We are still trying to get back to California in some reasonable time, although we have slowed the headlong rush that started when I heard my youngest sister was in ICU with pneumonia. We had decided to spend the morning with Sandy and Rod and hike a little of the Bryce Canyon rim before heading west again.

The Bryce Canyon Lodge is like many lodges in National Parks, rustic, built in exposed beam construction inside, and looks very appropriate in the middle of the woods (photo 1). We had arranged to meet Sandy and Rod for breakfast at the Lodge. As we got there on the bike, we couldn't help but notice that the clouds looked dark and threatening (photo 2). After last nights deluge, we were a little concerned that we would get rained out of our morning walk on the rim and have to ride in the rain. As it turned out, we were able to avoid being rained on until late in the afternoon, well into Nevada

The Lodge had a nice buffet so Rod and Sandy joined us for a nice breakfast and friendly conversation (photos 3 & 4). After breakfast, we had to get a move on to catch the park shuttle that would take us up to Bryce Point where we would start our walk back to the bike. If all went as planned, we should be able to see some of Bryce's nicest scenery and get back in time to make it to Ely, NV tonight. How could we go wrong, we had the camp hosts as our guides?

The bus left us off at the last shuttle stop at Bryce Point and we got our first real look at the canyon. As you can see, the combination of red earth and green trees, capped by blue sky streaked with white wisps of cloud, make for a beautiful sight (photos 5 & 6). The earth in Bryce Canyon looks like a giant sandbox that's being washed away by a large pail of water, which in fact it is. At some point, in the far distant future, Bryce Canyon will be no more than a bumpy, red and gray sand pile (photo 7).

As one looks into the canyon floor below, the depth of which is less than the Grand Canyon but far greater than your favorite barbeque pit, it makes you want to stay back from the edge, less you fall to your death. Well, not for my brother-in-law Rod, who doesn't worry about no stinking hole in the ground, no matter how deep. He demonstrates that fear of heights is a condition of the mind (photo 8) as he stands on a rocky ledge over the lip of the canyon. Sandy has just collected his life insurance policy and is now taking a cruise to Europe. Just kidding, he's still alive and well minding the campground.

We continued hiking around the rim of the canyon, enjoying the weather, the scenery, and being with family (photo 9 & 10). As we were about half way down the trail, Rod noticed a tree that had been recently struck by lightening, possibly in last night's storm. You could see how it broke the tree limb it had hit, and the "lightening ring" that spiraled down the trunk to the ground (photos 11 & 12). If you've never seen this, you may find it of interest.

Each turn in the trail presented us with a different view with subtle changes in color and shape (photo 13). This is one of the things I really enjoy about the southwest, the same rock formations can give you several equally spectacular views depending on which side your looking from and will change again depending on the time of day and lighting conditions. I used up a lot of memory space in my camera just in the two hours we were on this trail. Looking back, I was able to zoom in on Bryce Point lookout, the place we had started (photo 14) earlier in the day.

We were quickly approaching the point where we would have to pick up the park shuttle that would take us back to our bike. We continued to enjoy the views while they lasted and now include Bryce Canyon as a park we will return to in different seasons (photos 15,16,17,18). After returning to the Goldwing, we went past Sandy and Rod's fifth wheel where they are staying as Camp Hosts (photo 19), and then headed west for Ely, NV.

The road continued to wind its way west through several more mountain ranges before crossing the border into Nevada. For a motorcyclist, this is a nice ride, but on this day the road kept taking us towards darkening clouds and we didn't want to go towards darkening clouds, so it diminished some of the pleasure we might otherwise have experienced. Bummer.

As we climbed over one mountain range, lightening could be seen ahead on our left. As we got closer, the sky became a black velvet blanket covering the sky to the left, right, and overhead. Dust devils preceded the rain that we could see falling in front of us like a mist gray curtain. Finally we rode directly into the rain and thunder and realized that we were maybe the highest thing on the valley floor. Up ahead, we could see a blue-sky opening like an exit at the end of a dark tunnel. Then the road started upwards, as though climbing to heaven and that blue sky. Up, up we went, the light rain washing the road dust off of the Goldwing and making us glad we had put on the raingear.

Finally we were over the lip of the canyon and into sunlight and dry roads. Then we were headed down again towards a darkening sky and started the process all over again, then time with lighter rains, until we finally were out of the rain all together. The sky was still dark (photo 20), but no more rain came. This is Nevada, after all, a desert as I remember.

In fact, I can't remember every being rained on in Nevada in all the times I've been through this state, and that's quite a few. We later heard on the news that this portion of Nevada had received an inch and a quarter of rain this year. We received and inch and a half in four hours while visiting Rod and Sandy in Bryce Canyon, and after Florida, I'm now embarrassed that we put on our rain gear. I should have been able to handle that little bit of moisture naked.

At about four in the afternoon, well actually we gained an hour when we came into Nevada, so it was only three. Anyway, at about three in the afternoon, we pulled into Ely and checked into a Holiday Inn Casino. That's also a first, a casino in the Holiday Inn. Is nothing sacred? Next thing you know, they'll have gambling on Indian Reservations.

Tomorrow, we head across Hwy 50 all the way to Carson City. I would like to get some sunshine. I'm getting tired of this rain in August foolishness, no matter what the amount. Hope springs eternal.