Vacation - Zion - warmth and peace at last.

We arrived at our campsite in Zion national park in the early evening after having stopped along our way from the Grand Canyon at Desert View for one last look at the canyon and at several Native American roadside stands to buy jewelery and pottery. We also had to stop in Page for some groceries and lunch.

Zion National Park is one of my favorite parks in Utah. It is low key, warm and relaxing. I knew that by the time we had gone to this point in the trip everyone would be looking to wind down a bit and Ginny certainly loves Zion and for the most part she feels comfortable hiking about because most of the hikes we do are near the canyon floor, so this part of the trip was definitely planned with her in mind.

By now we had setting up camp down to a science, so after pulling in to the Watchman Campground it only took us 15 minutes to set up the tent trailer and decide what sights we could see before it got dark. Zion, like Bryce and the Grand Canyon, has a shuttle service so we hopped on the shuttle and went to visit the Court of the Patriarchs, an awesome trio of inspiring peaks named (left to right)Abraham, Isaac, and Moroni, with the white peak in back on the right called Jacob. We continued up the canyon to the next stop at Zion Lodge. The lodge has a nice large lawn in front that in the evening is host to a large herd of deer. They come wandering in at dusk to graze on the delectable blades of grass carefully tended and watered by the park staff. They paid us no mind and quietly grazed as if we didn't exist. It was totally dark by now so we headed back to camp. Kerri-Ann and Ginny REALLY wanted a campfire sometime during the trip so John and Drew hiked across the bridge to the grocery store, just outside the park, to buy some fire wood and Ginny and Kerri-Ann headed back to the campsite. In our excitement to get started that afternoon, none of us thought about having to come back in the dark, so no one had a flashlight to find our way back to camp. The other fun part of this campground is that it has tiny irrigation ditches criss-crossing all over the place through the campground. So there is Kerri-Ann and Ginny trying desperately to keep their bearings and get back to camp without having the guys get back from the store and have to come looking for them. They also didn't want to fall in the irrigation ditches they knew were lurking out there just waiting for them! So their plan was walk slowly and cautiously along until a car came and then walk as fast as they could while the headlights showed them the road ahead--well, as fast as they could walk while laughing. Soon all made it back to the tent trailer in one piece. No rescue party needed.

The next day was Sunday, so we attended the ward in Springdale, Utah just outside of the park. The church members were as friendly as ever and made us feel so welcome to join them.
After lunch we set out to explore as much of the Canyon as our feet and our energy would let us. As we boarded the bus I noticed a man and a women sitting in front of us on the bus. That was not unusual. What was is the fact that the woman had a mullet hair cut with the back of her hair going down to the middle of her back. Her hair was bushy and graying and she looked like she could take anyone that challenged her. Both her and her companion got off the bus when we did, and I said to Ginny, "I think I have seen a fox in the forest." That long mullet cut looked just like a gray fox tail. For the remainder of the day we kept seeing this man and the fox.

Our first hike was one of our favorite Zion hikes. It was to the lower, middle and upper Emerald ponds. It's fun because you wind your way through the shaded lush valley floor thick with trees, flowers and brush with only a small elevation rise to the lower ponds that are formed by the middle ponds pouring over the ledge above. From there we hiked up a steep hill, around behind this gigantic rock and come out up on the ledge above where the middle ponds are. From there the trail splits off and goes back towards the base of the high sheer cliffs that rise hundreds of feet. This trails is only about 3/4 of a mile but it is steep and rocky--sometimes hard to navigate for Ginny's short legs, but the reward at the end of the trail is SO worth it. You come to a large pond that is formed by a waterfall that pours over the cliffs from the high plateau above. Depending on the weather, sometimes the pond is a deep aqua color. No matter what the weather, it is a beautiful and cool place to see, rest, take pictures and enjoy before the hike back down. Ginny always has to take off her shoes and socks and put her feet into the cool water--it's just a tradition!

Going back to the bus, we followed the middle Emerald Pool trail that slowly descends the canyon wall, mostly following the cliff about a hundred feet above the valley floor. After our trip to the Grand Canyon, Ginny was feeling pretty brave about hiking this trail. There are small bushes and some trees at the edge of the trail that she was sure would save her if she thought she was going to fall off the cliff. All was going quite well and we were stopping to take pictures along the way. There are some beautiful pictures to be had along this trail as you can look out over the river and up the canyon. There was one place, however that had Ginny getting nervous again, when we came to one spot that had none of her beloved bushes and trees. I helped her by doing what I do best at those times, hold her hand and walk on the cliff side (she knows I'll save her!) Just as we were about half way across this bare spot and had stopped to take a picture, we were all surprised to hear her cell phone go off. Surprised because we had found NO cell service anywhere in the park until that moment. It was a text from David "Coleman hurt himself, we're at the ER" Kerri-Ann helped Ginny along the trail to a place that she could respond "What happened?" David said they were waiting for the CT scan to see how deep they went. Our question "How deep WHAT went???" And at that moment we lost cell service and no matter what Ginny did she couldn't get through. Suddenly she was much more concerned with finding out what had happened to Coleman than she was about the cliff she was standing by. For the next 3 1/2 hours we didn't know what was happening to our little Coleman, but our prayers were very much there for him. The rest of our hike down was uneventful, but beautiful!

