Zion

This morning was all climbed into our Ford for a long day to Zion. Thankfully our back seat is generous so mom, me and the boys fit just fine.

We started with a quick trip to Penguitch, where a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid once ruled their Hole in the Wall Gang. It was early so a lot of stores weren't open. But we found a little bakery with some amazing donuts and espresso. Their blueberry lime donuts were amazing.

Next up we headed south for about 80 miles to the east entrance to Zion. We passed through some country that had a lot of antelope and deer, which was cool.

Once inside the park we saw big horn sheep as we traveled the narrow HWY 9. Eventually we came to the famous 1 mile tunnel. We had to wait for several minutes while wide loads came through the other side. When they built this tunnel in the 1930s they had no idea how large vehicles would become. Finally we got to go through the long tunnel. It wasn't too bad because they have windows every once in a while to you got a little bit of light. But it was fun to drive through.

On the other side we passed down a steep hill with several corkscrew switchbacks. The mountains around us are the major ones in the park, providing spectacular views. At the bottom we could only go to the visitor center. Evidently this part of the park became too congested for people to drive so a shuttle system was introduced in 2001. I can understand why this was done but it certainly added a lot of time to our visit because the style stopped at every stop, every time.

After grabbing a quick lunch, we hopped on the crowded shuttle and made our way towards the lodge. We checked out the old building and then took the Emerald Pools hike. This couple mile hike took us under a large cavern of sandstone where water dripped and streamed from overhead. This water is not from a recent rain storm but rather from hundreds of years ago. It takes that long for the water to make its way through the layers of sand and stone. It felt deliciously refreshing in the 90 degree heat. There was trail construction underway so we couldn't complete the entire 3 pool trail. We stayed on the main trail which led us back to the Grotto. We filled our water bottles with fresh water and hopped back on the shuttle.

The next stop was weeping rock, where we climbed a short steep hill to another cavern. This one was larger and absolutely packed with people oohing over the water dripping over our heads. Grady stuck his head in the water to cool off. It was a sweltering day and the water did feel good.

Back on the shuttle and to the end of the trail, the Temple of Sinawaya. We intended to walk a short ways up the trail but were distracted by a sign reading beach access. We made our way across a sandy trail and to the Virgin River. There, dozens of people played in the water. Most of these people had come prepared, with swimsuits and some with funky river walking boots. Others made spontaneous swimming decisions. Grady and I took off our shoes and waded in the cool water. It was so rewarding and relaxing after those hot hikes.

Colby spotted a deer and a fawn crossing the river several yards to our right. It turned out to be a buck of some kind. After, we saw a scrawny doe and another fawn come down the same trail.

By this point we were all pretty hot and spent for the day. We walked a little ways down the riverside trail and then turned around to take the shuttle back. The shuttle was packed and we ended up in the back with dripping wet French teenagers standing in the aisle for the whole 30 minutes trip back. Couldn't wait to get off that shuttle.

We loaded back in the truck and headed back the 90 miles to our campsite. I wish we had more time to explore the other side of the park. This is where the bulk of the attractions are, but the overcrowding and shuttle system eats up a lot of time. We did what we could and it was cool. I just feel like we didn't see a big portion of the park, which is a shame.

While at the park visitor center we bought a book with campfire ghost stories. Steve is looking forward to a wood fire (we haven't been able to have one in a lot of places) tonight. Colby read f rom the scary story book while we all relaxed around the fire. It was a great way to end the day.

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