Utah Vacation-Returning Home

Today was our final day of vacation. It was time to say good-bye to Southwest Utah and return to Florida. In preparation, we had nearly all of our bags packed and by the door the night before. All that was left to do was get showers, get dressed, and try to eat as much of the remaining food as possible. While Susan packed the cooler one last time, I made countless trips in the dark across the condo parking lot, carrying two weeks worth of trash bags and recyclables.

Once packed, we made one final pass through the condo, wrote in the visitor log, and locked the door on our way out. The drive to Las Vegas is about 3.5 hours long. It travels South a few miles in Utah, then enters Arizona, the Utah again, and Arizona again, and finally into Nevada. The coolest part of the trip is the Virgin River Canyon. It’s hard to believe that engineers could find a way to route an interstate through there. The canyon is so narrow and twisty in one spot that the interstate is literally built above the river; not on one side or the other like one normally sees.

Thanks to the time zone change Las Vegas was an hour behind Utah time, so we had an extra hour to spend before returning the car to the airport. We took advantage of this time by exploring the Strip. We started at the North end and headed South. We found a parking spot outside Macy’s and started walking.

Our first stop was the Venetian. I wanted to see the gondolas. We walked in and BOOM!, slot machines and gambling devices as far as you can see. I asked an employee how to find the gondolas and he pointed the way, right through the casino. I asked about Andrew going that way and he said, “No problem, just stay three feet away from everything”. In North Carolina, Andrew wasn’t even allowed inside the casino. Welcome to family friendly Las Vegas.

We did our best to follow the directions and the signs, but still got lost. A security officer took pity on us and showed us the way.

The gondolas inside the Venetian

Back outside, we continued walking to Caesar’s Palace. We walked inside and again, the casino went on forever. There were several things about this place that I found interesting. First, the casino allowed smoking – YUCK. Second, they had full scale replicas of famous Italian sculptures, most notably Michelangelo’s David. Third, these places are basically self-contained cities. If you wanted, you would never have to go outside. There is plenty of food, shopping, and entertainment to last a weekend or even a week, although I would get tired of it quicker than that. And finally, near one of the exits is a multi-story, open shopping area. It is shaped like a horizontal ellipse, about four stories tall. The floors are held up by massive columns that are carved into sculptures of half naked goddesses with flowing gowns. Along a long side of the ellipse, there are escalators going up and down. The crazy thing is that the escalators are curved to match the arc of the ellipse. I’ve never seen anything like that before. I was starting to feel like a country bumpkin who’d never left his home town.

David and Andrew near statue of David, in Caesar's Palace

Next, we passed quickly through Treasure Island. Again, it was hard to find our way around inside. We eventually found a sign that led us to the parking garage and back outside. From there, we returned to our car.

The next goal was to see as much of the Strip as possible, catch the Welcome sign, eat lunch, and return the car. The following pictures were shot through the window of the car.

The Mirage

New York, New York

Excalibur

Luxor

This time, we were on the correct side of the road to stop at the Welcome sign. We pulled into the parking lot and drove to the end to get what tiny bit of shade we could find. There was a long line of tourists waiting to get their picture taken in front of the sign. We bypassed that and got a nice picture, with the help of zoom.

The famous Welcome sign

Back in the car, we went through the cooler one last time and decided what we could eat and what must be thrown away. We don’t like throwing food away, so we all ate as much as possible. Even so, there was still food and ice left in the cooler. We decided to keep it and headed for the Payless rental car return.

Inside the garage, we pulled up to the line and parked. An agent quickly greeted us and took the mileage numbers and the keys. We told her about the cooler and she said, “Leave it. We’ll take care of it”. That was the best outcome I could have imagined. We gathered our bags, left the well-used Styrofoam cooler behind, and walked to the airport shuttle bus.

At the airport, we checked our bags and walked to the gate. Our first flight was to Dallas Love Field. We chose to sit on the North side of the plane, hoping that maybe, just maybe, we’d get to finally see Hoover Dam.

Las Vegas from the air

Our one and only view of the Hoover Dam

After a brief stop in Dallas, we continued on to Orlando. The airport was nearly empty when we arrived. It was pouring down rain outside, which was very unusual for us, who had spent two weeks in the desert.

So, to summarize our vacation experience, we saw three national parks, enjoyed miles of scenic hiking, had good food, ice cream, and shakes whenever possible, got harassed by insects during lunch everyday, and even came back with a sexy new tan line (ask me about it and if you’re lucky, I’ll show you).

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Utah Vacation-Zion Wrap Up

Today was our last full day of vacation. I wanted to do one more trail in Zion and Susan wanted to find some nice Zion shirts. So, we packed our cooler and headed for Zion National Park.

Since we were in no hurry to catch a shuttle, we arrived at the East entrance a little later than usual. That, and it being Friday, meant that there were more people trying to get in. The Ranger was at the gate and the line was backed up pretty far. By the time we crept to third in line, another Ranger came out opened a second lane. I was just about to pull into that lane and be the first, but a guy in a Toyota truck cut right in front of me. Typical.

