In the end, we decided to take it easy and stuck it out. We traveled by shuttle to Sunset point and hike the rim trail to Sunrise point, prior to walking back to the lodge to find pain medication for Zoey.Andrew was so tired he fell asleep while riding on Todd's back.
The view was magnificent. We could see 100 miles away. We could also see storm clouds coming our way so we decided to head back to the visitor center to have lunch.
It started sprinkling right as the shuttle arrived to pick us up at our stop and it was pouring by the time we were eating lunch. So much rain and hail came down that it looked as if there was snow on the ground.
The temperature, already in the low 70's dropped into the 60's making everyone wet and cold. We decided to hang out at the visitor center until the rain let up.
After about an hour, things started looking better, but I knew rain was forecasted for another three hours so we decided to leave Bryce and explore Kodachrome State Park. It was the best decision ever!
We first visited Chimney Rock, the largest stand alone hoodoo in the park.
Hiking the nature trail was by far the most fun for the kids. Andrew threw up on our way to Kodachrome. I tried purchasing a Tshirt at the visitor center, but couldn't bring myself to pay $25 for it. We thought his jacket would be ok, but it was a lot warmer than what we had experienced at Bryce Canyon, so he ended up hanging out without a shirt and slathered in sunscreen.
The kids climbed the red sandstone hills and explored all kinds of hidden places. Learned about erosion, local flora and nocturnal animals that inhabit this Entrada desert. Even Zoey got to enjoy walking with Emilia.
On our way out we decided to hike to Shakespeare Arch. It was a hilly trail, we literally went up and down small hills, cresting one and descending before ascending again.
After half a mile of walking, we saw it. The arch was fun to see, but what made the hike worth the effort were the views on the other side. We could see all the way to the rim of the Bryce Canyon from where we were standing.
After the hike, we drove back to a cold and damp camp, where we hurried to have dinner and roast s'mores by the fire before getting rained on again!
We cleaned up dinner as much as we could so the pesky little squirrels that had been invading camp would not get to our food and trash and huddled up in our cars waiting for the storm to pass us.
Once the rain died down, we all went into our tents and went to bed.
Bryce Canyon is known for its beautiful night skies. I was fortunate enough to gaze at the starry sky on my middle of the night bathroom run. How I wish the kids could have seen it too.
