Zion – Day 1

Got up and made coffee/tea at Bryce campground.  Stopped at the Ruby’s complex just outside the park to get donuts.

Drove to Zion NP East Entrance through the tunnel.

This is the watchman mountain looming over our campground and the “duty deer” performing for tourists in the campground.

Zion is mostly green with a cool visitor center cooled by water evaporation and with solar panels and a shuttle system which keeps all the cars off the Scenic park drive.  They said there were thousands of cars competing for 400 parking spaces before 2000 when the shuttles began.

We signed up for Riding with a Ranger tour at 6:15 and rode the regular shuttle through the canyon stopping to eat lunch at the Lodge under a big cottonwood tree.

        

We stopped at and hiked along the Weeping Rock Trail which Gary could not get a photo of due to lighting and such.  It is where the Navajo sandstone meets the underlying formation which is a water barrier and the water that went into the Navajo formation 1200 years ago seeps out and drips down a cliff face and cave where zillions of flowers, predominantly columbines blossom. Just green and beautiful.

Went on another couple short hikes.

Returned to Visitor Center and got on Town shuttle to check out river hiking accessories like neoprene socks and grippy shoes.  Walked and rode around Springdale.  Came back to campground, had dinner and went on the Ride with a Ranger tour. 

Saw some nice things not on the regular shuttle tour.  Menu falls, beaver damage, a little historical stuff…. Menu falls is named because it was the photo on the first menu at the Lodge restaurant. LOL.

Here our ranger is showing the photo of the road being washed out by the Virgin River.

Find this rock climber on the left photo.  You can click on the photos get bigger ones. 

  We returned to the visitor center where the ranger was taking down the flag.  Evan helped her fold it.

     

Back to camp and the Ranger program on Night Detectives a Virtual Night Hike /slideshow at the amphitheater.

No photos because that would be rude to use a flash during a night hike.  Went back to the tents and crashed.