Continuing on our southwest Utah tour, our next stop was Bryce Canyon NP. We were immediately taken aback that this park was more like our Rocky Mountains in that the park was full or towering pine trees and forest vs. the desert surroundings and red dirt we have been acclimated to. The other more pressing surprise was the incoming snow storm, we couldn’t outrun this one, we had to brace ourselves and it was just a matter of how long to sit through it. The first day we were ahead of the snow, we found an open spot in the campground and got set up before the precipitation began. By about 2pm it started snowing steadily but we were busy distracting ourselves on a drive around the park and an attempt at seeing some overlooks. When this proved futile, we returned to camp to hunker down in front of our heater. There were people all around us in the campground that were in tents so we thought they were either hardier than us (or maybe crazier?). There was definitely a novelty to this snowstorm. I remember a childhood family trip today the Grand Canyon where we had snow, so if nothing else we were creating special memories. The next day we decided to venture out into a couple smallish hikes to still take in some sights. We bundled up and set out. The thing I’m learning in this season of being flexible and lowering expectations is that once we are out doing the activity, the weather doesn’t really matter all that much. If you layer properly, you won’t get too cold, and the sense of accomplishment after the task is all the greater with the added (insert your: snow, wet, heat, less than desirable weather) challenge. We enjoyed both a short hike to Mossy Rock, and a longer stint from Sunrise to Sunset Points in the canyon. There were few people, a few glimpses of blue sky lighting up the orange hoodoo rock formations, and as promised, plenty of great memories made. A second night of camping in the snow seemed like no big deal after our day’s accomplishments. We knew this second night was projected to be even colder though (and far less tents surrounded us), so we cut our intended visit short one day and planned to move on further south in the morning to dry and warmer ground. We didn’t want to break anything on Flossie if it could be avoided. Already the bathroom sink was freezing up and we were barely keeping warm ourselves. We’ll reassess if there’s anything we want to go back to in Bryce, but with winter coming it really feels like we are just trying to stay ahead of the inclement weather at this point in our travels. Lesson learned, one night of snow is fun for the novelty, two or more – we are just asking for trouble.