Full Circle....The Big Loop Completed..........12th & 13th September....

A beautiful morning as we leave Panguitch and head south on scenic US89 to overnight in Page, Arizona....we have gained an hour as now back in Arizona and although still Mountain Time Zone Arizona don't recognise day light savings...

Ahhh a water-tower...had to find one for the last post.....

Bradda Ed has enjoyed the long journey despite his skirt shredding...

From Page we again head south on the 89 towards Flagstaff.....there is still a detour for the first 44 miles...the 89 has been closed since the spring 2013 when there was a huge landslide...experts and engineers have since been trying to find a way to rebuild the road....construction should start in the next few months....

Interesting rock....

Back to the stunning Painted Desert landscape......

At Flagstaff we head south on the I-17 stopping here at the scenic overlook for our lunch sandwich...

Beautiful Sedona on the horizon....

And back to The Distant Drums RV Resort at Camp Verde,AZ....we have done it we have completed The Big Loop,  almost 4 months on the road and just under 12,000 miles...and we are still talking to one another !!!!

Beautiful cloud formations over our site at Distant Drums....this is our 4th stay at this park, one of our favourites and now feels like home....

Camp Harris at Camp Verde, AZ...
We are here for 3 days to pack up the camper ready for taking down to Surprise, Phoenix to the storage facility and fly back across the pond to Dear Old Blighty...
They say another Pacific storm is heading our way so hoping we can "get out of Dodge" before it hits....
Well dear readers that's it....all that is left for me to say is a big thank you to everyone for following our adventures again and for comments and emails......we hope you have enjoyed the posts, we have had a most incredible trip, we have seen so many amazing sights and again met old and new friends along the way...
The next trip is now in the planning stages !!!
But for now it's goodbye and thank you from
Yorkieman and Mrs Blogger.....

Day 2 in Stunningly Beautiful Bryce Canyon,UT......Thursday 11th Sept...

Early alarm again and although down to almost freezing overnight there is not any fog this morning and the temperatures soon rise.....we are so pleased that we have another full day here at the spectacularly beautiful Bryce Canyon...

Once more we park at Sunset Point and this time hike the mile uphill to Upper Inspiration Point...our legs protested but we ignored them !!!! This Canyon Rim hike gives an all round view of the main amphitheatre.....

As we hiked the Rim trail the scenery takes on different shapes and forms.....

From up here the views are even more stunning if that is possible....

Viewing from different angles and with the movement of the sun the hoodoos take on different shapes and colours....
Over the past couple of days....we have stood in awe looking at these views and seeing from above...The Terracotta Army...castles and city walls...the Great Wall.....incredible....

We could gaze at this view all day....can't stress enough what a must see this is.....

The VERY happy tourists......and now for the hike back to the truck but it is all downhill :)
From here we drive the 16 mile scenic route to Rainbow Point.... stopping at various viewpoints along the way some with short hikes and some just to admire the view....

Farview Point...8,819 Ft 

Natural Bridge...actually an arch.....

Balancing rock at Natural Bridge viewpoint....

Piracy Point...we have absolutely no idea why it is called this.....

End of the road at Rainbow Point, elevation 9,115 ft.....again fabulous views and a perfect place to set up our Derby and Jones chairs and have our lunch salad....the chairs/us were positioned right on the edge of the rim  with a sheer drop down to the canyon floor....just  like lunch at the Grand Canyon last year....fabulous...

Back down the scenic road to Bryce Point for one last look at the amphitheatre from a different viewpoint ....wow and wow....I guess you can tell how much we have loved this National Park...Utah and Arizona have some of the most beautiful and picturesque "rock-scapes".....

Well folks that's pretty much our sightseeing done for this fantastic trip...there will be one more post as we have to get from here to Page, AZ to Camp Verde and then to Phoenix.......
My final post should be at Camp Verde.....
Bye for now
The Still Extremely Happy Campers....

Saved The Best For Last.......Bryce Canyon NP 10th September...

Early alarm this morning and a brrrr 36F but clear skies......As we leave the campsite to drive the 22 miles to Bryce Canyon National Park  a fog descends....

Just a few miles down the road and it clears for wall to wall sunshine....

Today's route to Bryce is along part of Scenic Byway 12 voted the second most scenic highway in the world, second to one in New Zealand...
This is one of two tunnels at stunning Red Canyon just 12 miles from our campsite....we stop at some of the pull-outs for a few early morning photos and will stop at the visitors centre on our way home....

WOW....we are blown away I don't know how to start to describe the amazing views...no apologies for the amount of photos although I haven't really done it justice...

After the usual visit to the rangers station for hiking info we drive to Sunset Point and begin  this mornings hike....a half mile along the Rim trail to Sunrise Point then down down 600ft on the Queens/Navajo Loop Trail back to Sunset Point....a 3 mile trail including steep climbs and at 8000ft elevation...

A good shot of some of the Hoodoos......

Beautiful orange and red rock interspersed with harder white rock....

The trail crosses the valley floor and a good shady peaceful place (temps low 80's) to snack on a granola bar.....

The trail takes us up a steep climb through Wall Street.....

Back to the Canyon Rim......proud of ourselves and wow what a spectacular hike.... 

Time for lunch sandwich sitting and absorbing this fantastic view....

We head back out of the park stopping at Fairyland Canyon (7758ft elevation) again stunning views...

From every angle there is a different aspect of the view.... 

On home stopping at Red Canyon visitor centre.....and what do we do but another two and a half mile hike !!!
This is part of the Birds Eye Trail......

Balancing rocks at Red Canyon......
WOW we have had the most amazing day.....without knowing it we have saved the best for last.....Bryce exceeds all of our expectations....and we have more to see tomorrow....
Until then bye from
The Extremely Happy Travellers......