Day 7 - Pocatello, ID to Bryce Canyon

John drove me back to the airport in the morning.  It was 32 degrees and there was frost on the black horizontal parts of my plane!  Fortunately I was able to get the engine started.  Normally I pre-heat the engine when it's this cold, but when you're on the road -- no preheater.  .

The plan was to transit south to Bryce National Park in southern Utah.
   
 
Passing by Pocatello heading south.
   
Since I was transiting, I went up high.  Not much to see anyways.
   
The Great Salt Lake dead ahead.  I would be flying right down the middle of it north to south and split the Salt Lake City Class B airspace on my left and Military Restricted Airspace on my right.
   
Looking down at Promontary Summit, where the first national transamerica railroad was connected on May 10, 1869.  It went by here for 35 years until they built a railroad bridge for a direct line across the Great Salt Lake.
   
South of the Great Salt Lake was some serious high desert.
   
I was bored, and it was very flat, so I went down low to liven things up.
   
A mini-salt flats ahead.
   
Now a flat, scrub rug type surface.
   
But then I entered the hills and had to climb.
   
I started to see some red rock and knew I must be getting close to Bryce Canyon.
   
There is Bryce Canyon Airport (BCE).
   
A closer look.
   
Before landing at Bryce Canyon airport, I decided to go checkout Bryce Canyou as it was clearly just a little bit further ahead.  I have never been to Bryce Canyon before; never even really seen pictures.  But it wasn't too difficult to figure out this was it.
   
Very impressive.
   
 
   
Too bad I had windshield glare on this one; still, you get the idea.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
Clearly, a parking area for a canyon overlook.
   
 
   
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
After checking out the park, I headed back to the airport.  My original plan had been to overnight here.
   
Safe on deck.  The airport had a attractive, log cabin motif FBO terminal.  AvGas was available althought I didn't need it.  A hotel in town had a free shuttle to and from the airport  You could also rent a car fairly easily.  Other than the FBO manager, I was the only one there; I'm guessing because the busy season is over.  Again, my original plan had been to stay overnight here, but there was still a lot of daylight left, and from the air, it seemed to me it would be hard to see Bryce Canyon from the ground, and even then a car would be required.  So I decided to keep moving and head down to Zion National Park and overnight at St. George, Utah.
   
I took off and checked out Bryce Canyon again.
   
 
   
Leaving Bryce Canyon I headed west to check out the Cedar Breaks National Monument and the adjoining Ash Down Gorge Wilderness Area.
   
 
   
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