Day 10 – Bryce Canyon NP

The forecast for Bryce Canyon NP called for a 30% chance of snow. Accumulations of up to .5 inches were possible. Highs were expected to reach into the mid 40s. Today’s forecast was our best chance to see Bryce because tomorrow and the next day were near 80% chance of snow with accumulations of 3-5 inches each day! Not good motorcycling weather.

We had breakfast and were rolling to Bryce by 8am.

The temps in Zion were quite moderate in the low 50s. Once we left Zion, we steadily continued to ascend in elevation from Zion’s 4,400 ft to Bryce’s elevation of around 9,000 ft. Today we would all be making full use of our electric heated gear.

The ride was about 80 miles from Zion to Bryce and took us about 2.5 hours. We passed by the Sevier River which was running over its banks. It looks as though Utah is having some flooding issues. Fortunately, we didn’t see any structures seriously endangered.

We passed through the Dixie National Forest and the Red Canyon which offered more great scenery.

We arrived at Bryce at 10:30am. Temperatures at the entrance were around 37F and there were light snow flurries falling. We ducked into the visitor’s center to get our passports stamped and to look for a few souvenirs.

We made our way to the top of the park. Temps continued to fall.

Rainbow point was the top most vista we reached.

We then made our way down stopping at each of the overlooks. Each one offering beautiful vistas and rock formations but the temps were quite cold so we left our helmets and jackets on.

At Ponderosa point, Michele found a raven posing for pictures.

He was quite the ham fluffing himself up.

The temps were cold enough that after awhile, Michele elected to stay on the bike and plugged in to keep warm.

Our last stop was at Bryce Point. 

It was now 1:30pm and we were well past lunch time so we stopped in at Bryce Lodge for lunch and then headed back to Zion. Before returning to the lodge however, we needed to make a run to Springdale to do laundry.

While Michele and Tom washed the clothes, Rob rode west to locate an auto parts store. One of the headlights on the Wing had burnt out and he needed to get a replacement. After a 22 mile ride to Hurricane, UT, Rob found a parts store and was able to purchase some spare bulbs and make the repair. While Rob was away, Tom and Michele spoke to an older gentleman on a Kawasaki from Nevada who was camping in the park. He was a character! They also spent awile speaking with a nice man who works in Zion Park, retired from the Air Force.

Once Rob returned, Michele and Tom had completed the laundry and were ready for dinner. With a recommendation for the Pizza & Noodles across the street, we headed to dinner. The pizza was good after a long day.

We returned to the Zion Lodge by 8pm. We had logged nearly 300 miles and seen more fantastic vistas. It had been a great but tiring day. Tomorrow we’ll sleep in and enjoy the sights of spectacular Zion.