Day 54 - 3,010 Miles To Date - Cedar City, UT

I've decided that I love every rest day for different reasons. Each city or town has so many but so many different things to offer. I loved Moab for all the activities we could do, but I loved Zion for how much we were able to relax. Both places were absolutely gorgeous in their own ways. First of all, Bryce Canyon was pretty cool. I didn't personally go to the actual park, but biking through some of the canyon was awesome. There was a hard climb towards the end, but it was definitely rewarding. Once we got our stuff set out, we went to a buffet for lunch and checked out some gift shops. The sheriff let us take his ATV around a little bit which was pretty fun and eventually that night we went out to a cliff in the middle of the woods to look at the stars. They're unbelievable out here! I thought Blacksburg had amazing stars but they are nothing compared to some of these national parks we've been in. I would try to show you some pictures Holden or Erica got on their fancy cameras, but you honestly just have to see it yourself. After a chilly but fun night enjoying the Bryce stars, we headed out in the morning to Zion National Park. We've lucked out with getting beds on this trip because we were technically camping in Zion, but we had bunk houses. That was pretty fun and reminded us all of summer camps. The ranch/bunk houses backed up to a pond filled with paddle boats and canoes we were all able to use. We took those out as soon as we settled in and eventually made a campfire to cook our dinner later. As far as riding, I've been pretty tired still on some of the harder climbing days. The Zion rest day was definitely necessary, but even more necessary was making sure I didn't do too much physical activity like we usually do. We still went for a two mile run...but oh well. Otherwise, we went into town for a delicious breakfast and just hung out a little bit. The closest town to where we stayed was about 45 minutes away, but it was totally worth the drive through the park each time. I got a really good breakfast burrito and topped it off with a bumbleberry milkshake, probably the best milkshake I've ever had. There's a whole story that goes along with it, but basically the bumbleberry is a plum with cinnamon and sugar, SO GOOD. I heard the bumbleberry pancakes were quite delicious as well. I picked up a few stickers and souvenirs then we headed back to the ranch. We took the canoes out again and then started a campfire to cook some more hot dogs, beans, and s'mores. The ride today was nice and very enjoyable. I wasn't tired at all anymore and we were able to stop in the town outside of Zion again for breakfast. We also stopped in Virgin, UT to check out the neat little shop and petting zoo. They had homemade ice cream so we stayed and hung out a little while before continuing our ride. The views were awesome, still enjoying all the red rock and canyon-like mountains. It was hot but there wasn't any headwind and it was mostly downhill and flat. Tonight we have home stays again in Cedar City! Tomorrow is our last full day/ night in Utah, we can't believe how fast this trip has gone by. Today I rode for my Aunt Amy's friends Kathy and Becky.