Day 10 – Kanab
The night was calm but terribly cold. We ended up sleeping with winter coats, slippers and scarves around our heads. This morning, there’s even a frozen stalactite coming out of the tap… We try to warm up and get going. There are interesting places to see in this charming town: an old heritage house, churches, a small antique shop, an old cinema…
We then set off for the “surprise”: dinosaur tracks on top a hill. The entrance to the site is closed because of the snow so we ask the tenants at the local cafe if it is possibly to go there. They tell us it is, but we will have to brave the mud and the snow to get there. Côme and Doo are motivated. A bit of snow and mud is not going to keep them from seeing real dinosaur tracks. Alright, so it’s not just “a bit”. It turns out it is a real adventure to get there. We have to make our way through bushes and deep snow and create our own path to the top of the hill. At one point, we even get lost on an old gentleman’s property. He tells us to backtrack and go through a crack in the mountain to get to the tracks…
After a good half-hour of “climbing”, we finally reach the summit and go searching for dino tracks. Côme is very good at finding them and we manage to discover quite a few. Once we’re back at the cafe, the gentlemen congratulate us for being “true explorers” and we set off for Bryce Canyon.
When we arrive at the site, we pass through beautiful natural arches. Côme immediately tells us: “Oh! That’s where Lightning McQueen drive through!!! There’s a waterfall afterwards!!” 😊 Well, after that, there isn’t any waterfall but there’s a lot of snow and they’re forecasting extreme cold for tonight again. So we decide to sleep in a real campsite. Well, an RV park with hookups in a chic hotel/resort. Tonight, we’re living the grand life! We’ll be able to turn on the heater. 😅
The hotel itself is beautiful! It is made out of logs, there’s a magnificent entrance hall with a giant fireplace and a shop that sells Indian crafts. Outside, there’s ton of snow and huge stalactites are hanging from the roofs. It really feels like we’re in Canada. We take some time in the shop, use the restrooms for cowboys and cowgirls and we spend the rest of our evening by our electric heater playing Uno (it’s become our favorite game since Korea… Thanks António!). It’s nothing like the hotel beautiful fireplace, but we’re feeling warm and cozy tonight…
Day 11 – Bryce Canyon
This morning, waking up is much easier. We’re almost hot! We slowly get ready. We can even have a little more “thorough” wash at the hotel, and then we leave for the canyon, a few miles away.
Unfortunately, there’s too much snow and most of the site is closed. We can only stop at three viewpoints and hiking is impossible (except for people who have snowshoes or climbing shoes). The scenery is still magnificent and impressive, but we can’t help imagining being here with a bit more sun and much less snow. We’re definitely unlucky with the weather in the United States so far. The good thing is that Côme is feasting on stalactites and has yet again a lot of fun throwing snowballs into the canyon.
After the short stops, we set off fairly quickly through the snow-capped mountains towards the Valley of Fire. On the way, the landscapes are magnificent. Sometimes there are huge walls of snow on each side of the road. We can see people on snowmobiles, chalets, evergreen trees… Once again, we feel like we’re in Canada. We even go through a small snowstorm at the top of a mountain range. Doo has never driven do slowly in his life. And then, down the valley, the snow disappears and the warmer temperatures return. We’re heading towards the desert. Tonight, the pretty campsite we had selected is once again inaccessible (too far off a dirt road) so we’ll have to settle for a rather ugly area not far from a highway.
These past couple of days, Côme:
Did not understand: how the rock that made the arch was “build”.
Learnt: that in the past, a mountain was flat.
Loved: to discover dinosaure tracks.
Julia:
Did not understand: why it was possible to bring a fireweapon at the diner.
Learnt: that dinosaure tracks could stay that well preserved in rocks.
Loved: the viewpoints from Bryce Canyon and the heater in the van.
Doo:
Did not understand: why we couldn’t find our gasoline at the gas station.
Learnt: that Utah used different gasolines to pollute less in altitude.
Loved: the “western” ambiance from the hotel.
Burger counter: 07