Hoodoo: a tall, irregular spire or pillar of rock created by water and wind erosion acting on alternating hard and soft rock layers.

Onward and Upward (to Utah)

I peeked out of my car window at 5am, peeling back the aluminum window covers to investigate the sunrise. In all honesty, it was my full bladder that got me out of the car, not the sunrise. Once I was able to check off watching the sun rise, I tucked myself back into the car to get a few more hours of precious sleep before I really kicked off my morning. 

After a breakfast of a banana, peanut butter and a CorePower protein shake, I packed up the car and got back on the road, passing the scene of my first tire change on my way out.

Once I got back on the highway and back into civilization, I pulled off at the first gas station I saw to top off the spare with air to make sure it was ready for the rest of the journey. 

I backed up to the air pump, grabbed my tire gauge (thanks, mom) and started filling up my back tire. As I was doing this, an older gentleman stopped by and asked me in a grandfatherly but patronizing way, “Oh, did your dashboard say you were low on air? Do you know which tire?” I tried to stop my eyes from rolling into the back of my head as I said, “Yes, it’s at 32 psi and should be 36 psi, thanks.” He moved on to get whatever he needed from inside the convenience store. 

I proceeded to fill all of my tires for good measure, and as I was finishing up, the same older gentleman had the audacity to ask if I needed any help, but backed off when he saw my tire gauge because I guess that is a symbol of tire competency. 

This man has no idea that I changed this whole ass tire myself. Show me some respect.

Welcome to Bryce Canyon National Park

Anyway, after I avoided a mansplaining session, I continued to Bryce Canyon National Park. A feeling of accomplishment exploded in me as I rolled through the entry arch to the park, flashing my America the Beautiful pass.

It was about 1pm, so I drove up to the Rim Trail for a quick three mile hike from Bryce Point to Lower Inspiration Point. My jaw was basically on the ground as soon as I turned the first corner – this was my first visual of the hoodoos, the giant rock pillars that are so iconic in Bryce Canyon. The vibrancy of the orange rocks paired with blue skies and Toy Story clouds was so much more stunning than I’d even hoped. 

I decided to drive further north in the park to Bristlecone Loop, which was essentially a one mile hike around a viewpoint, before finding my way to my campsite at Sunset Campground. The campground was so much more central to the hikes I was planning to do than I even realized, so that was a huge win. There’s nothing worse than realizing you’re staying on the opposite side of a national park from the hikes you planned to do, and ending up in the car for half the day. 

After heating up some more chicken and rice (my dinner staple, obviously), I walked across the street to Sunset Point to settle in before sunset. 

I still had about an hour until the sun went down, so I decided to do a quick exploration of Navajo Trail and Wall Street since it was right below me. What a difference to suddenly be walking within the hoodoos after looking at them from above. I previewed the switchbacks that I would be hiking the next morning, walking between the fins and narrows of the canyon, before walking back up to the top to take about a thousand photos of the golden sunset. 

I had an easy walk back to my campsite, changed into my pajamas, and got cozy with my Kindle for my second night of car camping. I almost settled in for the night before remembering that Bryce Canyon has International Dark Sky status. “Bryce Canyon’s high elevation, clean air, and remote location creates some of the darkest skies in the country.” I popped out of my car around 10pm and was met with an incredible view of thousands of stars, and understood why Bryce was able to gain its impressive stargazing reputation. 

I couldn’t believe I saw all of these views in just a few hours, and it made me even more excited to wake up at sunrise to continue taking it all in.