Bryce and Zion – Day 5

The desire for human contact and social connection is so embedded in our DNA, we will find ways to make it happen. Last night, our Backroads group held an impromptu happy hour without our leaders in the hallway of our Bryce Canyon dorm next to the Pepsi vending machine. So, we took chairs and plastic cups from our rooms and drank beer, shared wine and told stories. Most of us were recovered from our altitude sickness and were ready to socialize. 

At 8:15 a.m. when we gathered in the parking lot to prepare for our morning route, the temperature was a brisk 28 degrees with a windchill of 17 degrees. That is a temperature drop of 80 degrees from a high of 108  when we cycled through “Snow” Canyon on our first day.  I called it quits after 10 miles – although the rest of my body could handle it, my fingers could not. They ached so bad that my hands began to cramp and the pain began climbing up my forearms. Miraculously, most of the other members in our group cycled the entire 27 mile morning route.

For those of us who did not cycle the entire route, we shuttled to our gathering spot – the hamlet of Hatch – and enjoyed coffee and danishes at the only coffee spot in town. I hate to call Hatch a town because it only consisted of five buildings. Once the others arrived, we shuttled to the former home of famous western painter Maynard Dixon in Mt. Carmel for lunch. 

Born in 1875, Maynard Dixon is considered by some to be the most influential painter of western landscapes and of western life that America has produced. He was even an accomplished and respected poet. Art dealers and fans of the artist,  a couple from San Francisco bought the property about 20 years ago and have totally restored the buildings and grounds as close as possible to how they looked when Maynard lived there from 1939 to 1946.

The couple even added an art gallery, where they host exhibitions and display and sell art for established as well as up and coming artists. They also hold art workshops for artists and aspiring artists alike.

When the artist died, his ashes were buried on the summit of the property, overlooking the beautiful landscape that he loved so much. Being an avid lover and collector of art, the tour for me was a highlight of this trip. Because his art is so expensive – the couple told me that his last piece sold for $1.2 million and is now worth as much as $2 million. All of the art that you see in all of the original buildings are reproductions.

After lunch we cycled toward Zion National Park and Cable Mountain Lodge, our home for the next two nights. The views and vistas, including the switchbacks, while cycling through Zion were jaw dropping. I was not the only one in our group of 20 who kept dismounting his bike to admire and photograph the scenery. 

After we checked into our hotel, some of us walked into the town of Springdale, just outside the park’s entrance, for a late dinner. The Virgin River, which flows through the park, also flows right by Cable Mountain Lodge, our hotel for the next two nights.