Bryce Canyon Sticks to Your Shoes

I stumbled upon these photos from a hike we took down to the bottom of Bryce Canyon on a rainy day. To be fair, it started off sunny. I even declared, “What a perfect day for a hike!”—without bothering to check the weather forecast.

About an hour later, deep in the canyon, the skies opened up and the rain came pouring down. Rhonda was... not amused.

One thing you learn quickly about Bryce Canyon’s red soil: when it gets wet, it turns into something between glue and clay. Climbing back out, we each picked up a couple of extra inches in height and a few pounds in weight, courtesy of the mud caked to our shoes.

It took a solid ten minutes to scrape off our shoes at the top. Meanwhile, Rhonda—still unimpressed—was already planning where I was going to take her for dinner. I didn’t say a word. Just quietly packed away the hot dogs I had originally planned and drove into town.