Our second trip this year turned out to be domestic – no new countries this time. Instead, we headed to Seattle and points north in Washington for our niece Gracie’s graduation and then to the American Southwest to hike and experience some iconic national parks – a longtime goal. Our original itinerary included the following:
Pacific Northwest for 6 days:
- 2 days in Seattle
- 3 days in Bellingham
Travel day from Bellingham to overnight stay in Las Vegas to pick up a car
American Southwest for 10 days:
- Zion for 4 days
- Bryce for 3 days
- Lake Powell for 3 days
Travel day from Lake Powell (Page, AZ) to overnight stay in Las Vegas then fly home
But discussions with relatives in Tucson convinced us to nix the Lake Powell leg due to extreme temperatures. Then, during our stay in the Bellingham area, discussions with the Bostons and Seattles convinced us to add Page, AZ, back for a day so we could visit Lower Antelope Canyon. So, we lopped off a day in Zion and added a day in Page for the second stage of the trip:
American Southwest for 7 days:
- Zion for 3 days
- Antelope Canyon for 1 day
- Bryce for 3 days
Trip is off to a good start! On arrival at SEATAC, we were picked up by the CEO of Crooked Spoon in his tricked out ice cream truck:
A little lawn bowling that evening – very cool. Played with oblong balls that arced when you rolled them, so it was like putting on a green with a rise on it.
The Extraordinary Creatures exhibit in Seattle, featuring real organisms and their real colors. A cool convergence of nature and art.
Brew pub group lunch after in Seattle:
Then a sail to Bainbridge Island on Tim and Anne’s boat:
The next day, a drive up to Bellingham for the graduation, with a stop at Taylor Shellfish Farms for a buttload of oysters and ceviche.
Hike up to Oyster Dome:
The graduation itself:
A final lunch in Bow Edison before we head to Vegas for the start of the second stage of the trip and the Bostons head home:
First ~hiking stop on the way from Vegas to Zion – Petrified Sand Dunes at St. George, a recommendation by the Seattles, who have St. George Frequent Flier status:
Very cool first taste of American Southwest landscape:
After arriving at Zion and chilling at our place for a bit in the late afternoon, we headed out to the first ~hike (~ aren’t really hikes – they’re more like decent walks), Canyon Overlook near sunset (but not too near, inasmuch as the Zion restaurants all close at 9 and we didn’t want to starve). The Grand Arch:
The next morning, we eBiked to the first of our real Zion hikes – Scout’s Lookout and Western Rim trail:
A view of Angel’s Landing, which we did not do:
The second hike (and best of the entire trip); 11-mile out-and-back trek / wade through The Narrows:
Weather in Zion reached >90 degrees, so we ensured that we booked a place with a pool; the iconic view behind it was an unexpected added bonus:
And the place came with resident wildlife for morning coffee entertainment:
Then, a drive southeastward to Page, AZ, and a Navajo tour of Lower Antelope Canyon:
Pretty amazing and a good last-minute addition to the trip.
But then we had to drive back northwestward to our next park destination: Bryce Canyon, featuring its iconic hoodoos eroded rock formations:
And crazy, isolated, unbelievably tall Douglass Firs, growing where no tree should be:
Our highlight there was an 8-mile loop hike from Fairlyland Point, with a 7:00 AM start to secure one of the very few parking spaces at the trailhead:
The next day, we intended to head to a very cool slot canyon outside of the park that seemed to offer an appealing combination of the grandeur of The Narrows at Zion with the sculpted walls of Lower Antelope Canyon. But the dirt road to reach the trailhead included an uphill sandy portion that our rental could not pass, despite repeated attempts. So, we headed instead to Utah’s Kodachrome Basin State Park:
Awesome hand sculptures into the sandstone that we were hoping were Indian and centuries old. Nope. A range we later consulted said that they were from bored ranchers and settlers in the 19th century. Still pretty wild.
The spires of Kodachrome Basin, a park presumably established by the Society of Geologists Who Keep Elbowing Each Other and Giggling Like 9-Year-Olds:
Pretty good digs in Tropic, a town near Bryce Canyon:
From Bryce, we headed back to Las Vegas for a night (and a show), then headed home. More on each leg later, but we first need to posts the remaining stops on the 2023 Prolonged Foray to Europe.
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