We had originally intended to drive the length of Cottonwood Canyon Road to Kodachrome and Bryce from Page, but had a change of plans when we discovered Cottonwood Canyon Road was closed about half way up the road. Instead we spent our morning in Buckskin Gulch then drove to Bryce via Kanab. At 8000 feet, Bryce is still pretty chilly this time of year so we grabbed a room at Ruby's Inn just outside the park (the lodge inside the park was still closed). We stayed two nights which allowed us to see several sunsets and sunrises, attend the excellent talk by Ranger Kevin Poe (followed by stargazing), do a little hiking (and running for Steve), and to complete Norah's Junior Ranger booklet.

"Canyon" is a bit of a misnomer for Bryce; the park is actually a series of amphitheaters formed by erosion along the Paunsaugunt Plateau. After the uplift of the Colorado plateau about sixteen million years ago, the forces of erosion have created a magnificent display of hoodoos and spires. Iron oxides and manganese compounds create the pretty colors that are especially vivid at sunrise and sunset. We spent time at the viewpoints along the rim, which afford stunning panoramic views of the amphitheaters. Hiking below the rim is highly recommended as it provides a completely different perspective of the hoodoos (and really drives home Ebenezer Bryce's view of the canyon "It's a hell of a place to lose a cow"). To stretch our legs Steve went for a trail run in the morning and I did a short hike on the Navajo and Queen's Garden trails in the afternoon. All in all, we had a nice stay at Bryce.