Red Rocks, Pink Cliffs, and Endless Vistas... That's Bryce's tagline. The photos can't do it justice.

The Union Pacific Railroad’s "Grand Circle" is a historic tourist route, developed in the 1920s to promote rail travel to the natural wonders of Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, specifically connecting Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Mr. Underwood helped pioneer the National Park Service rustic style. Here at Bryce and at many other western national parks, his artistry, vision, and utilization of local timber and stone created structures that nestled harmoniously into the natural landscape. The lodge’s roof is notable. Its green color was chosen to blend in with the Ponderosa pines, and the shingle pattern creates a wave-like movement, mimicking pine boughs blowing in the wind. This is the last remaining original “Grand Circle Tour” lodge.

The two-story lodge features a massive stone fireplace in the lobby, a dining room, and an auditorium. It was originally surrounded by 67 standard cabins and 15 deluxe cabins. It is absolutely gorgeous, especially in its setting.

What makes this Lodge extra special to me is that 60 years ago, my dear friend Suzanne, fresh out of college, was a Harvey Girl here. These special women will discussed in a future post.

Because we wanted to actually be IN the spectacular red sandstone spires and formations we stopped at the Red Canyon Visitor Center. This area has been called the "most photographed place in Utah". It is easy to see why, with the brilliant red soil contrasting with the green pines, blue skies and white clouds. Spectacular indeed

Our home for the night was along the very vast Lake Powell shoreline.

Sunrise was spectacular from our campsite.

Our day started off here at Horseshoe Bend, a breathtaking, 1,000-foot-deep horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River located near Page, Arizona. Accessible via a 1.5-mile round-trip walk, it offered us a stunning view of red-hued sandstone cliffs.

Before checking into our campsite, we headed to Tusayan for a visually stunning introduction to the Grand Canyon via the Rivers of Time. "In just 34 minutes of air-conditioned comfort at the National Geographic Visitor Center, you will discover a Grand Canyon that would normally take a lifetime to experience. The Grand Canyon IMAX movie opens with the beginning of man’s fragile kinship with the twisting 277-mile Grand Canyon. It then takes you through time, showing you glimpses of human history."

Our home is Mather Campground, the largest campground in the National Park Service system, with 327 campsites, including seven large group sites and two equine sites.

"The Grand Canyon is carven deep by the master hand;

it is the gulf of silence, widened in the desert;

it is all time inscribing the naked rock;

it is the book of earth."

~Donald Culross Peatti

I have deemed this trip an Appetizer Adventure. We are getting small bites of each place giving us the opportunity to know if we'd like to return for the full meal. So far, everything has been exceptionally delicious.

After picking up our rental trailer we headed for our first night of family RVing in the most picturesque Atlatl Campground at the Valley of Fire State Park.