Summer Vacation Trip - Day 13

I got Mollie up at about 5:45 AM so we could go and watch the sunrise.  Mollie was irritable about the early morning but she had told me that a ranger had said "Bryce Canyon is more of a sunrise park than a sunset park.”  Sadly, the clouds decided to block the sun, so we were only able to see its light through a few spaces between the clouds.  Mollie wanted to go back to sleep so I let her.  Meanwhile, I checked on the availability of horse rides at Bryce and learned they were booked for the next several days.  When I got back to the room and told Mollie about this, she got upset and became very worried that we'd "never get to ride a horse at all during the trip."  I assured her that I'd try to make it happen and asked her to be patient.  We ate breakfast (buffet) at the Lodge at Bryce Canyon (done at 0725).  After our meal was over, we visited the laundromat it was open this time.  We started up a load of laundry (Mollie helped me with her loose change) and killed some time in the room.  I gave Mollie the print outs I'd brought for the different horse ride places and Mollie called the Canyon Trail Rides company (at Zion) and set up a reservation for our three hour ride on July 1.  By this point, the washer was done and we moved the clothes to the dryer.  After switching everything over, we drove back to the Visitor Center to pick up some souvenirs and explore the exhibits a bit.  Mollie had a good time climbing into the children's prairie dog tunnel and hugging a “hoodoo” (the stacked rock formation).  We went back to check on our clothes and found they were completely dry (we were surprised by the effectiveness of the much-used machines).  We folded and packed everything away, checked out of the Lodge and went on a short walk on the rim trail.  The views were much better (clouds had lifted) but Mollie wasn't really in the mood to walk.  So, even though I wasn't ready, we departed from the main canyon area (1000).  Mollie told me she wanted to leave the park altogether but I didn't want to go - instead, I took the main park road so we could visit the many different sights (Rainbow Point, Natural Bridge, Swamp Canyon, Inspiration Point, and many others) that were visible from the many pull-outs.  I got out at several stops and walked alone (with Mollie staying in the car).  After about an hour, though, Mollie decided to get out at the last few stops and took lots more pictures.  Eventually, we had run out of things to do in the park that didn't involve multiple-mile hikes.  I had really been enjoying the cooler weather but it started to warm up with we got back to the town of Bryce Canyon.  At that point, Nicky called Mollie to chat and I stopped in a parking lot to keep the cell phone signal.  We ate lunch (snacks) in the car and left the area at around 1345.  We then drove back to US-89 by following UT-12.  I’d promised Mollie one more stamp (Cedar Breaks) but I wanted to make sure we found lodging before it got too late (I was worried about Holiday Weekend crowds).  We found a relatively inexpensive place in Hatch called the Bryce Zion Inn (1415).  The owner’s son was cleaning the hotel rooms and Mollie asked me about child labor laws (I replied that everyone had to help to make a family business a success).  We stashed our bags and then drove south (on US-89 again).  We got a gas fill-up at KB Express in Orderville (1425).  We then drove west on UT-14 and then north on UT-148 until we arrived at the NPS site.  After getting out of the car, we noticed lots of snow around - it was also cool enough to need a light jacket!  When Mollie saw the view, she told me that she thought Cedar Breaks NM was a "microcosm of Bryce Canyon.”  The rocks visible in the canyon were from the same geologic period as Bryce.  We were expecting the park to be deserted but the Visitor Center was so full that we could hardly move.  The NPS passport cancellation station was located next to a window that overlooked the one half of the canyon.  A little girl pointed out a Yellow-Bellied Marmot that was sitting atop the cliff and Mollie got really excited.  Meanwhile, he ran into the bushes and Mollie ran out of the visitor center to try and get a picture of him.  She couldn't see him so she gave up and got some pictures of the canyon.  Just then, all of the kids that were there got super excited because a (different?) marmot had appeared right near the overlook.  Many squeals (some from Mollie) ensued.  She was taking pictures next to a man whose camera lens was literally longer than her forearm.  Soon enough, the marmot's friend showed up and they both had fun running down into the canyon and out of sight.  Having satisfied Mollie’s need for pictures from that angle, we went back to the car and drove north.  We were at about 10500 feet of elevation and it was about 50 degrees (pleasant!). I convinced Mollie to climb on top of a snow pile - she slipped in the mud and got kind of dirty but she told me it was worth the mess.  We only stopped a few more times before heading out of the park to the north.  We then used UT-148 again and, later, UT-143 to get back to Hatch.  After getting settled in our room, we capped off the day by eating a delicious dinner at Hatch Station.  The owners were very nice and it wasn’t too busy.  We were finished by 1805 and went back “to chill” (as Mollie called it) in the room. Mollie told me she’d had a very fun day.  We read and watched TV and I researched entry requirements for Zion (and discovered that we had to ride a shuttle) so we’d be prepared for the logistics of getting to the horse stables on time.  Mollie wrote a blog post for Facebook (both parks).  Bed was at around 2200 so we could get up early again the next morning!