Getting into the traveling mood

First off, photos. They say one picture is worth a thousand words… We’ll try to regularly update photos in our Picasa site (http://picasaweb.google.com/AnatGiora). The latest crop, mostly from Bryce, is available at http://picasaweb.google.com/AnatGiora/FarewellPicnicLasVegasToBryce. However, I think that when it comes to nature and scenery the above saying is not always true. In many cases, I feel that photos simply can’t convey what the eyes see in reality, if only due the limited angle it can capture.

Anyway, today we took our first serious hike (almost 4 km) with the girls, and everybody seems to be settling into the traveling rhythm. We are still experiencing some beginning-of-trip adjustments and difficulties, which are to be expected, but we’re getting there.
We were hiking inside the canyon amongst spectacular Hoodoos - the magnificent rock formations that are the result of natural erosion. There are other places in the world with similar geological phenomena, but in few places if any the concentration of such formations is so impressive and beautiful. Add the strong colors, mostly shades of red, and you’ll get a truly spectacular view.

A few folks asked me for specific recommendations for future reference, so I’ll establish a recommendation corner. I’ll be sure to leave it at the end of posts, so that the uninterested reader will be able to easily skip it.

Bryce Canyon recommendation corner
The trail I mentioned above starts at the Sunset point, goes downhill through the Navajo Loop and ends in the Sunrise Point. It is highly recommended.
The view from Rainbow Point (the furthest in the canyon) is nice, but not nearly as spectacular as the view from the two points mentioned above.
We haven’t tried horse-back riding, but it’s available.
Ruby’s Inn campground near Bryce’s entrance is a fine one, with very nice log cabins. Like every privately owned campground it’s not as pure nature as the ones inside the National Park, but accordingly it has more elaborated facilities. We enjoyed it a lot.In general, three nights in Bryce Canyon seemed like the right choice for us.

Giora