We headed to the boarder at Osoyoos, where we waited more than 45 minutes in line to go across the boarder. Apparently we are not the only ones going "south ".
Our one cool stop of the day was at Dry Falls which is part of the Grand Coulee area. This was a great spot to get us ready to see the Canyons down south, although this area is miniature in comparison. Once upon a time there was a ice dam that broke, releasing 10 times more water than all the rivers in the world combined into this area which carved the coulees and gorges. Dry falls looks alot like what Niagra Falls looks like, only there is no water.
Our planned drive of 10 hours quickly stretched out to much longer- bathroom breaks and stopping at the occasional " point of interest" take up more than "just-a-sec" or so I am told.
We arrive at Boise, Idaho around midnight, to find that almost every sport team in the state also decided to come to Boise. After checking 5-6 hotels, we finally hit the jackpot. One kind front desk clerk advised that the Hyatt might have room. They had a fantastic room - King bed and a pull out couch for Lucas. It was just perfect. The bed was oohhh so cozy and comfy, it was in a quiet location, and the continental breakfast was " all that" and then some!
Saturday we are excited to leave Boise and drive through Salt Lake City to Bryce Canyon Area. Also was a long day of driving, but it will be worth it. Twas miles upon 100's of miles of prairie surrounded by distant Mountains. The GPS guided us through miles upon miles of straight line highway driving. We were all checking the owners manual to see how to turn a corner!On our last hour or so we noticed this ominous cloud following us, but all thought it had to just be a little local " inversion". We arrive at Bryce Canyon at about supper time, and in the dark.
We woke this morning (Sunday the 7th) to the lovely sound of....no, not birds, but snow plows! Yep, 8 inches of snow overnight! Surely we thought, that the roads to the canyon would be plowed already, as it is open all year round, and being the positive thinkers we thought that possibly some of the trails would be cleared too.
We quickly find out that naive hopeful people should holiday in the tropics :-) We plunked down our $25 park pass with no discount (even though only 3 viewpoints were open, and walk- ways were only partially cleared)
The views that we could see through the snow clouds were breathtaking and worth every bit of the $10 ehem... $25 we spent. We all agree that it would be a totally great place to visit again maybe in warmer conditions, and on passable trails. We did see a few hardy snowshoers on the trail below us, but they were having trouble traversing the downgrade even in snowshoes.The funniest thing today Lucas noticed - on the door to the Bryce Canyon Visitor Centre was a sign that advised that fire arms were not allowed in the building! Something we Canadians take for granted almost everywhere in Canada
So...quickly we move on to Zion Canyon, which did not disappoint! It is lower in altitude, and was about 5-8 degrees warmer than at Bryce. What a beautiful feast for the eyes! Awe inspiring, and deeply moving. Every corner was a picture postcard and it took us 3 hours to drive through. We were also treated to a gaggle of wild turkeys feeling quit comfortable with all the humans looking up, with our mouths open, and driving slow.
1 comment:
That's too bad the weather isn't coooperating. Don't forget to see the chocolate fountain in the Bellagio hotel. But you will have to cover Lucas' eyes if you're out on the street much!
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