, the ride was a great way to sit back and take in the view into the canyon and hoodoos. The ride went down a side horse trail then back up the Queens trail. We also got to see some of the Bristlecone pines along the way along with other plants. Wildflowers were just beginning to bloom. Truly a beautiful and special place.

We returned about 11:30, checked out & hit the road. We stopped just across the street from Ruby's to do a little junk shopping. Ruby's was packed with cars & numerous tour busses. It made me glad we got to stay in the park.

At the junction of Bryce & Hwy. 12, we saw a sign straight across from us saying something about protecting the Utah prairie dog etc. So we took the long way back to St. George by going straight and looking for the elusive Utah prairie dog. This road looped north & west thru Antimony & Kingston. We saw more deer, pronghorn and .... prairie dogs!! We then cut over to I-15 and got back to St. G for the night.

Mon. 6/2 - this was a rest day. The girls hung out at the pool. DH & I went into St. George for lunch up at the airport. We then went into the downtown and took a tour of Brigham Young's winter home. Interesting with beautiful grounds. Spent the rest of the day hanging out, swimming, etc.

more to come .....

Pronghorns and prairie dogs, wow! how exciting. I am getting inspired to do this trip soon.

Thank you MichelleY for your trip report. I'm especially interested to hear about your mule ride experience at Bryce - mainly because I'm hoping it would be less hard on spouse's knees than hiking down. But then I read that your joints still squeaked even on the mule (ain't getting older wonderful....) Perhaps hiking would be better after all?

What time in the morning did you set off on your 2 hour ride?

Dear sue:

The the 2 hr. ride(actually 1 1/2 hours)begins at 9 a.m. It really isn't hard on the knees or hips as far as strain, just keeping in one position too long. I would take my foot out of the stirrup to stretch my joints. I think its just me. What I liked was the chance to sit back and take in the view.

Bryce was truly fabulous.

MY

Yes, thanks for the report and for linking it to "Utah" in the forums.

I sadly watch too many great threads disappear into the
abyss of general topic for
lack of a link. spirobullbog's
post sending us to his(?) wonderful
images comes to mind. It dropped off the radar with only four responses.

I will try to finish this up ...

Tues. 6/3 - This was going to be a big day, but we were running out of time to see it all. Originally, we were only going to Bryce & Zion. But when XD agreed to come along, I promised her we would go to the Grand Canyon. We had visited the S. Rim about 4 yrs ago and thought it was terrific. I feel that everyone must see the Grand Canyon at least once in their life. To fit this in, we decided to head to Zion for the day, then head up to the NR-GC for the evening/next day.
I knew we would be short-changing Zion & the NRim, but we would just have to do this trip again sometime!

We got to Zion 10ish and parking was still available at the Visitor Center. We spent some time here then had our picnic lunch. We then headed on the tram into the main canyon. WOW!! Even more fantastic than driving thru on the highway.

The tram system works great plus the narration is very helpful in planning your day. We opted for the easier hikes. First stop was Weeping Rock. Easy, 10 minute walk up to the water/rock/ferns. The views out into the canyon are so beautiful. Sheer, red rock walls with the tree lined river running thru. Just amazing, but intimate.

We then headed to the last stop, Riverwalk. I had only planned to hike part way and be on the road by 2, but it was just too inviting to head to the end of the trail to the beginning of the famous "Narrows" trail. The walk was easy and again very pretty. At the trail end, we waded in the water. Someday the "Narrows"!!

We then planned to head out, but DX wanted to at least go up to the 1st Emerald Pool. It was a short, easy hike, but the pool was a bit dried up. Only a small amount of water was falling from the cliff above. I can imagine how cool this place would be just maybe a month earlier.

We headed out and were on the road by 4. I called the north rim to say we would be checking in late, about 7. But that's Utah time. Get into Arizona, and you gain an hour!! The drive was the typical scene you would see in a Western movie. In fact, some movies have be shot in the the area from Kanab into AZ.

The road was very isolated and we wouldn't see a car but about every 20 minutes or so. The meadows heading up to the N. Rim line both sides of the road before the aspen & pine forests start. We also saw some areas of fire damage from past years. In the meadows, we spotted deer grazing and even a porcupine!!

We finally arrived at the North Rim and were greeted by the typical national parkish lodge. This lodge was made of logs and stone. As you walk in, registration is to the left and the huge, canyon view dining room to the right. What a beautiful space: high, beamed ceilings with large viewing windows. Straight ahead is a lounge with couches & chairs with more viewing windows. On each side of the lounge are doors heading out to the viewing decks. And beyond this is the fabulous Grand Canyon!! It is just so grand! I had forgotten how huge it was and was so glad to be here once again. XD was so amazed. She could not believe how big it was. We had warned her that the Grand Canyon would make Zion & Bryce look small!!

