No, we are NOT dead!

We have had an exciting time but have been incommunicado for a while. Sorry for the gap in time. I will try to get everyone caught up in the next few posts. OK, where were we? Oh, that's right, we were in Bryce Canyon...

Well today we decided to find some nice hikes. We packed our bags, took plenty of water, and caught the shuttle bus to the end of the canyon, Bryce Point. We had planned on taking a short loop but we felt good and started at Bryce Point, went through part of the Peekaboo and Navajo Trail, then through Queen's Garden and up Sunrise Point. All in all a fairly strenuous 5 mile hike into the bottom of the canyon and out again. I must say that Teresa and I were very proud of the kids. They held up through all the walking. Both Bryce and Samantha had a fall, not serious, but enough that they shed some tears but they both got up, dusted themselves off, and got right back on the trail. Through the entire hike we did not see any other children with any of the other hikers. People were amazed that they did the entire 5 miles. Good job kids!

We walked through hoodoos and arches, down through the sandstone to the bottom with trees and dry creek beds and back up the canyon walls. Teresa loved the canyon. It is so very different from anything we have ever experienced. The colors are soft and warm and the entire canyon has a 

Needless to say the kids were pretty tired by the time we got back. We grabbed a quick meal and unhooked the RV to go back to the canyon after hours for their astronomy talk. This is a neat program that happens every month on the darkest nights. Amateur astronomers bring their telescopes to the visitor's center and let everyone look at different objects. We arrived halfway through the talk and went around back tot eh parking lot to get a head start on the viewing. There are six 12' telescopes outside with ladders so you can reach the viewfinders. Some of the telescopes we focused on Saturn and others on the sliver of moon out that night but the most exciting thing out that night was a supernova that was discovered that very day in Spain. All the astronomers were thrilled to see this event and we were some of the first people in the world to see this exploding star.

Little known fact: Bryce Canyon is one of the best spots in the country for viewing the night sky. The altitude and clarity of the air make it perfect for observation.

It was a really memorable day.