So I left Crazy Horse a bit late, 10am, but the ride to Bryce Canyon was only 150km or so. The road into the canyon passes through Red Canyon and the Dixie National Forest, so a nice scenic route to get there. The road once inside Bryce is about 17 miles long. If you are going I would suggest going straight to the end, then stopping at all the view points on the way back, as they are on the left hand side of the road. Bryce is what I had hoped Zion was going to be like:
Also if you are going to go, I would suggest stopping at Ruby's restaurant just outside the entrance to the park. Absolutely fantastic food, busy, since all the tour buses stop there, but well worth it!
At one of the viewpoints i was talking to a couple of guys riding Goldwings, one of them suggested I take hwy 12 out of the park, as it is tremendously scenic. He also mentioned a ridge that runs through it. So even though it was completely the wrong way I followed his advice. I even found the ridge road he mentioned. I can't believe he took the road I did as it turned out to be 60kms of off road. Lots of washboard in spots, thus the broken laptop that sits in my top box!!!
The ridge is appropriately called Hells Backbone:
That bridge is Hells Backbone Bridge, right at the top of the ridge line, howling wind, with a HUGE drop off either side!!
So my little off road scenic route took 2 hours, by the time I was back to the highway! By 6pm I stopped in Torrey, perfect timing, and a great couple of hotels...all full!!! One had just sold its last room to a biker standing in front of me!!!
So instead of being fat and happy, after a good dinner, ensconced in my toasty hotel room, I was barreling down the highway in the middle of nowhere at dusk, getting colder, and hungrier, and more tired by the minute. Finally at 8pm I was in Selina in a hotel, 15 minutes later I was in the Mexican restaurant next door...
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