The trailhead for the East Rim Trail is just inside the entrance. We arrived, parked, and prepared for the hike. Susan decided to stay at the trailhead (she does not have marathon runner energy levels and her foot was sore), so it was just me and Andrew. The payoff for this hike is a view into the Zion canyon from the edge of a cliff above Weeping Rock. The trail from within the canyon has been closed due to a rockslide that was still being cleaned up. So, if you wanted that view, this was the only way to see it. Well, I would have liked to have seen it, but this is one of the longest hikes in the park and neither of us was ready for an all day trek.

We decided to go out for an hour or 2 miles, whichever came last. The first mile of the trail is relatively flat and very sandy; it is like walking on a volleyball court on the beach.  Eventually, it gets steeper and rockier and the switchbacks begin. We reached the two mile point first and I wanted to keep going to see if there was any view at all. We did and there wasn’t. We turned around and headed back to the trailhead. Later we learned that the views start at 2.9 miles. Oh well.

A panoramic view from the East Rim Trail

Back at the car, we decided to go try to find shirts at the Visitor Center. We headed West through the park to the Visitor Center. The parking lot was Christmas-shopping-at-the-mall crazy. Every time a spot opened, there were three of four cars trying to get it. I dropped Susan off close to the Visitor Center entrance and slowly drove around the lot. On my second lap, I found an empty 15 minute spot, pulled in, and set the timer on my watch. Tick tock, the minutes went by. With five minutes left, I saw Susan walking toward me with bag in hand. She did it!

With our immediate goals achieved, we headed to Springdale to prepare for our next goals. First, we needed a place to park. Preferably, it would be free and have a picnic table nearby. After driving all the way through town, we found a small park with two hour free parking and picnic tables along the Virgin River. Perfect. Second, we needed to check in with Southwest Airlines to get our boarding position set. We had over an hour before the window opened, so we pulled out the cooler and had lunch. Keeping with the theme of this trip, the bees arrived as soon as the food came out. For some reason, the bees were highly attracted to Andrew and he ran for cover. With him out of the way, they started harassing me, so I too had to run for cover.

After lunch, we still had a bit of time before the Southwest check in window opened. We found a nice shady spot in the grass and relaxed. We discussed what else we wanted to do today and Las Vegas came up. We thought about going back to the condo, packing, and spending the night in Las Vegas. We looked into prices and decided that it wasn’t worth it. Las Vegas taxes are outrageous.

The check in window opened and I entered my details into the Southwest app. Once again, we got three positions in boarding group A. Nice.

Since we were in Springdale and we were finished with lunch and we weren’t in a hurry, we decided we needed ice cream. Google gave us two choices and I chose one. We headed back into town and found the market that Google suggested. Andrew and I got a two scoop bowl of Orange Cream, then found a seat outside in the shade. At the next table, a guy was on a conference call on his laptop. I had forgotten that it was Friday and not everyone is on vacation. I thought it odd that he was not using a headset, so everyone could hear the full conversation. And even more odd was that he had a six pack of beer on the table and was working on one during the call. Interesting.

After the ice cream was gone, we headed back through Zion one final time. I absorbed as much as I possibly could, knowing that I may never get back to this park again (although I hope I do).

A view of the Checkerboard Mesa

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Utah Vacation-Johnson Canyon Slots

Today we planned to go in search of the best slot canyon we could find, within the limitations of Johnson Canyon. We packed our cooler and headed East out of Kanab. We then headed North on Johnson Canyon Road. After a few miles, we turned onto Bureau of Land Management route 500 (BLM 500), an unimproved road, and followed it to Lick Wash.

The Lick Wash Trail follows Lick Wash into a canyon. Since it is along a wash, there was no water present. The canyon was bone dry, but yet somehow, trees managed to grow.

David hiking the Lick Wash Trail

Narrow slot along the Lick Wash Trail

We then continued North on BLM 500 to the Willis Creek Trail. Somewhere along the route, we saw a sign that said that four wheel drive and high clearance vehicles are recommended. Well, it was for just this situation that we rented a Jeep. Unfortunately, Payless did not give us a Jeep. But luckily for us, we had lots of food and water available, in case we needed to wait for rescue.

The Willis Creek Trail is another slot canyon trail. But unlike others we have hiked, this one has flowing water. Nice. After only a half mile or so, we passed through our first slot and thought, “That was nice. I wonder if the trail gets any better from here?” That’s when we passed some hikers heading back up the trail. We asked them and they enthusiastically said that we need to keep going. That was encouraging. So keep going we did.

