Bryce Canyon City

We escaped the heat of Virgin this morning. Just north of Hurricane we started to climb and we watched the outside temperatures fall for the duration of the trip. We scouted out the 132-mile drive earlier this week in the Jeep on a reconnaissance mission to Bryce Canyon City. We wanted to see for ourselves if it really is 20 degrees cooler than Virgin (It is!) and find ourselves a campground for the holiday weekend (We did!). The one spot along the way that gave us pause was this sign near Red Canyon. Bullwinkle stands about 13' 3", so the two tunnels on this highway made us a bit nervous.

As we approached Red Canyon, the landscape started to take on a look that was quite new to us. We are eager to see much more of this!

Now, what did that sign say, exactly? On our recon mission, we watched many motorhomes and tall tour busses pass through the two dreaded tunnels with ease. Suddenly, as we watched from Bullwinkle's Imax windshield, it looked like it might be a tight fit. But, of course, we sailed through with antennas, vent covers and satellite dome intact!

We are parked at Ruby's Inn and Campground in Bryce Canyon City. Actually, Bryce Canyon City is everything Ruby's. Besides the campground, the "town" consists of two or three motels, several souvenir shops, a restaurant and an auto/truck/RV service station. It's a very busy place, especially near a holiday. In this packed park, we have scored what has to be the very best site. The moose and squirrel are perched on a nice wide and level spot in the park's "overflow" area. There's no shade, but with daytime temperatures in the 70s, we don't mind at all. (We like this site, and this shot, so much that we're putting it in the blog header. What do you think?)

The "overflow" area is actually the Ruby's employee housing area. There's RV parking down to our right where employees with RVs park. Those without rolling homes can stay in these row houses. From Bullwinkle's Imax window, we have a stunning view of Escalante National Monument to the east.

We're parked in one of three full hookup sites on this lovely little bluff. The other two spots are empty, and are expected to remain so for the duration of our stay. It looks like this group in the horse corral to our left is the closest thing to a neighbor we'll have for awhile.

With a nice site, cool temps and a National Park to explore just down the road, we are definitely much happier campers!