Day 28

Day 28 - Sunday, July 19th, 2009

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT to Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Excited by reaching the Grand Canyon four weeks into our adventure, we were up and off nice and early once again. We stopped at the Galaxy Diner in Hatch, UT, experienced the 1950s (again), and continued on.

Becoming repetitive, we were on a designated scenic road in UT; RT-89. This road took us through the Red Canyon and past the entrance to Zion National Park. We filled up the gas tank in Kanab, UT, stopped at a grocery store, and turned down RT-69 which leads to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. 60+ miles later we entered the park and immediately encountered a herd of buffalo that was having a difficult time deciding which side of the road to be on.

We continued on, checked into our campsite, and hiked to the Lodge. The Lodge was rebuilt in the 1930s, with spectacular views of the Grand Canyon. After a few tentative ventures to the lip of the Canyon

we found a seat on the sun deck and ordered drinks from the Saloon.

A meditative hour later, we hiked the 1 1/2 miles back to our campground, started a fire, made some corn and chili, and enjoyed the night. As impossible as it may seem, we had just spent three nights in the darkest, driest part of the country, excellent locations for viewing the night sky, and each location (Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Grand Canyon) was cloudy overnight.

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