David entering a slot along the Willis Creek Trail

Susan at the other end of a slot along the Willis Creek Trail

Another slot along the Willis Creek Trail

Susan in a deep slot along the Willis Creek Trail

Back on the road, we continued North towards Bryce Canyon Visitor Center. It was now that the high clearance vehicle recommendation finally became clear. The road, which had been mostly level dirt and loose sand, became very steep and full of ruts. I carefully started down into a valley with high hopes that I’d be able to get out the other side. At the bottom, I thought, “That wasn’t so bad”. Getting out the other side turned out to be a non-issue and we continued on to Bryce Canyon. So much for all the gloomy foreshadowing.

At the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center, we went shopping for shirts. We really liked the shirts we found at North Rim and were looking for shirts with a similar style. We found them, but they were a little bit more expensive than the typical T-shirt, but hey, you only live once, so we splurged a little.

The route back to the condo was the same route we took a few days earlier. To our surprise, the short garden hose that bounced off a camper the other day was still lying on the side of the road.

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Utah Vacation-Zion Hiking

Today we planned to return to Zion National Park and do more hiking. Since the planned hikes are all inside the canyon, we had to reserve shuttle tickets yesterday. We received reservations for the 8-9:00 AM window. We packed and left the condo with plans to arrive at the Visitor Center at 8:30.

As usual, we entered the park from the East entrance. Once again, we arrived before the Ranger, so we scooted right through the gate. Our luck ran out at the top of the tunnel. With our reservation window starting to get uncomfortably tight, we found ourselves behind a camper. It was well past 8:00, so a Ranger was checking vehicles. The camper had to stop so the Ranger could arrange for the camper to go through the tunnel with no oncoming traffic. We waited forever, so it seemed, before downhill traffic was allowed to proceed. In reality, it was only six minutes.

We arrived at the Visitor Center with 15 minutes left in our reservation window. We walked very quickly towards the shuttle stop, but then I realized that I left my sunglasses in the car. I briefly considered leaving them, but the sky in Utah is so clear and the sun so bright, I knew I’d need them soon. I ran back to the car to get them, then rejoined the family near the shuttle boarding area. To our dismay, the line was pretty long. But then our luck changed for the better. We heard a Ranger call out for folks with 8-9:00 tickets. We called back, then hurried to the front of the line and on to the waiting shuttle. Phew!

We rode the shuttle to the Lodge. We ate another breakfast – got to keep the energy levels maxed out – and decided which trail to take first. We decided to do a short, easy, warm-up trail first.

Our first hike was along the Sand Bench Trail. I quickly recognized that something was different about this trail. There were two clear indicators. First, there was an odd smell in the air, and second, there were hoofprints in the sand. I realized that this was a dual use trail. We decided to take it anyway. We were soon enough pleased to see that the trails split apart. Walking in the deep sand, churned up by countless horses, was difficult. But then the trails merged again. Darn. If you are thinking ahead, you probably already guessed what came next. At a very narrow spot on the trail, four tourists on horseback came from the opposite direction. We got off the trail and squeezed into the available space as they passed.

We eventually reached the end of the trail at the Court of the Patriarchs. The final climb to the lookout was paved, so the going was much easier. Along the way, we passed very closely to two male deer who didn’t seem to be too upset with our proximity.

Panoramic view of the Court of the Patriarchs

After hiking through all that soft sand, we decided to take the canyon road back to the Lodge. Along the way, we met a family riding electric bikes. One of the bikes was foldable and we’re told that it easily fits in the trunk of a car. The father said that his bike can go 28 miles per hour and he once got 78 miles on a single charge, but that did include him pedaling part of the time. Pretty impressive.

Back at the Lodge, we fueled up again with an early lunch under the big tree. There we saw another deer, casually nibbling the fresh grass, seemingly oblivious to the people taking pictures nearby. At this point, Susan was ready to relax, so Andrew and I continued without her.

A deer nibbling the fresh grass near the Lodge

Our plan was to hike the West Rim Trail to Scout Lookout. This is one of the most difficult hikes in the park, but it offers a spectacular view of the canyon from the top of the cliff. We caught a shuttle from the Lodge to The Grotto, then crossed the river to the trailhead. The trail has four distinct sections. Section 1 is relatively flat and follows along the bank of the Virgin River. Section 2 starts the climb to the base of the cliff, then begins switching back and forth to gain elevation. This part was hard and hot, as there was little shade to be found. Section 3 enters a dry wash through a canyon and is completely shaded and nearly flat. And Section 4 is the real killer, labeled as Walter’s Wiggles on the trail map. This section is similar to the climb on the Wall Street Trail in Bryce Canyon. The pitch is so steep that the switchbacks are held up by walls. I started counting the number of switchbacks, but lost track around 18. After completing that final switchback, its a short hike to Scout Lookout.

Scout Lookout is an amazing payoff for a pretty tough hike. It has you perched atop a 1,000 foot tall vertical cliff. In some places, you can walk right up to the edge. There are no railings here. I could only get so close before I had to back up. I was unable to get close enough to look down. I looked around and found a few places where there were large rocks near the edge. From there I could lean against the rock and nearly look straight down. It was then that I realized that we were high above the Big Bend shuttle stop, where we got off and explored a few days earlier. Just writing about it makes my hands sweaty with anxiety.

