I have spent the last two or so weeks studying and meditating on water. Because Zion is, of all the places on earth, one of the most striking examples of the power, beauty, and magic of water. I suppose I should have known going into my riverwalk down the Virgin River narrows that my soul would turn to being absorbed with water in all its forms and functions. I needed it, but I didn’t realize how much. I grew up spending my winters in Oregon and my summers in Indiana; in essence, my entire life for several years revolved entirely around [View Full Entry]

---

---

I finally got the chance to throw up some photos. Flickr is being weird about organizing them so unfortunately they are just thrown up on the main page; the new ones start with IMG_0407. I also put up some videos! I am currently sitting in Springdale, Utah—the entrance to Zion National Park. Directly behind the screen of this laptop sits the West Temple, a rusty red and ashen white sandstone cliff 3,800 vertical feet in height. This is the view from the backyard—not bad. The h [View Full Entry]

---

---

The Very name Zion, a Hebrew word for refuge, evokes this land's significance. It doesn't come as a surprise that Mormon pioneers called this place "The Heavenly City of God". Several natural features of this breathtaking landscape have been named in a biblical fashion: The Great White Throne, The Altar of Sacrifice, Tabernacle Dome, The Court of the Patriarchs, and so on. No wonder why the Virgin River Canyon evokes the divine: melodies of soothing waters over stones, sculptured cliffs, warm and contrasting colours and an array of plants and animals never seen in such grandeur and harmony. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Zion National Park I shot Josh over to the airport so I could return the Navigator and grab our convertible rather than doing the Taxi thing. As you can see we got a white Sebring, which is nice, not much trunk space which is to be expected and makes some funny noises (though barely perceptible) in the steering, we've waited for a wheel to fall off but after several hundred miles we're still intact! On account of the temperature drop from 105 degrees three days ago to 65 degrees today, we didn't put the top down much, and when we did [View Full Entry]

---

---

I know that I am back in the country now, but I thought I would still do this for those who don't know how it went, or haven't yet seen any photos. I'll start with the bus. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't it. The bus didn’t really have normal seats, it had a few benches at the front, some tables in the middle and a great big platform at the back for lounging on! Immediately it felt much more comfortable for travelling then a normal bus as you could move and relax. We travelled for a few [View Full Entry]

---

---

Do I start with the Mormons, Germans, or Americans? Well, first I will start with a location and it will lead on from there. I am in the small town of Hurricane, UT (it is pronounced "hurric-n" and not "hurri-cane" for no good reason other than to hold on to ridiculous redneck drawls...the same reason that Del Norte County in Northern California is pronounced "del nort" instead of "del nort-ay" as proper Spanish would dictate). I am in the library here in "Hurricn", and lucky for you all their internet site filter is down for the day. Apparently Myspace.com is even [View Full Entry]

---

---

After a delicious breakfast of instant oatmeal in the hotel room, we headed off to the Emerald Pools trailhead. Despite being sick coughing all night, June Bug did remarkably well on the hike. We made it to the lower and middle pools without any whining, although on the way back to the grotto, she was a bit tired. We caught the shuttle back to the lodge, had lunch, and took naps. For dinner, we headed back to the grotto picnic area via the shuttle where Pam worked her magic and prepared us another nice supper. We also had s'mores. but instead [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today we got up at 3:45 a.m. and headed to the airport, kids in tow, at 4:30 a.m. We had two flights and a five-hour drive ahead of us. First we flew to Denver, then on to Salt Lake City, where Aunt Pam met us with a mini-van rental. We got to Zion Lodge about 6 p.m. (It felt like 7 p.m. to those of us from Memphis.) We checked in, unloaded the stuffed-to-overflowing mini-van, and headed to the picnic area to cookout. David and I didn't know anything about cooking on a campfire, but Pam took care of us. Afterwards [View Full Entry]

---

---

Even though we stayed in Springfield on the way down to Disneyland we didn't go through the park because of the weather. We took a little bit longer again today, but it is hard not to because these parks are so beautiful. The kids thought that the mile long tunnel was pretty awesome. This park is not as red as the Valley of Fire but the views from up on top of the park are phenomenal. Enough typing, enjoy the pics. [View Full Entry]

---

---

So, the first stop in our tour of southern Utah and northern Arizona was Zion National Park. On the first day we took in the main canyon and on the second we did a full day hike in Kolob Canyon. The 13-mile hike through Kolob Canyon to the Kolob Arch is a highlight that not many people get to experience. We stayed at the Best Western in Springdale that is just outside the park. Very nice hotel, convenient, with great views (and we snuck in on the winter rates by one day). On day 1 we started with the Sandy Beach [View Full Entry]

---

---