No Snow in This Canyon (Day Three)

On the morning of 25 March, we were disappointed to realize that we had been staying at a Holiday Inn, not a Holiday Inn Express: no free breakfast! So we loaded the cars and headed to McDonald's in Anna's car for a breakfast that was not quite to everyone's taste. Heading straight north we arrived at Snow Canyon State Park. The beautiful canyon is named for Lorenzo and Erastus Snow, early Mormon guys, not for the cold meteorological phenomenon. Regardless, the place is spectacular. We spent the morning hiking the Pioneer Names Trail and Hidden Pinyon Trail, and playing in the Sand Dunes. I channeled Grammy and the gods redirected our path back to the second hand dress shop where Lucy Jane acquired a fantastic costume to accompany her presentation on Queen Elizabeth II.  The kiddos dropped me off back at the hotel where I picked up our car. I headed home, and they headed south to Arizona via Las Vegas.

 Early morning light was beautiful

 The Whiterocks at the north end of the park

 Everywhere you point your camera is photo-worthy

Louisiana and me

 Bouldering is Us

 Anna captures monkeys, Lucy spies scenery

A paucity of pioneer names, but great traveling companions

 Treckers on the move

Tell us a story...in a general-authority voice

 Coolish in the shade

 Perfect in the sun

 The Hastings ladies

 Bitchin lichens 

 Red and green

 The end of the Hidden Pinyon Trail

I was there too

 Unbounded energy

 Digging to China in the Sand Dunes

 Lucy will rock ERII

Bye bye, love ya

This was a great trip and I am grateful to Anna for the invitation and encouragement to join in. Thanks to her for all her great management. That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Oh Zion, Dear Zion (Day Two)

The morning of 24 March, we skipped the cold-cereal breakfast at the hotel, packed, and headed to The Bear Paw Cafe. After breakfast we dropped luggage and our car at the brand new Holiday Inn before heading back up to Zion National Park. We parked in the Visitor Center lot and caught a shuttle up the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to the Zion Lodge where the trail to the Emerald Pools begins. The hike went well with a small hiccup when we were separated at a couple of junctures. In the end, all were reunited at the Lodge and we shuttled up to the Temple of Sinawava for a hike along the Virgin River to the point where the Narrows begin. On the return trip we jumped off the shuttle for a look at the Great White throne before continuing to the Grotto stop and a short hike to Grotto Springs and Weeping Rock. Anna and the boys also took a trail up the cliffs for a ways before we traveled down the canyon for a short hike to get a view of The Court of the Patriarchs. The shuttle journey ended at the Visitors Center. Back in Saint George, we bought some delicious pizza at Riggatti's Wood Fired Pizza which we consumed in the park behind the Tabernacle. After supper we visited an art show, drove around some neighborhoods, and watched the sun go down from Dixie Sugarloaf in Pioneer Park above the city. Before returning to the hotel, we had frozen custard at Nielsen's. A tired but happy bunch crashed at the Holiday Inn.

 Not quite up to Market-Street-Grill standard, but good

 The Virgin River...

 On a beautiful spring morning

Headed to the Emerald Pools

 Hastings hikers

 Down to the Lower Emerald Pool

 The source of the pool

 Red and white cliffs

Doing our thing

 In the Temple of Sinawava

 The narrows

The group at the mouth of the narrows


A short pause

 Spring break is a busy time at Zion

 Buddies on the trail

 Sun glinting on the water

 The Great White Throne

 View of the canyon floor from the Weeping Rock

 The springs

 Court of the Patriarchs

 There we are

 Those pioneers were good designers

 Saint George below Dixie Red Hills Parkway

 You can imagine who loved clambering over these red rocks

Tired folks waiting for custard

This was a great day, but that's all for now.

OXO

D.

Come to Zion, Come to Zion (Day One)

The Hastings invited me to spend part of their spring break with them at Zion National Park, and I was game. So on Wednesday, 23 March, we headed south in two cars (because they were going on to Arizona) and left Kris alone in a very quiet house. Our first stop was in Cedar City for lunch before entering Kolob Canyon in the northwest quadrant of the park. We continued on to Toquerville, La Verkin, Virgin, Rockville, and Springdale. We entered the park again through the south entrance and proceeded up the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, through the tunnel, and on to Checkerboard Mesa with a stop for a hike to the Canyon Overlook. A near mishap with the cars keys on a high ledge left us weak in the knees, but all else went swimmingly. A lovely walk from the Human History Museum toward the Visitor Center was spectacular because of the late afternoon sun back lighting the new spring green leaves of the trees along the Virgin River.

Lunch at Cafe Rio in Cedar City

Kolob Canyon on a cold and blustery day

Photos just can't do justice to the imense scale of these stone canyons

Tri-color landscape

Jolly band of travelers

I just can't pass this poser up

At the end of the trail you can see clear to Arizona

Sillies

These guys are well-seasoned treckers

On the trail to the Canyon Overlook

Tentative, acrophobic hiker

They never met a boulder they didn't like

View from the Canyon Overlook

It's hard for an acrophobe to pose here

I like to stay away from the edge

Checkerboard Mesa

This girl!

Group photo courtesy of a friendly tourist

Beautiful white cliffs

Towers of the Virgin on a beautiful spring afternoon

The Watchman through the spring green

Treckers

With my peeps


Looking at an arch way up on the cliff

On the banks of the Virgin River

We spent the night in the Inn at St. George, which was not to everyone's liking, but sufficient for our needs. We had a really good dinner at Cappeletti's near the Tabernacle and next to a second-hand clothing shop.  That shop later proved to be a boon to Lucy Jane. That's all for now, but stay tuned.