Advertisement
Published: August 9th 2013
Edit Blog Post
Another early am departure had us on the road to Zion this morning, about a 5-hour trip, maybe a little longer with stops. Zion marks the first of three relatively close national parks - Zion, Bryce and Arches - that we know the least about. So we weren't sure what to expect as we headed northwest back into Utah.
We managed to stumble upon an unexpected National Park - Glen Canyon Recreation Area. It's another dam built near Lake Powell. We took a quick look around and picked up a bonus stamp and hiking badge. The day was rainy and gray, so we didn't go exploring very much. We piled back in the RV and continued down the two-lane highway.
More than once we commented just how authentic the scenery in the movie Cars is compared to the real Arizona back country. That movie really does give you a good sense of what driving through this area of the country is like. This time I drove while Todd and the kids continued the ongoing, never-ending Rail Baron game.
But when we hit Utah the landscape began to turn, with more and more red clay and dirt becoming prominent.
We passed countless red earth buttes speckled with short green trees. Ranches and towns were few and far between on our drive to the eastern entrance to Zion. The closer we came to the park, the more remote it felt.
Which was good preparation for the initial impressions the park makes from this side. As we crossed into the actual park, we were surrounded by mammoth-sized rocks in salmon, rust, white colored streaks. These formations are decorated with swooping lines and curves, that make it seem as if an artist has swirled color onto the rockface. Vertical cliffs rose on both sides of the roads, an austere yet breathtaking panaroma of colors and rock that made it seem as if we had been transported to another planet altogether.
The highlight of the drive to our park campground was the 1.1 mile tunnel through solid rock. The tunnel is only large enough to accommodate RVs in the very center, so they shut down the 2-way traffic so that RVs can drive through on the center line. The tunnel is pitch black, except for a few windows carved into one side every several hundred feet.
Our campground sat right
next to the Visitor Center (convenient), where we picked up info for the following day, as well as made our usual gift store purchases. We drove to the town just outside the southern gate and visitor center to pick up firewood and check out our tubing options on the river. We couldn't do that, so instead we took a 90-minute shuttle ride through the park's scenic drive, restricted to no automobile traffic. The looming mountains all around us were impressive and stunning with their rich rust-colored iron deposits.
After our auto tour, during which a brief hail storm enthralled the kids, we went back to the campsite for an official campfire dinner and s'mores party. It was a perfect evening, with stargazing to boot. We got to bed pretty early, in anticipation of our "big" hike up the Narrows - a narrow canyon at the bottom of which lies the river, which you walk through, shoes and all. Should be interesting.
Anyway, we liked the campsite and the fact that even after being here just a few hours we'd already seen deer, a fox and several birds. It is a beautiful park. We're looking forward to seeing more
of it tomorrow.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.143s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 8; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0723s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Mary Koboldt
non-member comment
Your real talent
Marcia After reading all your blog entries your real talent( among others I'm sure) is writing. You need to use this talent to write a travel guidebook or something!