Panoramic view of the canyon from Scout Lookout

Scout Lookout was the end of our hike, but the trail continues. The most iconic destination in the park – Angel’s Landing – is just another half mile up the trail. This part of the trail is along a very narrow shelf of rock that slants away from the mountain and, like all trails in Utah, is covered by fine sand. It is nearly impossible to walk on without slipping, and slipping leads to certain death, as the large sign attested (10 deaths since 2004). To help avoid killing off all the hikers, the trail has a chain screwed into the rock along the ledge so you can hang onto the chain and hopefully avoid the long fall to the canyon floor below. But, like a lot of things these days, this trail is closed due to COVID-19. There is just no way for two hikers to pass each other along the narrow ledge without getting extremely close to each other. Personally I’m glad it was closed. Otherwise I would have had to pass on that part and look like a big sissy in front of my son.

David hanging onto the chain at the start of the closed trail to Angel's Landing

After enjoying the thrill of victory and taking a much deserved break, we headed back down the trail. The trip down was incredibly fast and easy. I’m pretty sure it took less than half the time to descend as it took to climb. We were back at The Grotto in no time.

Looking down Section 2 of the West Rim Trail

At The Grotto, we refilled our water bottles from the park’s spring water refilling station and waited for a shuttle back to the Lodge. We waited, but no shuttles were coming. Finally one came. As the line moved forward towards the doors, the Ranger waved the bus along, even though there were at least four empty seats available. I was like, “What the !#$%^”. I asked about it and he told me that the shuttle was going to the Lodge. Well crap, we wanted to go to the Lodge! Apparently, everyone in front of us wanted to go to the Visitor Center, so he assumed everyone in line had the same idea. Grrr.

Rather than wait for another shuttle, we decided to take the short trail to the Lodge. We found Susan, told her of our grand adventure, then caught a shuttle to Temple of Sinawava. This destination is deeper into the park, so there were plenty of shuttles available.

When the shuttle arrived, we were shocked by the number of people waiting in line to catch a shuttle back to the Visitor Center. We knew we’d be in for a long wait when we returned. Regardless, we all took the River Walk Trail to The Narrows. As expected, the number of hikers returning from The Narrows was large, so any thought of the line being shorter when we returned slipped away.

When we arrived at The Narrows, we found a nice spot on a large rock and watched the river glide by. We figured we’d just hang out until the number of hikers returning was less than four every five minutes. Well, that never happened. Hikers just kept appearing out of The Narrows.

Eventually we started slowly walking back the trail to the shuttle stop. The end of the line was in the same spot it was when we passed it earlier. Oh well, no big deal. We started playing a guessing game to see who could get the closest to the number of shuttles until we got on. The shuttles slowly came and left. After an hour, we were clearly going to be on the next bus, but there currently was no next bus in the queue. That’s when the Ranger asked for those going directly to the Visitor Center. We let him know that that was our plan, so he escorted us and several others past the normal line and directly to an express bus. Woo hoooo!

The ride back to the Visitor Center was fast and stop-free. The wind was blowing in the open vents and everyone was tired, but happy. The end of a very long day in an amazing national park. It doesn’t get much better.

Back at the Visitor Center, we found our car and started back to the condo. As usual, the drive out of the valley and through the tunnel was breathtaking. We stopped along the way out to capture another set of ‘magic light’ shots of the glowing rocks.

Outside the park, Andrew wanted to make one more stop. Since upgrading to Android 11, Andrew’s drone was out of commission. He found a different controller app that was compatible and wanted to try it out. We stopped near a section of highway with a sign that said, “Road Damage”. He wanted to get some drone footage of cars bouncing and weaving through the rollercoaster-like section of wavy pavement. Andrew got his video and we finally returned to the condo.

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Utah Vacation-Bryce Canyon

Today’s plan was to visit Bryce Canyon National Park. We packed the car and got going around 10:00 AM, and headed North. Along the way we entered a construction zone where a crew was paving the highway. We slowed as we approached, then we saw the BUMP sign. The transition from old to new pavement was quite dramatic. I could almost swear that the popup camper in front of us went airborne after hitting it. And then, out of the blue, a short garden hose came quickly into view. When they say BUMP in Utah, they mean it.

We arrived at Bryce Canyon around noon. We captured the obligatory park entrance picture, then continued to the Visitor Center. From there, we looked at the trail maps and chose the hike that had the following description, “If you can only do one hike, this might be the best choice”. This was the Queens/Navajo Combination Loop; clockwise direction recommended.

David standing near the Bryce Canyon National Park entrance sign

The trailhead was in the ‘Amphitheater’, which is near the Lodge. We stopped at the lodge first. Like other lodges we’ve visited, this one too was surrounded by small cabins. We left the lodge and walked to the trailhead.

When we arrived at the Amphitheater, we were blown away. Not by the wind (like at Cedar Breaks), but by the view. The hoodoos went on and on.

Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, looking Northeast

Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, looking Southeast

The trailhead was at Sunrise Point. The trail loop started with the Queens Garden Trail. This trail was mostly downhill and passed by many hoodoos. The payoff for this trail is a hoodoo that resembles Queen Victoria.

The Queen Victoria hoodoo on the Queens Garden Trail

Next, we followed the Navajo Loop trail through the forest below the hoodoos. At this point, we were thinking, “For every step we take downhill, that’s another step uphill later”. Along this section of trail, I noticed a distinct log lying on the ground that looked peculiarly like an alligator. Eventually, we reached a fork in the trail. We could take either the Wall Street Trail or the Two Bridges Trail up to Sunset Point, or we could take the Peek-A-Boo Loop Trail, which would add several miles to our hike. We chose to take the Wall Street Trail.

The Wall Street Trail is amazing and quite challenging. It was described to us as the closest thing Bryce Canyon has to a slot canyon. It is very narrow with hoodoos towering on both sides.

The "slot canyon" on the Wall Street Trail

As the trail winds closer to completion, it gets much steeper. Eventually, the trail becomes so steep that the switchbacks are held up by brick walls that are nearly vertical. I felt bad for one woman coming down who was clearly very anxious about the steepness of the trail. This is probably the reason they suggest to do the trail in the clockwise direction.

Looking up at the switchbacks on the Wall Street Trail

After many stops to catch our breath, we eventually made it to Sunset Point, which is at the opposite side of the Amphitheater from Sunrise Point.

We then returned to the car and headed south, past many viewpoints, to Rainbow Point. Here we had lunch, then hiked to Yovimpa Point. After that, we returned to the car and headed north. We stopped at each viewpoint along the route. The most interesting to me was the Natural Bridge viewpoint. The funny thing is, the information sign at the stop said that the formation was misnamed and is actually an arch.

The Natural Bridge, which is actually an arch

By now, it was getting late, so we started heading for home. Outside the park, we entered Bryce Canyon City. On the way in, we noticed some interesting shops, so we decided to stop on the way out. Andrew and I found an ice cream shop and had a bowl of Wild Huckleberry. Meanwhile, Susan went in search of souvenir shirts.

Back on the road, we passed through Red Canyon. Again, we thought this would be an interesting place to stop while driving in, but wanted to get to Bryce Canyon. Since it was now ‘magic light’ time, the rocks in Red Canyon were beautifully lit and demanded our attention. We stopped several times to grab some pictures.

Panoramic view inside Red Canyon

By now, the sun had set and we focused on getting home. The drive back was basically downhill from lush green meadows along the river, back to the desert landscape of Kanab. Along the way, we saw many deer in the fields. In many cases, the deer were sharing the green meadow grass with herds of cows.

Bryce Canyon National Park lived up to all of our expectations. The colors and shapes were out of this world.

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Utah Vacation-Zion Shuttle to Canyon

Today was Zion National Park day. Although we have already driven through the park several times, today we planned to actually go where only the shuttles can go. It reminds me of my early days in Florida when we would ride the monorail and boats around Disney World versus the first day we went inside. The difference is quite grand.

Zion has a shuttle service that runs inside the park. Before COVID-19, you could show up and catch a bus at any time, as long as you were willing to stand on the bus. Now, you must get a reservation for a specific time because the buses now have very limited seating. In addition to the booking, we realized early on that the park is crowded and the Visitor Center parking lot fills early. Yesterday, we booked the 8-9:00 AM shuttle window and planned to arrive at the Visitor Center before 8:00. Another thing to consider was the tunnel. According to what we read, the tunnel was not open until 8:00. So, we found ourselves in a predicament. Should we get up extra early and take the long way to get to the Visitor Center before 8:00, or sleep an extra hour and take the direct route through the tunnel and risk being late for our shuttle. We decided to take the direct route. Our first surprise was at the East entrance. There was no one at the gate, so we just drove right in. We do not feel any guilt for this, since we have the National Park Annual Pass. The second surprise came when we approached the tunnel. Again, there was no one there and the tunnel was not closed, so we drove straight through. So, in the end, we got to sleep a little longer and we still made it to the Visitor Center early and easily found a parking spot. Good start.

The shuttle bus started boarding early, so we were on our way to Zion Lodge before 8:00. The Lodge is surrounded by a collection of buildings. There’s the main building, with a food service, gift shop, and check in. Then there’s other buildings that are like hotels. And finally, there are private cabins.

Shuttle at the Lodge stop, the sun just touching the peaks

The one thing that really stood out to me was the lawn in front of the Lodge. It is a large open green space with one of the largest trees I’ve ever seen right in the middle. I was thinking at the time that I bet under that tree would be a nice place to eat lunch.