When we arrived back at the lodge we took a break and got on the bus to head up to Weeping Rock. When we left for vacation this trail had been closed for about 2 weeks due to a land slide that went across the trail, but while we were are Bryce and the Grand Canyon a crew of youth volunteers cleaned up the mess. I really did not want to miss this feature of the canyon as it has some magnificent hanging gardens. Anyone that has seen these has to agree that these gardens are beyond what words can describe. The vegetation grows on the face of the cliff and under the overhang that forms the viewing area at the end of the trail. Here the green plants cling to to the red cliffs being watered by the water that has fallen on the tops of the mountains and has seeped down through the sandstone until it hits a layer of non-poreous rock which forces the water to the face of the cliff. Not only are the plants beautiful but standing in the alcove looking out on the canyon it looks like it is raining as the water drops from the cliff above. As we were returning to the bus we arrived at the location of the landslide to find that two of the young ladies that had helped clean up the mess were there taking some after-pictures. They explained what it took to clean up the mess and showed us pictures of the slide itself. We thanked them for their work and sharing the pictures with us and went on our way.

Our next stop would be at the Temple of Sinawava. This is the last stop at the top of the canyon and the bus starts its return trip down the canyon from here. There is a very good reason that this is the last stop. From this point on there is no room for a road as the canyon walls close in on the river. There is however a paved trail called the Riverside Walk that follows the river for about a mile upstream. Even though the trail ended one can walk up the river under the right conditions. You have to be cautious doing this because the river level can change rapidly due to the narrowness of the canyon and the large area that contributes water to the river. Flash floods are always a possibility if there is rain falling upstream and you may not even know it, so if you are thinking of walking the river know what the weather forecast is.

With only a few hours left to explore the canyon we hiked the the end of the trail and Ginny again followed tradition and remove her shoes and socks to walk in the water, but by this point no one wanted to venture upstream for any distance. We did talk to several individuals who had hiked what is called Zion Narrows. This hike starts at the Chamberlain Ranch Trailhead which is on the east edge of the park and the hike is some 16 miles long. It ends at this Riverside walk we were on. A backpacking permit is required from the park service to make this trek. This is one of the things that I would like to do and though many do this hike in a day, I think I would preferred to make it a two day trip staying at one of the back country camp sites. Not only would it be easier on the body but it would also allow for time to stop and enjoy natures creations. I am sure there would be many photos that I would also like to take.

By the time we started our return hiking to the bus my knees and feet were definitely tired and Ginny was out doing me. Now I know how she normally feels when she walks with me. I had to ask her to slow down several time.

We boarded the bus and headed down canyon. On the way up the canyon the bus driver had pointed out a man and woman that were climbing the cliff face just south of the Temple of Sinawava, but I could not pick them out so on the way back I got Ginny to point them out. Zion is known for its cliff climbing opportunities and rightfully so. It takes a well trained climber at least two days to climb from the base of the cliffs up to the top of the canyon and these two were on just such a schedule. They had anchored for the night as it was less than an hour before dark. They would start again early the next morning with the slow but steady climb to the top. If you have never been to Zion before you cannot even imagine what it would be like to climb these cliffs. As a general rule there are no ledges to camp out on for the night. One literally hangs in your sleeping gear on the face of the cliff. I can't imagine doing this because you also have to realize that the evening winds in a canyon like this can be very strong which does not help matters.

Not wanting to returned to camp without having explored all that we could, we hopped off the bus at Big Bend. This stop is very open and allows one to sit and observe all the grandeur of the canyon with features like the Pipe Organ and Angels landing. Having spend all the time we could we jumped on the next bus and headed for camp. This vacation was coming to an end all to quickly.

I had mentioned when we were hiking to the Emerald Pools that we had seen wild turkeys in the bottom of the canyon last time we were in Zion and hoped to seen them again. It was looking like I would be disappointed in this regard, but as we were just below the lodge, low and behold, there were 10 to 12 wild turkeys crossing the road. The bus slowed down to let them cross but there was not enough light to get any pictures and they headed into the bush pretty quickly. It was fantastic to be able to see these birds and they are no small Thanksgiving bird to boot. I would estimate that some of these birds weighed in over 30 pound.

Once again were were getting back to camp at dark, but there was just enough light that we did not need the flashlights. It was now time for the capstone on this vacation. The much anticipated campfire over which we roasted hot dogs and prepared smore's. It was great to have a quick and relaxing meal. We did not need anything to big because we had had steak and potatoes for lunch.

We went to bed that night realizing the we had only this one night left to enjoy our time away from home. Kerri-Ann also pointed out that this was the first time all trip that she had felt like she was not cold. I don't know if it was the campfire, or the warming spirit of the Sabbath that made her feel this way. For the rest of us the whole trip have seemed pretty comfortable.

In the morning we arose to the task of clean up camp and removing things from the trailer and preparing it to be returned in the afternoon. We needed to have it back by 4:00 pm and we knew that it would be after 3:00 pm before we arrive in Salt Lake. Once this was all straightened away we made a quick dash up to the visitor center. We had a couple of last minute tasks to see to. Ginny and I had to make sure that we stamped our National Parks passport book (a traditional that my brother Steve has put me on to over 10 years ago.) We have always made it a point to stamp our passport at any national park that we visit and we were not going to miss this last opportunity. Ginny also started collecting walking stick medallions. She collected 4 on this trip. One from each national park and Red Canyon.

We had hoped to have spent another day in Zion but John and Kerri-Ann were expecting the arrival of a new little bundle of joy (a grandchild). They wanted to get back to Salt Lake and finish their shopping before they hit the road back to Canada. Since we did not stay the additional day I guess that we have an excuse to return again to do the things we didn't get to do and to see the things that we didn't get to see.

One thing we didn't mention was the several game sessions that we had on several evenings.

We played Settlers of Catan--John and Kerri-Ann are enthusiastic players! and we introduced them to Ticket to Ride. I'm sure the guys won most of the games, but that's probably NOT how the gals would remember it. Anyway, they were fun games and fun evenings!

Thinking about our vacation, we'd just like to say the sights were great and so was the company--Thanks Kerri-Ann & John. Hope we can do it again some time. And Thanks John for all your driving!