Bryce Canyon

7-7-16

DAY 19

Last night, we arrived into Tropic, UT which is right near Bryce Canyon National Park so we zipped into the park for sunset. We needed to eat a quick dinner so we got introduced to Hot Pockets at a local gas station and heated them in the microwave in our room. This could become a staple for us - we loved them! Plus, they are cheap and quick (Maya's having them for dinner again tonight).

Bryce is a lot different than Grand Staircase-Escalante - there are lots of people. But, it is still beautiful - brightly colored hoodoos everywhere. At Sunset Point, the rays of sun lit up the hoodoos and made them even more colorful. Once again, we slept really well - it felt so good.

We got a little bit of a later start on our hike this morning, but it's not quite as hot here (but it's still hot). Since not everyone wanted to hike the Fairyland Trail (6 miles), we divided into two groups: guys and girls. So Mama, Maya and I hiked the longer trail today and Papa and James did a shorter hike. This worked out perfectly for everyone. The Fairyland Trail was super cool and didn't have the crowds. Around every corner, the hoodoos seemed to be different, but still breathtaking.

However, the best part of the hike was the ending. There was a store where you could make your own creemees! Mama and Papa sometimes joke with us that there is ice cream at the end of the hike to keep us going, but it really happened this time. Since you could make your own, you could make it as high as you want, or until it topples over. They were delicious!
  


While we were eating ice cream, a women looked at Mama and said, "You look very familiar. Where are you from?" And Mama said "New Hampshire." in a tone that was like there's no way she recognizes me it must be someone else. But then, the lady asked, "Did you go to Colby?" As it turned out, the lady was Hilary Anderson, and she had graduated from Colby the same year as Mama nearly 20 years before. She now lives in Arizona with two kids and her husband, , Phoebe, 8, and Eden, 6. Their whole crew was there. so when Eden and Phoebe and Eden got bored of waiting for their parents and began arguing over a stick, I stepped in and we continued to peacefully tell stories and build a pretty fairy house. When it was time to leave, Phoebe and Eden gave me a hug good-bye and we gave them our "business card" with our emails and stuff. After, we drove for an hour to Mt. Carmel, where we settled in and even watched a little TV. All in all,  it was a pretty good day.