You may recall that we visited Zion National Park in November 2007 and were awed by the sheer vertical cliffs and red sandstone. That hasn't changed.
We headed south on I-15 to Kolob Canyons - the northwestern region of Zion National Park. We had not been able to visit this section of the park on the previous trip so this was new to us. We got the requisite stamps in our passports and supported the local economy once again then drove the 5 mile scenic drive to the top of the mountain. We saw a squirrel dart across the road then scurry up a rock and pose for a picture! (Don't laugh - but he was the only wildlife we saw other than two birds!)
After leaving Kolob Canyon, we listened to our growling tummies and headed to Hurricane, UT -- like they have a reason to be called Hurricane! -- and had lunch. Funny thing about the folks that travel within Utah -- either they don't eat on the road or they bring picnic lunches as there are fewer restaurants along the roadside than there are checkers open at the super center! After lunch we took the scenic route to Zion National Park and made our way to the Visitor Center (more stamps!) then we went for a hike. We hiked up the side of the mountain to see Weeping Rock and the waterfall. On our way I spotted a young man wearing a Cypress Ridge High School shirt -- that school is less than 4 miles from our house! This is a gorgeous site. As we were heading down the mountain, a large crowd passed us. Moments later we heard loud shrieks -- turns out that they had all filled the small walkway behind the waterfall and the wind that had been blowing one direction shifted and soaked everyone on the walkway! Timing is everything, eh? :)
After visiting Weeping Rock we continued on the scenic route that we had not taken on our first visit and saw the Court of the Patriarchs....so named by early explorers of the park. The peaks are named Abraham, Isaac and Jacob after three Hebrew prophets. After Court of the Patriarchs, the road twists and turns to the Temple of Sinawava - an outdoor "amphitheater" that has vertical red sandstone walls and a beautiful waterfall. Here the kids got to do something they had been asking to do for days....throw rocks in the water! They lobbed rocks of every shape and size into that river and had a blast.
The road forces you to return the way you came at the Temple of Sinawava so we retraced our steps and found our way to the tunnels in the park. One thing you notice as you are wending your way up the mountain is that every once in a while you see what look to be like arched windows cut into the side of the mountain. From the road they appear to be just black portholes, but once you are driving in the tunnel (1.1 miles long, completed in about 2 years in 1930) you see the portholes of light and they offer vistas that are breathtaking.
After you go through the long tunnel, you exit into what appears to be an entirely geologically different area. Whereas the first part is red and dark red sprinkled with some light sandstone, mostly hard looking rocks, the area you exit into after the tunnel is much lighter, much more sandstone and definitely much softer stone than in the first part. The Checkerboard Mesa is here - and it is a large hill that looks like someone has drawn lines to represent a checkerboard on the sandstone. We made our way to the east entrance and turned around to retrace our steps as we had a special treat planned - a sunset safari in an open-air vehicle! We had not told the kids about this, so it was a treat to them.
As we were waiting for the magical hour, we picnicked on ham and turkey sandwiches and chips. Not a gourmet meal, but we were together in one of the most beautiful places, what more could we want? An open air jeep ride at sunset!
Zion Sunset Safaris takes folks in modified Ford F250 trucks with a roll bar cage at the back and seating for 12. We would go onto "backcountry" routes (read REALLY BUMPY ROADS!!) and make it to a plateau to view the sunset. Our guide Bruce was great - he took us up the mountain and regaled us with stories and trivial bits as we went along.....like the bridge that we went over was originally completed in the 1930's.....and that the road that we were on was THE ROUTE from the town of Springdale to the Grand Canyon prior to the completion of the longer tunnel in Zion. Seems that the tunnel route took 60 miles off of the trip. He called the hill that we were traversing "Grafton's Hill" and my comment was that I would swapped the "i" in Hill for an "e" for a more apt description. That road was awful....bumpy does not begin to describe it....but for the view of the sunset and rising full moon, it was almost worth it. In addition to seeing a really neat sunset, we saw some cows with bells around their necks and their little calves. Bruce commented that "even Momma cows like their bling!" I agree!
Our safari ended after one last bump down Grafton Hill and going back over the ancient bridge
to our starting point at Majestic View Lodge. A short ride to the hotel later and we were ready for bed!
Click here for the sights of the day.....
Looking forward to Bryce Canyon and other interesting points on Saturday!
The Frolicking Featherstons
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