Day 4

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No, Pat, we didn't get lost. I was just too tired to write anything this night and the gol-danged internet connection didn't work in our room.

May 18 - Day 4 - Las Vegas, Zion, Bryce Cyn
The drive on I15 going east from Vegas is nothing but straight road for miles and miles. The only things to look at are the mountains far to the east that we will get to in good time. It doesn't take long to leave Vegas and its suburbs since most of Vegas has grown towards the south. We won't hear a word from the GPS lady for over a hundred miles. Within 15 minutes we are in the desert again, cruise control set at 80 and not much traffic at 9am this morning. After about one hour we stop at the lovely (;>) town of Mesquite for a MacDonald's stop - that's one senior coffee and two pees, please. The temp is hovering at 93 degrees and climbing. The sky is bright blue with white fluffy clouds. Gas is $3.09 a gallon in the sticks and a few cents higher in Vegas. As we leave Mesquite heading to the northeast corner of Arizona, there is a dramatic change in the scenery for the better. Our map says we are driving on a scenic route and it is correct. The mountains are red with white streaks (not snow). The large mesas appear. We start to climb the mountains. In a short time we are passing the Arizona/Utah border, turning right at the town called Hurricane. (There must be a story here about this town's name.) It's a pleasant two-lane road with occassional long curves that's easy to drive at 70 mph. Even the trucks are going 70.

Zion National Park is just fantastic! We drive though the canyon looking up thousands of feet at huge colorful monoliths. Our propane powered shuttle (you can't drive the canyon) chugs along at 25 mph, while the driver gives interesting commentary. The shuttles take us up the canyon and stops at many interesting places. Get off, walk around, catch the next shuttle - they come every 7 minutes - very convenient. The views, the colors, the rocks, the river, the heat (95 degrees), the walking - we are hot and pooped. We spent 3 hours looking around and could have easily spent 3 days - besides we lost an hour moving to mountain time. We need to keep going. The drive up the Mount Carmel Highway climbs the canyon wall with many sharp hairpin turns. In a few miles we climb over 2,000 feet. Looking back we can see the majestic monoliths of Zion. Now the rocks are close to us. It seems like huge mounds of solidifying lava mud oozed their way over this land cooling slowly, leaving huge rounded mounds of rock. It's wierd and just beautiful to look at. We stopped to take a picture of checkerboard rock. Yep, this is a huge rounded red rock vertically stratified in large squares, looking vaguely like a checkerboard. We climb higher and higher. Finally I see a sign, "Summit, 7,695 feet." We level off and continue on towards Bryce Canyon.

M and I are tired as we reach the Best Western Ruby Inn, a mile from the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park. It's 6pm and time to shut it down for the day. We eat a quick dinner, head to our rooms, take a shower and spend the eveing reading and watching TV. We want to get up early tomorrow to see the sun rise on the red rocks of Bryce Canyon.

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Photos

day 4
Road from Vegas

day 4
Zion

Comments

[Chuck C.]

Day 4
In your next life you are going to have to spend more time in each park, preferably when it's cooler. Keep the narritive and pictures coming, they're great. I've been entertaining the idea of binding them into a travel book, will wait for your last blog and return before seeking a publisher. Pulpit announcement, all Masses, about Family Mass, also about dinner this coming Wednesday. Father had a comment about the "pasta and meatballs for the non-fish eaters". Complimentary.