Road to Zion National Park

---

Geo: 37.2012, -112.989

Decided to head on over to Zion National Park. Took the main road through Kanab and on into the park instead of going to back road through the Smithsonian Byway. Were not sure what condition the road would be in and enjoyed the scenery driving the other way.

Coming from Kanab you pass through the Checkerboard Mesa and then through the tunnel. The Checkerboard Mesa has some very interesting patterns in the rock that look like squares on a checkerboard but of course it is much more than that. We have seen Bighorn sheep as we passed through the area and this time there were some out on the ledge but there was no place to pull out.

Still have my permit showing we can pass through the tunnel without an escort. Because the tunnel was built in the 1920's, some of today's vehicles are too wide and tall to pass through without having the traffic stop from the other direction. For those interested, limit is 7'10" wide and 11'4" tall. We were lucky and got to follow a vehicle being escorted through and so it was not as nerve racking as it can be at times. We meet the requirements but must pull our mirrors in and this is the part that makes Laura nervous.

You are not supposed to stop in the tunnel but you can catch glimpses of the scenery as you drive through the tunnel. Once you get through the tunnel, the road winds down the mountainside and you can get glimpses of the windows that were built through the tunnel.

The scenery along the way is just spectacular with the varying colors of the rock, the greens of the trees and grasses. Drove into Springfield and stopped at the Sol Grocery to pick up a few supplies. Drove on the to campground and drove through to pick out a spot. The spot we were hoping for was taken and so we got one that still had some view of the Virgin River.

Got ourselves set up and then and took some wine down to the river and sat and enjoyed the evening hoping to catch a glimpse of another pygmy owl.

---