We took in some of the view, then headed to our cabin near the rim. The larger & remodeled cabins are to the left of the lodge, and the "common folks" cabins are to the right, along with a motel building. We got a common folk "Pioneer" cabin. There were rows & rows to walk thru, but ours was at the edge of the rim. I loved it. Very simple, but clean & comfy. It had 2 bedrooms with shower/sink/toilet in between. The were original log cabins, built in 1928. Very cute.

We went back to the lodge to watch the sunset, check out the gift shop, have a cocktail and sit in on a ranger talk. We were set for dinner at 9:30, so we had some time to kill.

The girls went out to the deck to do some star gazing. A guy had a telescope set up. When they came in to dinner, they said they got to see Saturn, rings and all!! Wow!! Dinner was pretty good and the service was great.

After dinner, we all went out to take a look at the stars. Since there is a lack of light pollution, the stars reach almost to the horizon and are so bright. We also saw the Milky Way rising in the southeast: I thought is was a cloud, it was such a mass of stars. A great was to end the day.

more to come.....

Sorry for the typos - I messed up with the editing button and lost the end of my report:


Wed. 6/4 - We woke up to the sound of squirrels running on our cabin roof. The weather was cloudy and cold. We all took showers and packed up. We went to the lodge for breakfast and got a window seat. A great way to enjoy breakfast! The buffet looked fair and not worth it for me, so the girls and I ordered off the menu. DH did the buffet. The meal was pretty good.

After breakfast, we went into the viewing lounge and checked out the Brighty of the Grand Canyon bronze. I read the book as a kid and always thought Brighty, the wild burro, was a "she". She was actually a "he". Now I know.

The weather was supposed to be getting pretty nasty: high winds and snow. We decide to just do the short walk out to Bright Angel Point to take photos and enjoy our last glimpses of this fabulous place. The ride back to St. George was about 3 1/2 hours.

Thur. 6/5 - This was our last full day in Utah. The girls hung out at the pool. DH & I went to downtown St. G for lunch at the Bear Paw Cafe. Great place for breakfast or lunch. Later that day, we all went to a matinee to see the new Indiana Jones movie.

Fri. 6/6 - We checked out of our condo and headed back to Las Vegas. Our flight was at 4 p.m., so we went to the Paris for lunch. We walked the "streets of Paris" and lunched at Mon Ami Gabi. Great meal & atmosphere and fun place to people watch. We returned the rental car, checked in at the airport and headed home.

This was great trip and we all enjoyed it very much. Las Vegas was fun, but it can't compare to the natural beauty of Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon. I have been trying to decide which park was my favorite and I just can't pick one. Each is special and unique. I hope we will return some day soon and spend more time in these wonderful national parks.

MY

I enjoyed your trip report. Thanks for sharing!

Really great report...thanks!

Isn't the North Rim neat? It has
a whole different feel that the bustling south rim. You're right about the dining room views...spectacular.

I don't fret much about picking a favorite park. I just lump them all together and call the southwestern United States one of my favorite places. I've never gone and seen just one park anyway.

Anyway..thanks again...here's a picture of the NR Lodge by way of thanks.

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/35115489

Hi Michelle,
Thanks so much for the excellent report. Your description and experience at the north rim was incredibly similar to ours last summer, including your cabin and location and the breakfast buffet
I too found the stature of Brighty to be s sweet surprise; my family thought i was nuts! LOL

Could you tell me more about St. George? We were supposed to stay there last summer but ended up in Mt. Carmel instead. Would still like to check it out; heard much of High School Musical 2 was filmed there! Yes, i know i know, but what can i say?! loved the movies; lived the movies!

Peterboy, thanks for the fabulous photo! Wow, your pics are always truly stellar. And i agree with you re too many reports falling into the archived abyss

Thank you all for reading my report.

peter: I put your blog into my favorites and will enjoy going thru your photos!! Those aspens are great.

ellen: Yeh, my daughter didn't get what the big deal was about Brighty. "You are SO embarrassing!"
St. George is a fairly large town so it has many amenities. It seems very nice and from what I gather, a popular retirement & vacation spot in Utah. There are a few very popular spas: Green Valley & Red Mountain. Lots of golfing, hiking, biking available in the surrounding area. It is a good hop off point to Zion or Cedar Breaks, but is a bit far for day trips to Bryce or GC. We really liked it: not too big and not to small. I've also always enjoyed your trip reports!!

MY

Thank you. I found your trip report very helpful, indeed.

Thanks for the report, a bit late seeing it on my part, this is one of our favorite parts of the country to visit. Part of the wonder is to see the contrast between Vegas and the fantastic parks. Nice that Vegas is there though, because sometimes you can get great air fares into it and head right out for the parks.

Amen - great report.