This photo of Bryce Canyon was taken during a massive road trip around the national parks of Utah and Arizona with my good friend Ty Cook. Unfortunately on this particular morning, Ty was a bit too tired to join me for the sunrise so I headed to Sunset Point alone. When I arrived, I chose my spot and patiently waited for the sun.
About five minutes before the sun came over the horizon, a Cruise America RV pulled up and out came a man in his 70s looking like a cross between Santa Claus and Jerry Garcia. He bounded out of the motorhome and excitedly headed straight for me with a point-and-shoot digital camera in hand. "Hello!" he said in a thick European accent. He was breathing heavily with excitement and I could sense that he wanted to talk to me. I welcomed the chance to chat, so I asked where he was from.
He was from Germany and was visiting American for the first time. He rented his Cruise America RV in San Diego and had been on an incredible journey up the Pacific Coast to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington and back down through Yellowstone. He said he didn't speak much English, but was somehow able to talk for 15 minutes about all the beautiful sights he saw in the United States. It was very heartwarming when he said, with a very thick German accent, "It is a dream come true".
Though I missed the companionship of my friend Ty this morning, listening to this man describe his adventure in America was a wonderful replacement.
This photo of Bryce Canyon was used by the Matador Network in their July 2012 article 27 of the Deepest Canyons You Can Explore.