Massive tree in the lawn in front of the Lodge

After grabbing a breakfast sandwich from the lodge, we began our first hike. We took the Emerald Pools Trail up to the Lower Emerald Pool. From there, we continued up past the Middle Emerald Pool to the Upper Emerald Pool. Along the way, we were surprised twice. First, we came across a deer nibbling on the dry grass near the trail, then the trail passed below two small waterfalls.

Waterfall over Emerald Pools Trail

The lower and middle pools are nice, but the upper is the prize. It is a small pool surrounded by large rocks in a small nook in the vertical cliffs. Andrew and I climbed up on top of one of the large rocks and took in the scene. The pool was very green and inviting and the sun was now high enough to start filling the canyon with light.

Upper Emerald Pool as seen from a large rock

After soaking it all in for a while, we took the Kayenta Trail to The Grotto. The hike down was very scenic. I enjoyed watching the shadows from the canyon walls slowly walk across the valley and expose more areas with light. The winding river was especially beautiful as the light revealed its colors.

Virgin River winding through the canyon

At The Grotto, we caught a shuttle back to the Lodge. It was nearly lunch time, so we ordered some food. As expected, the lawn was now in direct sunlight and the tree in the center cast an enormous shadow over half of it. We easily found a nice shady spot, spread out our blanket, and ate. Even though we were surrounded by people – all keeping the proper social distance – I still felt like it was just us and the mountains. I felt very much at home in this place.

Andrew under the large tree in the lawn of the Lodge

After lunch Andrew and I took the shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava. From there, we walked along the Riverside Walk to The Narrows. The shuttle driver referred to Riverside Walk as “The Wides”. I said ‘walked’ because this was no hike. It is basically a sidewalk that follows the river for about a mile into the narrowing canyon. Along the way, we saw a Herron in the river and plenty of chubby squirrels. At The Narrows, the Riverside Walk ends. If you want to continue, you must cross the Virgin River. There is no way across without getting wet. We decided we’d come back when we were better prepared.

Entrance to The Narrows

Back at the Temple stop, we caught a shuttle to Big Bend. From here, we hiked a short ways down to a bend in the river that is surrounded on three sides by a massive cliff. I can’t express enough how amazingly tiny I felt next to these vertical walls. It is a sight that must be seen to be believed.

We caught the next shuttle and returned to the Lodge. We found Susan and continued to the Visitor Center. By this time, we were getting hungry again, so we found a picnic table in the parking lot and had second lunch.

After eating again, we packed the car and headed back towards the condo. On the way up the mountain, we decided that we would do the Canyon Overlook Trail if we could find a place to park. Once through the tunnel, we saw that the small lot was full, so we continued homeward. To our surprise, we did see some spots not far from the trailhead, so I turned around at the next pull off and returned to where I saw the spots. Luckily, one was still available, else we would have had to go through the tunnel to the valley to turn around again.

We parked and hiked the Canyon Overlook Trail. As mentioned earlier, the trail starts with steps that climb a little ways up and around the entrance to the tunnel. I didn’t realize it until then that there is a bridge just before the entrance to the tunnel and there’s a trail in the narrow canyon below the bridge. That is something to keep in mind for another day. The trail is very short and leads to one of the best views one can imagine. Along the way, the trail is actually held up by a metal frame with wooden boards that span a gap; not one for the fearful. From the overlook, the entire canyon that the winding road climbs through is visible. I’d give it an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10 for bang-for-the-buck.

View from the Canyon Overlook Trail

Back on the road again, we wound our way East out of the park. It is always an amazing drive, and this time was no different. Susan spotted a Bighorn Sheep in a small valley, so I stopped at the next pull off. When we got out and walked a short way to a rocky overlook, we saw a small herd of nine sheep in total.

Herd of Bighorn Sheep

Back on the road again, the ‘magic light’ was making the scenery even more amazing than normal. One particular spot was glowing gloriously – the Checkboard Mesa.

Checkerboard Mesa in 'magic light'

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Utah Vacation-Colorado River

The focus for today was the Colorado River. We planned a loop that included Lee’s Ferry, Horseshoe Bend, and the Glen Canyon Dam. There was one other place along the route that we also had to stop and revisit.

The other day, when returning from the North Rim, we stopped at Jacob’s Lake Inn for dinner. This place is known for its cookies and thick shakes. Being early, we skipped the shakes, but did not skip the cookies. We bought two chocolate chip cookies and two chocolate parfait cookies. The latter is a special cookie that does not use baking soda. It is more dense than a normal cookie, and had special Belgium chocolate chunks. The hard part was waiting for lunch to try them.

We continued on to our next stop at Lee’s Ferry. Lee’s Ferry is one of the few spots along the Grand Canyon that you can actually reach the river. It is the spot where all river expeditions begin. According to the signs, once you enter the river here, there is no turning back until reaching the other end of the canyon.

Boat launch at Lee's Ferry

We found a picnic area near the launch ramp and had lunch. As I ate, I thought about all the people on all the expeditions that passed through this spot. I wonder how many of those people loved it and how many regretted it. Today, we saw many people take a motor boat up river to the Glen Canyon Dam, then float back downstream in kayaks and canoes. That sounds like something I would totally enjoy. Oh, and I also ate one of the cookies… and it was fantastic.

