American Southwest Day 5: 10 Miles through Zion Canyon

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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 the heat was on full blast and it was fine that way.

Despite the coolness we have had AMAZING weather - they called for scattered thunderstorms all day over the canyon, same for Lake Powell for the following day but the meteorologists have fortunately been wrong! We had perfect temperatures for getting into the canyon and hiked almost 10 miles of trails throughout. Zion is amazingly beautiful with its reddish rainbow sandstone cliffs rising a thousand-plus feet over the relatively narrow floor, often capped by monoliths of white stone. The Virgin River cuts through the bottom creating an oasis of flora with more species of plantlife than all of the Hawaiian islands.

We were amazed at the number of French and Germans on the trails, sure the Euro-this, the Euro-that, but you would expect on that account that there would be a decent amount of Americans visiting our own parks and yet there hasn't been. I would say the visitors are 50%!A(MISSING)merican, 50%!f(MISSING)oreign - but all clearly appreciative of natural beauty and hiking. The trails/sights we hiked include all three Emerald Pools, the Grotto, the Weeping Wall, the Patriarchs (not much of a hike), and the Par'sus (because we thought this would be faster than taking the bus). My favorite would be the Emerald Pools, especially the upper, but after going to the Museum and watching a movie on the park, there are some less-accessible areas of the park that look well-worth a visit.

Under the Eaves to the Bitten Spur

Our gracious English innkeeper recommended this place that serves Tex-Mex food called the Bitten Spur and it lived up to the promise, the food being quite good - we had flautas verde, some kind of grilled shrimp open-faced quesadilla, and the housemade guacamole. The wine from Mendocino, Frey, was NOT good on the other hand, but you get what you pay for at $20 a bottle.

Our Bed & Breakfast, called Under the Eaves and run by English Steve and Deb is nice, we are in very quaint cottage #5, which is clean and well-kept. The main house leaves a bit more to be desired, but it has been a great place to stay.

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Photos

Driving onto the Colorado Plateau
The change in elevation as you drive up I-15 is marked.

Styling in Convertible
The only rainstorm we saw was on the peak behind me in this photo.

Amazing Peaks on I-15
In Utah on the Colorado Plateau

Green, Red, and White
Not in Mexico though.

The Patriarchs
From left to right: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Craggy Monoliths
It's hard to determine the scale from the photos, but these peaks rise 2000-plus feet almost straight off the canyon floor.

Virgin River
Looking south, near the Court of the Patriarchs

Isn't she cute?
You can't drink THAT water!

Ponderosa Pine
Near the Emerald Pools, these were relentlessly logged at the start of the last century for railroad ties.

Ephemeral Waterfall
There are billions of gallons of water seeping through the sandstone at the canyon over the course of millenia. The water will emerge periodically to create permanent or ephemeral waterfalls such as this one.

On the Rocks at Middle Emerald
Maybe 500 feet up and you find quiet little places amid catastropically sized boulders released from the cliffs above. We did wonder if one would fall anytime soon.

Mother & Child
Just to give a better idea of scale.

Climbing to Upper Emerald
This is where we heard the most other hikers asking if it was worthwhile. On our way down we confirmed it was. Not that bad of a hike, but some people wearing sandals or elderly it was more of a challenge.

Overlook at Middle Pool
Sharp cliff drop below, great look at canyon.

Magnificent View of the Virgin
I believe on our way to the Grotto

Under Weeping Wall
Ferns and other wet plants grow hanging from the side and underside of this rock from which many gallons of water seep. The canyon is classified as a dessert as it gets less than 12 inches of rainfall and yet you can find wet habitats such as this one.

Under the Eaves
To the left is Cottage #5, to the right is the main house.