Sunday, June 3, 2012 - Zion National Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent the night in the small town of Mount Carmel which is between both Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. There is a great story about the history of the hotel I will add later. After church, we headed toward Zion to grab a quick breakfast before we hit the park. The scenic drive is incredible, including a drive through a tunnel that is more than a mile long. It was built in the 1930's and all I can say is wow! We thought we'd find a McDonald's, but Springdale is not that kind of town. We stopped at a quaint place just before the town ended. We sat outside and shared a table with a "local." It was pleasant enough, but we soon discovered the cook hadn't shown up that day and so 1.5 hours later we finished our "quick" breakfast and headed to Zion. They say it is the prettiest place on earth. I'm certain it is at least in the top ten. There is no way you can visit this place without believing in creation and our Creator. Such majesty! We've had a really long week, but have seen the most amazing things. It is truly "America the Beautiful." I'll leave you with these scenes and fill in the missed days when I 'm not on a trail or in the car.

The welcoming committee is ready to greet us.

You will have to take my word that the person in the picture is me standing in the coldest water I've ever put my feet in. This is the path people cross to get to "The Narrows."

 

Hanging gardens along the "River Walk" path include grasses, Maidenhair ferns and columbine.

A nice climb along "Weeping Rock" trail leads us to another hanging garden where lush plants grow in the crevices where water "weeps." A beautiful bird stopped by to see if we had anything to eat.

 

The contrast in colors in the sandstone is mind boggling. The early Mormon explorer named the white mountain "The Great White Throne" in 1916. The reddish structure is called "Angel's Landing" because one man exclaimed "only an angel could land there." Today we met a group that climbed it. Based on the tattoos and their attire, I'm guessing they were not angels.

This is how we feel after a day of hiking in 97 degree heat. And yes, it really IS a dry heat, so it wasn't as bad as it sounds. We have been blessed with perfect weather, even if it is a little hotter than it should be this time of year.

On the way out of the park we saw a big horn sheep and a little down the road, a ranch with bison. This one got pretty close. If you click on the picture, you can see the birds that hitched a ride on his back.