It was a busy day! The park was busy (it’s Labor Day weekend), and we were busy.
Leila started her day early with a mule ride to the bottom of the canyon. Her steed’s name was Geraldine; she proved to be a safe ride, if not a little too interested in snacking along the trail. Leila had a great time…she reports that the trail at first seemed a little narrow, but the mule knew the routine and navigated it safely.
Meanwhile, back at camp, I dug out the Traeger and smoked a small tri tip roast for future consumption. I discovered that pellets shift while the RV is moving. They got to places they shouldn’t have been, and I had a brief fire inside the Traeger. All is well now.
The afternoon found us exploring the park. We used the shuttle to go to Bryce Point, then Inspiration Point, then began a hike that followed the rim for a little more than a mile, then into the canyon on a combination of the Queen’s Garden trail and the Navajo trail. All told we hiked 4.6 miles in about three hours. See the pictures below for an idea of the grade coming out of the canyon…at 8000 feet elevation.
In the evening our group went to Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill for a chuckwagon dinner and country music show. It was truly unique, the food was good and the concert was well done and had nice production values. There were more than a few ads during the evening…I guess production doesn’t come for free…
Sunday will be laid back…we’ll drive into the park, see the visitors center and get Leila’s NP passport stamped, then drive to some viewpoints. There will be a driver’s meeting in the evening, then Monday we travel.
