Zion, another great park entry road. To the East, light colored sandstone mesas, hoodoos and to the west of the tunnels, 2000 ft red sandstone cliffs. All this divided by a mile long tunnel carved right through the cliff. It is an amazing engineering feat and it creates an stunning visual affect as you enter the park. Another great ride for me…..
We ventured into the park for a hike today. It was a great trail. We worked our way up the cliff faces on switchbacks too numerous to count. Along the way we walked through a slot canyon where the walls are covered with swirling erosion patterns and hanging gardens where plants find footholds in even the smallest of spaces. From Observation Point, about 2100 feet above the trailhead, we had a great panoramic view of the canyon. All this beauty was created by the little Virgin River, it is barely a stream right now. It must be absolutely amazing when it is running full.
Our side trip to Hidden Canyon (another slot canyon) involved narrow trail with chain hand holds. Very cool.
It is raining this afternoon….probably an end to the slot canyon exploration and their inherent flood risk. We will probably go for a more open trail tomorrow.
Kolob Canyon at Zion National Park. So this is what is at the edge of the Colorado Plateau! These tall red sandstone cliffs are streaked with finger canyons where the streams and creeks (during a really short, wild, wet season) find their way off the plateau and fall to the arid land below….the edge of the world.
Landscape Arch – Arches National Park UT
We trekked down into the canyon to get a close up view of the terrain. The trail names reflect some of the shapes along them…at least sort of: Queen’s Garden (Queen Victoria hoodoo), Navaho (the rock color I think), and Peek-a-boo (lots of windows and some arches to peek through). My favorite part was a set of switchbacks through a narrow steep box canyon that had lots of big Ponderosa Pine growing in it. It seemed very weird to find them there. The green of the needles and reds of the stone really look beautiful together. It was a great hike and a totally different perspective from up on the rim.
Brilliant oranges and reds as the sun climbed up over Mt Powel and hit the bizarre shaped sandstone shapes in the canyon. It was a great start to the day.
They had a star party. We didn’t last long at it though. There was a bus load of middle school kids so the telescope lines got very long and a little noisy. It IS dark here though. Maybe we will venture out again on our own to check it out before we leave else, there is another star party Saturday if it is clear.
Route 12. This is twisty and riddled with 12% and even 14% grades. Top elevation 9,600 ft. It winds its way through the rugged washes and plateaus of Grand Staircase – Escalante Nat’l Monument. I enjoyed the view. Kent snuck a few peeks when we stopped at scenic viewpoints; else, when we were moving he had his hands full. Safe arrival and even got a site in the Park campground. Kent is catching a quick nap to recuperate from the drive then off the Visitor Center and beyond.
Besides the historic orchards with heirloom fruit…
Waterpocket fold..this is weird looking terrain. It is a 100 mile long ridge with a mix of high cliffs, arches, melted looking mounds, and deep canyons. A little different from other parks we have seen so far.
A perfectly ripe pear, still warm from the afternoon sun, freshly plucked from the tree. Right there in the orchard I took my first bite. The juice ran down my chin and across my wrist. This is what a pear should taste like. Absolutely wonderful! the park is maintaining a number of historic buildings and the orchards planted by the late 1890 Mormon settlers. Apples and pears are ripe now and it’s ok to pick and eat. Yummy.