Day 12 - Zion National Park, Utah

Captain's Log - Day 12 - Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park, Utah... Quotes of the day from children we overheard... [child muttering as he scuffed along with his parents on a mountain trail] "I'm dyin' in Zion. I'm dyin' in Zion." That one brought back memories! The second: [in monotone, neutral voice to her father] "I saw a dead fly back there." [Then excited added] "Someone squished it!"

We decided to stay in the area for another day since we didn't get both Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion in on one day [Go figure - maybe I had to stop too many times for pictures, eh?!]. Talk about a great decision. This park is pretty phenomenal! If you ever trek out this way, make sure you leave enough time to drive through the park road [Highway 9], take the tram through the scenic drive and hike some of the trails. The hiking trails range from easy to very difficult and they mean difficult! Not that we really experienced them firsthand, that will have to be another day, but we talked to several people [imagine that, Jackie, talking to people we don't even know!] and they told us about some of the trails that are like a foot wide along the side of the mountain with absolutely no railings and incredible drop offs! Sounds like fun, eh?

I tried to capture some of the majesty of the park, but that was a futile attempt - it seems that trying to explain or capture in pictures its beauty and majestic expanse is simply impossible, neither seem to do it justice. Walking along the trails brought a sense of peace of spirit, as if the Lord Almighty was very close at hand - if He could do all this, certainly He is able to hold us securely in His hand!

Highway 9 through the park was a treat! It winds for thirteen fantastic miles through the park and every curve brought a new type of landscape that felt as if we were traveling through a canyon on Mars! You travel through the park at speeds of 25-35 mph on very twisty roads. The rock mountains all around were mostly red but there were also deep rust colored mountains and majestic white sandstone mountains mixed in here and there. Actually, the highway on either side of the park was really nice as well.

Navajo sandstone is what comprises most of the park. That is the red and rust colored rock.

We found a really interesting backdrop along the way on one of our hikes.

One thing that I really wanted to see in the park was a bighorn ram. We heard that they might be seen in the eastern part of the park so I asked Dawn to keep a good lookout for one. Well, once again, the Lord blessed us. As we were on our final pass though the park and getting ready to head back to our hotel in Hurricane, Utah, Dawn yelled through the intercom, "Greg! Can you pull over safely?! Hurry! There was a... a... one of those things you really wanted to see!" "What? A black bear?" I asked [because she sounded rather scared!] "No! A... a... mountain goat!"

I couldn't believe it! There they were, just sitting there in the setting sun relaxing and looking at us just a calmly as could be. There were about 10 different vehicles that pulled over to enjoy the scene - some stopped and got out, some just stopped in the middle of the road for a moment and snapped a picture. It was cool.

This is a view from the portion of the road filled with switchbacks as you climb to the tunnel. The tunnel is pretty cool in and of itself. It is just over a mile long and they have four or five openings cut through the sandstone wall and as you go by them you get a quick glimpse out over the canyon. The tunnel was cut in the late 1920's and the cars were much smaller then so today, when big campers come through, they actually have to stop the traffic coming the other way till the camper clears.

Here is a look at what the Highway 9 ride looked like. The way I figure it, you get a 7 day pass to the park so you can ride back and forth, like, about 178 times! Happy trails!