Today I ended up staying at the Knights Inn in Richfield longer then I probably should have.  I slept in and therefore missed sunrise and any spectacular sunrise photo opportunities.  It was a clear blue sky and I knew there wouldn’t be a lot of interest in the sky and more likely then not a good chance of deep shadows and blown out highlights.  So I opted for staying in at the motel to take advantage of the Wifi connection there.  By the way if it seems I am changing present/past tense a lot it is because it may be the next day before I write the blog for the day in question, so I am trying to write the past in present tense.  

I ended up leaving for Bryce around 11:00.  As I expected when I got there it was too bright to really get the best shots of Bryce.  I found through the Ranger that Bryce being an eastern facing escarpment is best photographed at sunrise.  I hiked up to so of the viewing spots and took some photos.  Due to the contrast between light and dark the photos I take of Bryce will all have to be HDR (High dynamic Range) Photos in order to keep the highlights from being blown out and the shadows too dark.  

Bryce Canyon Sunset

I hung around Bryce for most of the day until dark.  I had to decide if I wanted to try to find a place to stay in order to shoot Bryce Canyon at sunrise or go to Zion and shoot Zion at sunrise.  I opted to shoot Zion at sunrise and left Bryce just after dark.  I ended up sleeping in the car at a rest stop along Highway 89.  By the way I know some people think I am crazy sleeping in the car, but fortunately my CR-V has seats that will turn into a bed/chase lounge.  The front seats slide all the way forward and if you take out the head rest the back rest folds all the way down to the back seat, the back seat’s back rest folds down 90 degrees giving you a nice long area to relax or sleep.  My wife and I have done this several times at the Sparta Drive-in Theater.