Thank you so much for your kind words SB. I love my island home. Even here, on the southeastern tip, the dry side, it is wonderfully green. I feel blessed.
My wife talked me into doing a Collette Vacation three years ago that included six national parks, including Bryce Canyon. To me, I thought it was OK, but would not do it again.
If you are in Bryce or Zion, it is not that far to the North rim of the Grand canyon. By road from the north rim to the south rim (where the crowds are) is over 200 miles. North and south are not the same.