Before the dam was build, the Colorado River was described as “Too thick to drink and too thin to plow”. It was full of red sediment from all the tributaries flowing into it. Now, it is an emerald green and looks quite inviting. Just down the river from the launch ramp, the river sees its first set of rapids. It amazes me that there is so much water in the river, while for many many miles, there is nothing but desert.

Next on the agenda was Horseshoe Bend. This bend in the river is very popular and is visited by many people. It is so popular, I saw a large, framed photograph of it going for $1000 at a gift shop. It is between the dam and Lee’s Ferry, so floaters pass through here on their way downstream. As the crow flies, the bend is very near to Lee’s Ferry. As the car drives, however, is quite a different story. Getting up out of the canyon takes many miles, and a very cool bridge.

Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River

The Navajo Bridge crosses Glen Canyon downstream of Horseshoe Bend and Lee’s Ferry. The bridge was complete in 1928. It is 467 feet above the river and spans 834 feet. There are actually two bridges – one for traffic and one for pedestrians. We also noticed that the bridges, along with holes in the nearby cliffs, are used by California Condors. Pretty cool.

Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River

Our next stop was the Glen Canyon Dam Visitor Center. We passed by here earlier in the week and made a point of revisiting. The Visitor Center itself was closed, but we were able to walk around the premises and read about the exhibits.

Andrew and a turbine blade at Glen Canyon Dam

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell

Our final stop was Lone Rock. It is a solitary rock formation in Lake Powell. There is a campground nearby that was full of everything I find bad about camping, all in one place. I won’t go into details, but I felt sad for the poor rock, out there all by itself, surrounded by humans with all of their noisy power toys.

Lone Rock in Lake Powell

Then it was back to the condo. As you may know, I have been participating in running events and I recently bought a Garmin fitness tracking watch. I am following a running plan and Sunday is my long run day. Rather than skip it, I decided I had time to do it today. Susan and I walked to the nearby park, then I ran/walked 3.5 miles. After my first uphill run, my lungs started to get irritated and I started coughing. I don’t know if it was the dry air, the dust from passing cars, or the altitude, but whatever it was, I removed the hill from my following laps and started to feel better. While running, I passed by several people out enjoying the evening and they were all very nice and interactive. I like small town people.

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Utah Vacation-Zion Kolob Terrace Road

Today started very early for us. Andrew read that the International Space Station and several Starlink satellites were flying over Kanab this morning. We all got up and drove a few miles North to a place we expected would be dark enough to see them. When we arrived, it was chilly and difficult to stand outside to wait. But I’m glad we did. Right on schedule, a very distinct object appeared in the Northwest sky and continued on to the Southeast. It was brighter than any star in the sky. It was clearly the space station. The Starlink satellites weren’t as visible. I think we may have seen two or three flash briefly before finally giving up and heading back to the condo. I was thinking, wouldn’t it be nice if SpaceX could make them shinier, then after a few months in orbit, they could fade and no longer be reflective? I’d like that, but the astronomers wouldn’t.

The plan for the day was to explore the Kolob Terrace Road. This road passes in and out of Zion and travels about 16 miles before reaching a reservoir high in the mountains. On our way, we passed through Zion again. While stopped for tunnel passage, I heard a hiker who hadn’t even reached the trailhead say, “And there’s stairs, too?” I laughed out loud to that one.

On the Northwest side of Zion, we got off the main road and took the Kolob Terrace Road. We passed by the Kolob Marketplace and I was curious what they had, so I turned around and stopped. They were very small and had just the basics that campers and fishermen needed, but they also had something very unique. Behind the cashier, a video was playing showing hikers clinging to cliff walls while wearing harnesses that were attached to cables. It was very intriguing, and intimidating. I asked about it and the cashier said that the Marketplace runs a tour down to the canyon, where they guide guests along this precarious path. She handed me a brochure with all the details. I told her I’d think about it. It didn’t take too long to rule that one out; at least for this trip.

Eventually we arrived at Kolob Reservoir. I was surprised to see RVs lining the shore of the lake. It wasn’t obvious that there was anyone in charge. I think the RVers just pulled in and set up camp for free. Now that I think of it, I have seen many RVs parked off dirt roads. I think it is a common thing around here.

Another thing that interested me was the property ownership. In some places, we were in Zion. In others, we were in a National Forest. And in others, we were passing through private land. In any case, I was surprised to see cows in free roam, in yards, along the road, on the road. It was crazy. And they have no fear. They will just look at you as you wait for them to move along. In one case, we came across about a dozen cows, two dogs, and four cowboys; all on the road. We patiently waited for them to all carry on to the other side.

We stopped at Lava Point Overlook to see the view and to have lunch. Like most places, we could see for many miles, even into Zion Canyon.

