While we didn't get to do the hiking we did while at Bryce in September, it was breathtaking in the snow! It might just be my favorite season there. The contrast between the red rock and the white snow was to die for.
Our first evening, we went up to the rim and looked out over the amphitheater and admired the beauty of the snow. The boys enjoyed walking through the snow (which was a bit terrifying, beings so close to such a cliff!) and leaning over the fence to enjoy the scenery.
Then we went back to Ruby's and made pancakes for dinner! We set up our griddle and Derek made some delicious dinner. The boys loved sitting at the table and watching a show while we ate.
After dinner, we headed to the pool. The actual pool was a bit cold, but the boys discovered the joy of hot tubs. We have to be careful with hot tubs, not just because they are so young, but also because Henry's blood sugar can drop very quickly. But it was so nice to get so warm! The pool and spa were in a different building, so we chose to drive over. The drive home in our wet bathing suits was an adventure. We just let the boys sit on our laps (I know, call the police on us, sure) since we just drove across the parking lot. We snuck around the back of the buildings, just in case. :)
Getting to bed was an adventure, as always when we share a room. We stayed up watching t.v. until about 9, then Derek and I decided it wasn't too early for us to go to bed. The boys went to sleep fairly quickly after that, thank goodness.
The next day, we bundled up and headed out to go sledding! We went down to Red Canyon, where there were some great hills for sledding. Unfortunately, poor little Johnny got hut within seconds of leaving the car. I got him all bundled up and stood him up on the ground, but apparently he thought I was still holding him. In slow motion, he tipped forward and face planted right on the ice. Poor guy! Tears and a bit of blood, and he wanted to just sit in his sled next to me the whole time. But we did get some fun runs down a hill! Henry especially loved that. Then Derek and I took turns pulling the boys along a snowy path at the base of the hill.
After lunch at Ruby's Inn, we decided to drive up along the scenic route through the park. This was amazing! The drive was a bit scary, as it was very foggy and lots of snow. They plowed the roads really well, however, so we got to go all the way to Rainbow Point. Our favorite spot was definitely Natural Bridge. Derek took Henry over to the look out and Henry said "What the?!" It was so funny. The Bridge was beautiful and coated with snow.
That evening, we did pancakes for dinner again (saving money, you know) and then headed to the hot tub one more time (just as sneakily, of course). After rinsing off the chlorine in the tub, we all piled on to one bed and watched Family Feud for a while before crashing.
We only made one stop in the park the next day: to pick up Henry's Jr. Ranger badge! We completed so many of the activities, including picking up trash, identifying animals, drawing a hoodoo, and Henry even learned what hoodoo means in Paiute (scary or afraid). He was so excited to get his badge--and very proud! He's worn it a lot since.
Our drive home was very scary, to say the least. We decided to leave earlier than we had planned when we heard about the weather--good thing! We drove the last half in a crazy blizzard. Lots of prayers were said, and we were sure grateful the boys slept through a lot of the drive.
Despite the weather, we all really enjoyed our winter visit to Bryce Canyon. I definitely recommend it! I would love to get snowshoes and go hiking, but that just wasn't feasible with our little guys. Some day.
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