Road Trip 2025: Day 11

Since we decided to stay local today, we thought we’d sleep a bit later and have a more relaxing morning, but Kati’s phone rang at 6:40 and woke me up. I was unable to fall back to sleep. Kati, however, was sleeping again in a matter of minutes. It rained a bit over night, but nothing heavy and it didn’t last long, just long enough that everything—the chairs we left out, along with the picnic table—was wet this morning. While the family slept, I made coffee and read. I am reading Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men. I read it in high school and hated it, but I also hated reading, so I’m optimistic that my opinion of the book will change. It was rather nice having some quiet down time to sit alone with a book.

Kati woke up at nine. Shortly after she emerged from the tent it started to rain. I guess it was a good day for her to sleep late since the rain would have put our morning on hold anyway. We woke G3, stopped in town for an overpriced not very good meal, and then continued on the Kodachrome State Park.

In 1948, the year my dad was born, the

National Geographic Society and the Explorers Club of New York sent a joint expedition to what was then called Thorley Pasture. When they arrived, the National Geographic explorers were so enthralled with the colors of the rocks, they started referring to the area as Kodachrome, a nod to Kodak’s film. Twelve years later, in 1960, the state set aside the land as a Reserve, and with Kodak’s permission, officially changed the name to Kodachrome.

When we arrived, the rain had stopped but the clouds lingered. Since it was still rather cool, Kati decided to join me and G3 on a short hike. She opted for the Angels Palace trail which was only one and a half miles. It was a relatively easy hike, although the trail markers could have been better. Some of the signs had been knocked down and they weren’t always easy to locate in the distance. The views were pretty. The giant rocks throughout the park are red, and many have been eroded down to tall pipes or spires that jut up toward the sky. Since the trail was not marked well, at one point we got turned around. G3, however, never wavered in his confidence as to which way we needed to go. I’ve done enough hiking with him to trust his sense of direction.

Kati was very excited to discover that there were showers in the park since we were beginning to wonder when we might be able to shower next. Needless to say, we took advantage of them. While G3 was in the shower, I walked the nature trail. It was less than a mile, but it took me in loop to see a few more of the red sandstone spires.

We stopped at Subway for an early dinner, and as we were finishing up, we saw a stray tabby kitten outside. Of course we all jumped out of our seats to go pet him. He was adorable and indulged in the affection we gave him. One of the Subway workers came out and gave him a few slices of turkey. The little guy was so famished, he practically inhaled the food. If it were up to me and G3 we would have scooped him up and put him in our car to take home. But Kati was the voice of reason. He could have fleas and/or worms. What would we do with him when we were doing our activities in places that don’t allow pets? Where would he sleep at night when his claws would put holes in the tent? Still he looked so desperate and in need of love. I hated walking away.

Following dinner, we drove along the scenic road to the furthest point in the Bryce Canyon because Kati wanted to walk the Bristlecone Loop. She fell in love with the Bristlecone trees two days ago and didn’t want to miss an opportunity to see them again. The loop was an easy, nearly flat trail—much more of a stroll than a hike. The Bristlecones were disappointing. The only Bristlecone tree we saw was behind a wooden fence that was erected to keep people from falling into the canyon. Kati wanted to climb the fence to touch the tree. G3 and I convinced her it wasn’t a wise thing to do. Not being able to touch the tee made Kati sad. The walk, however, was pleasant. We were alone on the loop—probably because it was the least exciting spot in the entire park—and the air was cool, but the sun was warm.

I wanted to walk the Rim Trail from Bryce Point to Inspiration Point, but my family had enough walking for the day. Plus, we are hiking again tomorrow. G3 and Kati may like to hike, but whereas I could probably keep walking forever, if allowed, the both of them have their limits. Since we didn’t hike the trail, we stopped at both points so I could see the views and take pictures.

Since the night is chilly, bordering on cold, we are sitting around a fire to keep warm. Nothing beats a fire on a cool night while camping.