Big Truck Across America - day 4

Day 4 involved something very rare on this trip - sleeping in.  Since we're not quite adjusted to the time zone, but still stay up late, the collective 3 days caught up to us and we slept in til almost 8 local time.  After a quick pack up of the rig, we were ready to head out to Bryce Canyon for the day, roughly at 1.5-2hr drive.  We were about to find out that we were on the high side of the tolerance. On the bright side, we had this to distract us as we made our way through the 20mph mountain curves on the way to the tunnel.

After paying $15 to go through the tunnel just like all the cars that go through for free, we followed what may have been Bret Michael's tour bus through and then got in a construction zone for about 10 miles. The Big Truck has now taken on a bit of an orange hue from the red dust of the chipsealing operation in Zion.  It helps to hide the splattered junebugs and cicadas.

On our way out to Bryce, we noticed an aspiring artist standing in a field with an old school easel and palette, painting the landscape on the horizon and being true to his art (so he could sell it to a tourist for $50).

Once we got to Bryce Canyon, Jordan was really excited to walk on some more rocks and go for a hike.  For her, a walk means she is walking with us, a hike means she's in her backpack.  Today she wanted a hike, and we were foolish enough to choose Navajo Point.  As soon as she got a glimpse of hikers down on the canyon floor, she decided that's where we should be. Dad is old and fat, so we went a few switchbacks down and convinced her (long process) that would suffice.

One thing that has become quite apparent to us is that there are no Americans in our national parks - everyone seems to be from Eastern Europe or Asia. Please no one alert Glenn Beck of this, or our national parks will go broke.

After returning to Zion for the evening, we got a good shot of Checkerboard Mesa while waiting in another traffic jam.  We also came to the conclusion that construction workers out here really enjoy a nice giant bag of potato chips while they work, somehow it must help offset the heat.

As is becoming the trend, Jordan's reward for being so good in the park and in transit was some time at the playground and the pool. She's developed a knack for jumping into the pool, floating around like the Nirvana baby, then surfacing with gasp just frantic enough to get every stranger's attention.  Stop judging, foreign tourists.

For a nightcap we strolled over to the Whiptail Grill, a nice outdoor eatery next door.  The food, although delivered a mere hour or so after our order, was excellent, but the backdrop was the real kicker.  A rainbow developed during our stay and combined with the sunset to produce these images.

Tomorrow's plan is an early rise and a haul across central Nevada (always nice this time of year) to meet up with the Sugs in Yosemite.  Our planned route is the Extraterrestrial Highway to Highway 6, also known as the Lonely Road.  Encouraging...