Rim Trail

The second day of our weekend, and the anniversary of my arrival on the planet, we chose to visit Bryce Canyon National Park. This spectacular place is just ethereal. Wind and water have eroded the surrounding layers, leaving hard sandstone forms called Hoodoos. They remind me of the sandcastles tops you make at the beach by dripping wet sand onto your castle turrets.

In keeping with my new mantra from a very wise woman, Eleanor Roosevelt, "Do one thing every day that scares you," I decided to walk the rim trail with my daughter. Now understand this. Miss Eleanor did not say "Do one thing that scares the living daylights out of you, so much so that you can barely stand your knees are knocking so much." But I did it for the love of my daughter. She asked, expecting a No, and when I surprised her with a Yes, her delight was so evident I could not back down.

The trail was scary but exquisite in it's views. We saw a lovely arch/window that the park folk call a grotto. Can you see it in the center of this photo?

When they named it the Rim Trail, they really meant it. See the lower left corner of this photo? That's the rim. But I did it. And it was exhilarating. And I only teared up once, when the trail narrowed to 2 feet, with a 300 foot drop on one side, and an 1800 foot drop on the other. Daughter held my hand. It was empowering for her, and totally necessary for me.

This lovely place draws visitors from all over the world. In fact, we met folks that day from Japan, German, and the Netherlands. It's the kind of place you can't say, hey, stop in if you are ever in the area. But it's magnificence will humble you if you take the time to seek it out.

Blue skies,

Lark