Bryce Canyon / Zion National Parks

Our good friends Bob and Shelley invited us to join them for a weekend trip to Cedar City to attend the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s performance of Romeo and Juliet. We drove over to their house, parked our car in their garage and were on our way by 11:00 a.m.

The drive north is about 3 hours and as is typical in the desert, pretty scenically challenged. We passed the time with good conversation and a lunch stop in Mesquite, NV. We checked into the Hampton Inn a little before 4:00 p.m. After changing into fresh clothes, we headed over to the campus of Southern Utah University for a cocktail reception hosted by UBS, Shelley’s employer. They served wine, beer and sodas along with a spread of crudités, cheeses, chicken sate and meatballs. It was enough to satisfy our appetite. We met several clients of UBS hailing from Salt Lake to Las Vegas.

A slight drizzle ensued, but we made the short walk across the campus to the courtyard in front of the theatre. The theatre is open air with partially covered seating area. The structure reminded me of what I would think the Globe Theatre in London looks like, made of wood with turrets and two-tier seating. Luckily, the rain held off and the fear of having to move the performance indoors was alleviated. The performance was terrific. It was so professional that Jeff and I are considering coming back next year.

The next day, we drove east over the mountain range to see Bryce Canyon National Park. It is a long, winding but beautiful drive to reach the entrance to the park. We paid our $25 fee per vehicle and then proceeded to make several scenic stops. We saw Sunset Point, Bryce Point, Swamp Canyon, Farview Point and Natural Bridge. Bryce Canyon is known for its Hoodoos, pillars of rocks arrayed in fantastic shapes left by erosion. After a nice lunch at the Bryce Canyon Lodge served by the worst waiter known to man, we headed out of the park for the long drive home.

The way home necessitated us to drive through Zion National Park.  The ranger didn't charge us an entrance fee because the he said the rangers at Bryce should have sold Bob a senior pass that gets him into all national parks for life.  Bob was a very happy camper!  Zion is another beautiful area with steep cliffs and narrow canyons.  We made a pit stop at the visitor center, took some pictures and then made our way home.

A very nice way to spend a few days!!