Looking Southeast towards Zion Canyon from Lava Point Overlook

Back on the road, we headed back to the Zion Springdale entrance. Just outside of town, we once again found ourselves slowing down for a surprise. This time, there was a group of about six horses with riders taking what I presume was a guided tour. You just don’t know what you’ll see around the next bend.

Back in the main part of Zion, we climbed the mountain and passed through the tunnel to the East side again. There were many Bighorn sheep along the side of the road. As usual, there were too many things to see and not enough pull offs along the side of the road. 

Outside the park is a farm with Bison. Every evening that we passed, the herd has been grouped near a pond and windmill, near the highway. Today, we stopped and took some pictures. One Bison decided to cool off in the pond while we stood by the fence and watched.

A Bison enters the pond for a cool drink of water

With dusk quickly approaching, we thought we’d give Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park another visit and fly the drone. Andrew got all set up in the back as I drove to a spot just outside the park. When Andrew tried to connect his phone to the controller, it wouldn’t connect. Then we realized that he had just updated his phone to Android 11 and the drone app was incompatible. Grr.

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Utah Vacation-St. George

Today, Susan needed to pick up a prescription from Amazon and the nearest drop location was in St. George, so we planned the day around that. There are two ways to get to St. George from here. The first way is faster and involves driving through Arizona. The second way is a little slower, but involves driving through Zion. We chose the latter.

Zion National Park East entrance

Driving through Zion is just spectacular. I don’t know what else to say about it. Heading West this time, we did see things from a different angle, and it was morning this time, so things were lit differently, but otherwise, it was one awe-inspiring view after another all the way through. The tunnel is amazing in itself, but what is even more amazing is that it has holes cut in the side to let in air and light. While driving through, passengers can get a glimpse of what is about to be revealed by looking through these giant windows.

View through a window in the Zion tunnel

Once out the other side, the scene is unbelievably dramatic. Photos can’t grasp the enormity of the site. Andrew captured a few shots with the highway winding down to try to give the scene some perspective.

Mountains viewed from the highway after leaving the tunnel

On the other side, we drove through Springdale again, and this time it seemed different. The crowds were gone and the town seemed inviting. Maybe we’ll stop and explore it later.

Susan’s prescription was at a drop box in a drug store in St. George. It just so happened that the St. George Visitor Center was literally next door. While Susan checked on her order, Andrew and I walked next door. The Visitor Center had lots of good information about the area and plenty of stuffed animals to help identify the wildlife that one may encounter. Meanwhile, two other visitors were getting the scoop from the employee working the desk. We casually eavesdropped on the conversation and decided that we wanted to do the same thing.

We decided to explore Snow Canyon. Snow Canyon is a State Park just outside St. George. We drove over and entered the park. The park is about five miles long and has many sites and pull outs. We traveled from one end to the other, then decided which stops to visit.

Our first stop was Jenny’s Canyon and Overlook. This was a short hike through soft sand and a short climb up an embankment. The canyon was a short slot canyon and the overlook provided a nice view from about 50 feet above the floor below.

David in Jenny's Canyon

Next came lunch in a picnic area, followed by the Lava Flow Trail. This trail took us over an old lava flow, including three lava tube entrances. Susan and Andrew surprised me when they climbed down into the tube entrance and disappeared from sight. They were down there for a few minutes before Susan returned. Andrew was nowhere to be seen. A few minutes later, he popped out of the rocks about 10 feet away. He found another entrance that I hadn’t seen.

Further along the trail, we found the mother of lava tube entrances. We all climbed down the hard, sharp lava rock and into the cave below. It was nice and cool, and extremely dark. We explored for awhile using our phone lights to see where we were going. I was the first to leave and as expected, Andrew was the last.

Susan in a lava tube on the Lava Flow Trail

The trail continued a little further to a large rock outcropping near the edge of a steep hill leading into a long valley. We all climbed to the top and had a great view of the valley and most of the park.

Panoramic view from an outcropping on the Lava Flow Trail

On the way back to the car, I spotted my first Jack Rabbit of the trip and it reminded me of someone. I had been looking for one at each stop. I pursued it for a time, but it was very elusive, hiding behind the sage brush, so I didn’t get a picture, and I eventually let it go.

After the park, we headed back to town to pick up the prescription, then started heading back to Kanab. We stopped briefly at the Natural Food Store, then continued along the Arizona route.

Along the way, Andrew wanted to fly his drone. The sun was about an hour from setting and the magic light was making everything glow. We came across a particularly amazing mountain outside Hurricane and decided to stop at the Gem Trailhead. The trailhead included both hiking and biking trails. I asked a rider where the trail went, expecting that it went up into the mountains, but he said it went out in the desert at the base of the mountain. I was hoping Andrew might get some video of some bikers flying down the slopes.

Andrew got his drone ready for flight and started the long climb to the top of the mountain. It took a while, but eventually he reached the top and got some great pictures and video of the mountain and the distant mountains.

Drone's eye view from the top of the mountain on Gem Trail

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