Driving on Monday toward the next stop on our tour, Zion
National Park, we encountered a snow squall near the North Rim of Grand
Canyon. Between the snow, wind,
switchback turns and the fact Mom was driving, I was petrified! But once again, Mom was a trooper!
American Indian Village Shop Entrance |
Wild Horses |
We arrived at Watchman Campground in Zion National Park and
were greeted with torrential rain.
Nothing more fun than setting up in this weather—NOT! Even worse, the back-in campsite assigned to
us was ridiculously tight. We knew we were
in trouble when the gate ranger questioned the site number on our reservation
and said “Really? Well good luck getting
in with this rig!” The campground
was at full capacity, so we had no options. Daddy’s exemplary back-in skills
came in handy. It might have taken 20 minutes to do it, but he got both the rig and Big Boomer crammed in to the
site. Luckily, both Claudia/Mike's and my family's slideouts didn't collide--we had just inches to spare with the back ones.
Squeezing into this tight spot, not an inch to spare |
Seeing the mule deer in the campground more than made up for this inconvenience.
These mule deer posed for me! |
My Aunt Laurie, who I often refer to as “The Wicked Witch of
the East” is visiting us here in Zion National Park. And I’m a bit put out—she is staying with us
in our rig! Aunt Laurie and I have a
love-hate relationship: I love to hate
her and she hates to love me (difficult to fathom how to not love me, I am so irresistibly cute!) But
somehow we manage to co-exist. These are
the concessions and compromises we make for family. Anyway, I have to be nice to her—we both
celebrate our birthdays in April, although I am an Aries and she is a
Taurus. But if you look at our negative
character traits, we are very similar!
Me and Aunt Laurie Celebrating Our Birthdays |
Mormon settlers who referred to these lands as “Zion” surely
got it right. Zion National Park is
truly a heavenly place! In fact, many of
the features in the park have religious names:
Temple of Sinewava; The Court of Patriarchs named for biblical figures Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob; the Great White Throne; and Angel’s Landing (said to have
received its name from Frederick Fisher in 1916, when he exclaimed it was so
high up “only an angel could land on it”).
The Narrows at Temple of Sinewava |
Court of the Patriarchs |
I am astounded at how lush the lands of Zion
Canyon are—and yet it is a desert! To
me, the colors of the rock formations are more vivid than at Grand Canyon. Maybe because we are in the Canyon looking up
rather than being above the Canyon looking down, or perhaps due to the contrast
between the earth tones and the greenery.
All I know for sure is that the
area is GOR-G-OUS!
Picture Pretty as a Postcard! |
It is amazing the power of nature and a sense of survival
among all living things. Emerald Pools and Weeping Rock are prime examples of
water always finding a way to flow, even if it must penetrate through rocks to
do so. The Hanging Gardens prove that
all living things adapt for survival, even if it means growing out of stone
walls or from canyon cavern ceilings.
Emerald Pools |
Flowering plant at Weeping Rock Hanging Gardens |
More "Hanging Gardens" |
Virgin River |
Riding through the Tunnel on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway was
pretty cool! We had to use Aunt Laurie’s
car though. Big Boomer was banned from
entry—we exceeded maximum height and width! Guess back in the 1920s when construction began, they didn't envision vehicles and RVs in the sizes they are available today!
We also visited Kolob Canyon. Though it may be smaller in area, it’s
peaks/summits are comparable to those of Mt. Zion.
The snow and the clouds give the area a dramatic look!
The Wicked Witch flies back East tomorrow and we head to
Bryce Canyon National Park. See ya!
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