The hotel in Panuitch was pleasantly roomy and very quiet- I basically had the whole back section all to myself. The previous evening after a much needed shower and the only fast food in town, Subway, I crashed.
I headed back out to Thunder Mountain trail and parked at the visitor's center which is just north of where the trail emerges after the downhill bomb.
I pedaled the agonizingly long uphill back to the Coyote Hollow trailhead, and rode the whole thing...again. Just as enjoyable the second time. I will definitely remember this ride and keep it on my agenda of things to do when I return out west. In fact, I may skip Moab all together and come directly here.
I went back to the hotel and donned my hiking boots (I had to buy a new set of Hi Tecs since my Nike ACG's finally took a shit) and headed out to Bryce Canyon. I wanted to get my $25 admission's worth out of that place! I intended to hike the Navajo Loop Trail which descends to the bottom of the canyon itself.
The trailhead begins at the Sunset Point parking lot area, and after a series of dusty switchbacks, reaches the bottom of the canyon for some awesome views from an otherwise not often visited portion of the park.
Although Bryce Canyon is awe inspiring, I honestly felt I got more visual pleasure out of riding in Red Canyon. You get up close and personal to the hoodoos there, and although they are not as mammoth as the ones in Bryce proper, they are still awesome.
I snapped a few shots, and then cranked up the switchbacks on the other side of the loop back up to the trailhead- MAJOR CARDIO workout!! Between the elevation changes and the steep incline, I was completely destroyed by the time I got to the top. Either way, I still had a huge smile on my face.
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