Jackson Hole, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Las Vegas 2012 - Day 6

We left bright and early for Bryce Canyon National Park this morning.  When we arrived, we paid the $25 entrance fee and decided to take a shuttle tour of the park.  The buses come every 10 minutes and there are hop on/hop off privileges, so people can spend as much time as they’d like at each location.  For people who only have a few hours to spend at Bryce, I recommend the shuttle.  Plus, it helps cut down on pollution and traffic – so you can feel you are being of some benefit to our earth.  Bonuses all around! 

We rode the shuttle to Bryce Point, where the 5 of us got out to hike, and Leah and Kenny stayed on the shuttle to continue the tour.  We decided to hike the rim trail to Inspiration Point, which is a 1.5 mile trek along the rim of the canyon.  It was over 100 degrees, but the second we looked down into the Bryce Amphitheater, I forgot all about the heat.

Bryce Canyon is other-worldly, and I have never seen something in nature as phenomenal as those giant rust colored “hoodoos” (which means “to cast a spell”).  You know, the big tall pillars that just seem to grow right out of the earth.  I could just picture God, when He was creating the world, saying, “here kids, here’s something else for you to enjoy.”

We hiked along, in the heat and high elevation (8,000 feet), but when you are in the presence of something so beautiful, the little discomforts just disappear, and we all really enjoyed ourselves.  By "all" I mean just Chad and I.  The kids were too hot, and you remember being a kid - stuff like that got old after awhile.  We got back on the shuttle, finished the tour, and met Kenny and Leah at the gift shops in Old Bryce Town.

Today was Chad’s day to drive, so we headed towards Zion National Park, where we weren’t exactly sure what we would find.  We paid $25 to get in, as well as another $15 for an escort through the tunnels, because RVs need to drive through the middle of the tunnels without any other cars around, and a park ranger needs to help in making sure it's safe to drive. 

The stunning Zion National Park

After seeing Bryce, I couldn’t imagine anything more fantastic, but once we got into Zion, all 7 of us were so speechless, we just kept blurting out comments, trying to express our thoughts, “Holy Cow!” “Are you serious!?” “It looks like the movie Cars,” “Oh Lord, I think we’re going to go over the edge.  Kids… this may be the end.”  (Okay, I was in the front seat and I tend to be scared of heights in my old age.  Plus, Chad was driving.)  Zion was actually even more majestic than Bryce and I instantly regretted not having more time to camp and explore, but it was just so hot, and the kids had hiked about as far as they cared to, so we just drove through the park, stopping only once for pictures.   

I left with a renewed sense that although or lives are short, and can seem insignificant at times, they are important to God, and through His creation He shows us how awesome He is.  He gives us the capacity to love beautiful things, and then He makes beautiful things for us to enjoy.   

We drove through Utah, through the corner of NW Arizona and into Nevada.  It was 108 degrees when we entered Las Vegas and were so ready to be done driving for a few days.  We’re staying at the KOA at Circus Circus, which is the only RV park on the strip.  We got our campsite set up, and we were so thankful for a tree that, although it wasn’t much cooler under it's shade – it kept our skin from burning, and melting off onto the red-hot pavement.  (Sometimes I'm dramatic when I'm hot and fussy.)

We weren’t going far from camp tonight, since it was dinnertime and we were tired, so we settled on Rock & Rita’s inside Circus Circus.  I don't waste much time complaining about stuff on my vacation blogs, but I will say: avoid this restaurant at all cost!!  Unless you like long waits, rude waiters, low-quality food, and crap-service in general.  If that’s the case, this place will be just right for you.  Try the brisket!

Leah and Kenny parted ways with us, and the 5 of us went to the Midway at Circus Circus.  Or as it should be called: “Gambling for Tikes.”  I can’t describe the feeling of giving the kid $10 and then having them return, clutching their winnings in the form of two tootsie pops.  Next stop was Adventuredome, to ride the Canyon Blaster roller coaster.  Adventuredome is Circus Circus’s indoor theme park, and the roller coaster is a fun double-loop, double corkscrew ride that was a blast.  Sure, it cost $40 for the 5 of us to ride once, but what is Las Vegas for, if not to take all your money? 

We’re back at our campsite now, and I can count about 8 stars in the sky.  The city is lit up like daytime.  It’s the opposite of what Chad and I experienced early this morning in Utah.  It was just before 3:00 AM, when we got up and snuck outside the RV to look at the stars.  Never in my entire 35 years on this planet, had I seen such an unbelievable night sky.  The Milky Way was directly overhead, and there were more stars than my eyes could even take in.  Shooting stars flew across the sky every minute or so, and the stars near the horizon were twinkling like Christmas lights.  I don’t know about you, but I like that kind of night sky.  And with every shooting star, with just Chad and me alone under that amazing sky, I could almost hear God say, “Hey, kids, watch this.”

But now we’re in Las Vegas.  The freaky-deaky town that I’m pretty sure is where God threw His trash when we was done creating places like Zion.  But still we love it, and still we’ll have fun, because:

"Bright light city gonna set my soul,

gonna set my soul on fire.

Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn,

So get those stakes up higher...

Viva Las Vegas!  VivaLas Vegas!  Viva, Viva Las Vegas!"

-Elvis Presley

-The Niemeyers