Bob and I left Las Vegas in the dust and headed toward Zion National Park on the late morning of Saturday, March 26, 2011. When we hit Utah, we hit the Mountain Time Zone – so my very first visit ever to the state of Utah occurred at exactly 12:28pm. I was ecstatic. From there, it was about another hour and 15 mintues to get to the gates of Zion National Park. The first thing I noticed upon entering Utah was that cell phone reception became sketchy. I would eventually lose it entirely. This might be because it seemed that almost no one lived in this state! We would travel miles and miles with no sign of civilization, only mountains and mountains – which was actually quite beautiful.
First time entering Utah
Bob had been visiting Zion National Park for years, as his family would often take camping trips here. He had a lot of memories of roaming the campgrounds and trails – so this was a nice trip down memory lane for him. Unfortunately, the weather was not as kind as we had hoped. It was around 35 degrees, with miserable rain and a hint of snow. But this did make our cabin at the Zion Lodge (located inside the park) seem about as cozy as ever a room was. It even came equipped with a gas fireplace that was started simply by flipping a switch.
Arrival at Zion, finding crummy weather
Bob relaxes in our comfortable lodge
Curling up by the fire in my easy chair
After we got settled in and took a quick power nap, Bob and I decided to hit at least one trail around 3:30 – despite the inclement weather. We picked an easy one: Weeping Rock. Although it was entirely uphill, the walk was only about 10 minutes. It took us into a mountain nook where we could see the backside of a waterfall that was coming down from above us. Thanks to the rain, Bob said that the falls were much more active than on a normal day.
Weeping Rock: we’re going up there
Bridge at the bottom of Weeping Rock – as the rain falls
Ready to embark on the Weeping Rock Trailhead
Bob makes his way up the path
Under the waterfall of Weeping Rock
More lovely scenery from our spot under the waterfall
Bob and me – proudly descending the path after bravely facing the elements and scaling Weeping Rock
We then drove over to the Zion Human History Museum which was located in what Bob remembered to be the former Visitor’s Center, where we watched a film on the history and discovery of Zion. As we drove to the museum and then out of the park, we stopped a couple of times to get some scenic photographs.
The Virgin
Great mountain peak scenery as seen from the museum
At the park entrance, upon exit
There was a shopping c0mplex outside the park where we contemplated catching the 3-D movie Sea Rex, but since it really had nothing to do with Zion, we decided to skip it. We also stopped at the Bumbleberry Inn to browse the gift shop and pick up some Bumbleberry pie to go. This apparently was the local delicacy.
Getting served some bumbleberry pie from the local Utah Oompa Loompa
Driving back in, we again stopped at some nice locales – the Three Patriarchs rock (Abraham, Issac, and Jacob), the Virgin River, and the bridge that went over it. Bob recalled that it had originally been a swinging bridge but at some point the Virgin washed it away. There were ample jokes about the Virgin.
The Three Patriarchs (plus me)
Hint taken
Contemplating diving into the Virgin
The Virgin River as seen from the bridge – no longer a swinger
Bob and I had made dinner reservations for 6:45 at the Red Rock Grill, which was located inside the Zion Lodge lodge. Bob didn’t care for the maitre’d who seemed to be daring the guests arriving to not have reservations. I enjoyed the Sentinal Salmon with wild rice and asparagus. In honor of Jamie, I even ate all of my asparagus.
Vittles in the lodge
After dinner, I got the wireless internet fired up and Bob got his DVD player going, watching John Wayne trailers. We then ate our Bumbleberry pie – which was a combination of apple, raspberries, and the most dominant taste, rhubarb. It was OK, but I still prefer pecan or blueberry. I slept comfortably in the soft bed with belly full and the fire raging. Bob had trouble making up his mind on the temperature and got up at least 37 times to change the heater thermostat.
Cozy in our cabin – with computer and bumbleberry pie in hand
Bob catches some John Wayne trailers and eats bumbleberry pie in his Superman pajamas
We got an early start at 7am the next morning with a hearty free breakfast buffet in the Red Rock Grill, where we had had dinner. The drive out of the park was gorgeous – as we traveled up into the mountains, through the man- made 1.1 mile tunnel that briged Zion with Mt. Carmel. We stopped to check out the Checkerboard Mesa, and Red Canyon and its man-made tunnels.
Farewell to the Zion Lodge
Entering the 1.1 mile tunnel, constructed between 1927 and 1930
The beautiful Checkerboard Mesa
Red Canyon
Man-made arches, designed to allow cars to pass through rocks
Our drive to the next destination was only a little over two hours (including our stops). We had another National Park to explore that day.
The Utah road trip will continue…
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