OK, so it is a little ambitious to say that we've discovered our favourite place after just a few trips in this majestic country, but we believe Zion National Park will stay top of the list after many more travels. It is tough to still get excited after seeing Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, and Bryce... but Zion is special.But before I get into that, let me quickly pick up where our previous post left off (sorry for all our English friends who couldn't follow Elsa's narrative of the first half of our trip - you'll have to ask us in person). We arrived at Bryce in terrible snowy conditions, so we spend the night in a rundown motel waiting for the weather to improve.
The following morning was bright and crisp. So, we headed for the red spires of the canyon. After initially planning to spend only the morning there, we found ourselves exploring every lookout, filling loads of camera memory, and generally gawking at the astonishing views.
A hike into the valley proved slippery (the red rocks are actually clay that doesn't mix well with melting snow) but fun. The fact that Elsa had chosen her worn out sneakers for this particular day, made the trip back up the trail extra interesting.So on to Zion we drove, hoping to spend two nights camping. Nothing could have prepared us for the drive into the canyon - the into Zion road from the Mount Carmel Junction side cannot be described in words. It includes a mile long tunnel that dates from the 1930s. On Saturday we started with the challenging hike to Angels Landing. It had been recommended by a friend as "breathtaking but not for the faint of heart." And so we found out that the last 1/2 mile of the hike goes up a 5ft wide ledge with sheer drop-off on both sides, with a steel chain is your only help. The view from the top was worth it though.
Our pictures don't tell the whole story, but I was seriously rattled. Here is one taken on the way down.
We also made time for cycling along a few of the valley roads, and finally left the park on Sunday after lunch. The drive back was long and tiring, but well worth this trip of golden memories. There are loads more pictures in our Picasa album - have a look by clicking on the link in the righthand column.
Comments