This morning we had a slower start, but we still rope dropped breakfast. Today, though, breakfast was at MeMe’s, which opened at 8 instead of 7. MeMe’s was also a very short drive from the hotel. Honestly, most of the town was probably walkable from the Hampton Inn, but we are from a rural area and therefore used to just getting in the car to go anywhere.
Breakfast at MeMe’s was good, but not nearly as good as the breakfast we had had the day before at Oscar’s. I had eggs, potatoes, and sourdough toast. I think Nick had a breakfast sandwich. The sourdough was definitely the winner here. Service was good too. Nothing picture worthy though.
When we finished breakfast, we hopped across the street to fill the gas tank, and then headed back to the hotel to pack. Packing was a process, but it got done, and we were on the road shortly before 10 am.
The drive to Bryce Canyon National Park from Springdale was approximately 2 hours. It involved a trip through the historic Mt Carmel/Zion tunnel, views of the checkerboard mesa and Red Canyon, and bison and (tiny, gazelle-like) deer sightings. It also involved driving on a lot of roads that had the same route numbers as those we drive on at home every day, which was kind of amusing. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive and wish I had pulled over more frequently for more pictures. Nick stayed awake for more of the drive than I had expected.
Arriving at Bryce was more exciting than anything, but, honestly, kind of bittersweet. Bryce has been on my list for a long time. My grandparents, who have been a major part of my life, traveled extensively across the continental US and eastern Canada while they were able. Their travels (and mine as I’ve started traveling) have always been a big topic of conversation around the dining room table. Other than Hawaii, the places that stuck with them the most were Garden of the Gods, and Bryce. Having been to Garden of the Gods, and totally understanding why they were so impressed, I’d become very intrigued by Bryce. The last time I saw Grammy before she died this fall, conversation once again turned to upcoming travel plans, and she was beyond excited to hear that we were going to Bryce this spring. So to get there, and cross Bryce off my never-been-there list, knowing how happy she was that I was going to see this place…was pretty special.
We were at Bryce for about 3 ½ hours. Bryce is small, but amazing. It has a short (13 mile?) scenic drive, with multiple viewpoints to stop at. I took the advice I’d read in my Lonely Planet Zion and Bryce book and drove all the way out to the farthest viewpoint and then worked my way back, rather than starting with the viewpoint closest to the entrance. This allowed me to always be on the same side of the road for the parking areas. Surprisingly, since it was the middle of the day, I never had an issue getting a parking space. Bryce was significantly less crowded than Zion. It was also about 30 degrees colder, and incredibly windy. I was wishing my jacket wasn’t in my suitcase, even with jeans and a long sleeve shirt on!
Zion is spectacular. Bryce is other worldly. There’s just no other way to describe it. Wow was the most common word said in the car during our time there. You should go. Period. Everyone should. Bryce is amazing, and I almost immediately understood why Grammy was so excited to hear we were going here.
After hitting all the viewpoints, I made a stop in the visitor’s center for some souvenirs (need that ornament!). While there, my UNH shirt resulted in a “are you from NH” question. Turns out the person asking the question was a retired teacher from Mass. Small world.
Shopping complete, it was time to go find hotel number 4 of the trip. Stone Canyon Inn is in the town of Tropic, about 20 minutes from the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park. There are some campgrounds and a couple of Best Westerns in Bryce Canyon City, at the entrance to the park, and then some smaller places over in Tropic. Somehow Stone Canyon Inn made it on my radar early enough in trip planning, and we booked there.
It was an easy and beautiful drive over to Tropic. Tropic is a tiny little town, and we found Stone Canyon Inn easily enough. Check in was quick and painless. As I turned to leave, one of the women who had walked into the office behind me asked if I am from NH, in light of my shirt. When I said yes, she pointed to her friend and said “so is she”. Low and behold, she’s from the town I work in. For those of you from cities, this isn’t remarkable. But the town I work in is TINY. The elementary school that serves that town is essentially 6 one room school houses under one roof, because there are only enough kids for one class per grade, K-5. You read that right. So running into someone from this town in a small town in Utah was kinda mind blowing. We chatted for a few minutes, and then I headed out to find our treehouse.
Yes, our treehouse. Stone Canyon Inn has several different types of accommodations, but I went for the interesting one with the guaranteed view. They have two treehouses. I think we were in 31. It’s on the far end of the property, overlooking the eastern edge of Bryce Canyon National Park. It was cute, comfortable, and had fantastic views. Oh…and the whole property, but especially this corner of it, was incredibly quiet. So peaceful. Pretty much immediately, Nick did not want to leave.
While we didn’t get pictures, while unloading the car, we saw deer just across from our treehouse. We really are in a peaceful spot here. We spent some time just enjoying the views before it was time for dinner.
Tropic doesn’t have a ton of places to eat, but the places they do have are just our style. There’s a pizza place, a bbq place, and a restaurant that seems to have a little of everything on the menu. IDK BBQ was our dinner destination. Nick had the two meat, two side platter, with brisket and pulled pork, and I had the loaded baked potato (butter, shredded cheese and nacho cheese) with sweet chicken. Our dinner was delicious! I’m pretty sure in this town, IDK stands for I DO Know, because this bbq joint knows their stuff.
After dinner we went back to the treehouse and continued enjoying the view. I loved seeing how the sunset changed the appearance of the rock formations in the distance. And we could not get over the peace and quiet of this property. And we tried the root beer that we’d picked up in a gift shop the night before, that screamed Utah. Atlantic Brewing Company in Bar Harbor, Maine still has the best root beer of any I’ve tried. This one was just ok.
As it got dark out and I crawled into bed, I was amazed to discover that there was so little light pollution here that I could see the stars clearly from the bed. I live in a rural area, but this was a new experience for me!
I think we were both a little reluctant to go to bed that night, knowing that this was basically the end of the vacation.
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