Monday the 25th: Cedar City, Utah
Started out the day with a ride through the Dixie National Forest, an area with a mountain pass at 9,910 feet, in order to get to Bryce Canyon National Park. It was a glorious ride that reminded us that fall is on the way...the aspen trees are turning a beautiful yellow. It also put our trip in perspective a bit...we've been on the road for almost four months! Hope we can make it through to the end of October!

Gorgeous aspens in Dixie Forest below. Felt like we were in New England with fall colors and temperatures in the low sixties!

Aspen Mirror Lake in Dixie National Forest:

Once through the forest, we were presented with some stellar red rock formations in Red Canyon. We passed these rocks on the way out as well and saw them glowing from the beautiful sunset.

Finally, Bryce National Park. Hope these pictures do it justice as the park was incredible. Because the off season has started, we could drive our car throughout the park (instead of riding a shuttle bus). This gave us the freedom to see everything at our own pace. This park rivals any that we've seen to date. The rock formations, called hoodoos, are just unbelievable. They spark the imagination and you find yourself naming them like you do clouds (this one looks like a castle, that one a dog). Often, that's exactly how their names came about (the Sentinel, the Sinking Ship, the Hunter). It's like looking at ancient ruins except that they're completely natural. It's amazing that they don't crumble in front of you, considering they look like sandcastles that are half washed away from the ocean. And yet, there they are and there they remain...just amazing.