Zion National Park
Trip Start
Jul 07, 2007
1
4
14
Trip End
Jul 29, 2007
Cedar City,
Utah,
United States
Monday, July 16, 2007
We decided to get off at the first stop so that we could listen to a Ranger give a talk about the geological history of the area and to also get the boys the materials they needed to get their certification as Junior Rangers for this park too.
Elaine's mom wanted to go to a part of the park she had fond memories of where, twenty-five years ago or so, she hiked up a trail and it took her behind a waterfall
01
. So, we found the trail at "Weeping Rock" and it was about an eighth of a mile up, with some of it being at quite an incline. We found the waterfall but she said it was nothing like the amount of water that it used to be.After getting back on the shuttle we decided to go see the "Emerald Pools" which also involved hiking. There were at least two choices of how to get there and the choice we made turned out to be the most challenging and the longest at almost two miles. Now, had you asked me straight out if I would like to hike two miles up a mountain to see a pool of water, my answer would most certainly have been "No thanks", BUT, I had no idea it was going to be such an undertaking, nor did I know how disappointingly small and uninspiring these 'pools' would be. So, this being a family outing and me being in the 'go with the flow' mode, I just foolishly 'went along'. Oh my goodness. I'll be the first to admit to being overweight and overfed and underexercised, and it showed. I did not have a heart attack. I did not collapse. I did not stop for breath every five minutes. But to call what I did today "hiking" would do a disservice to REAL HIKERS.
As the last in line at the end of our sojourn I hobbled across the bridge, across a meadow, into the Zion Lodge, into the nearest chair where I took off my shoes and massaged my feet and tried to get my heart, lungs, muscles etc to pretend that they actually did know each other and had worked together before at some time
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. When asked about doing something else I let it be known that I would not be up for anything that involved walking, but viewing something out a bus window would be marginally acceptable.All in all, it was a very great day. The scenery here is breathtaking and if you have any interest in tectonic plates, sedimentary rock, hydro-gravitational forces, and the theories of some of our scientific community about the age of our planet (whether you subscribe to these theories or whether you have your own ideas via your belief in the story the Bible tells), there's just no possible way you can come away from exposure to the grandeur that places like Zion National Park bestow on us with anything less than respect for nature, the nature that God created.
By now you have at least had the chance to see some of the pictures I posted above. I wish I could put them under this text, but alas, if it is possible I haven't discovered the method. I was, or should I say I hope to be, able to put some text with some of the pics individually. I was not able to access the pictures that were still in my camera when I turned in the last entry late last night so some of them are also above. Essentially, the pictures above represent a variety of parts of this trip. I have uploaded all of the ones I took today, have edited (thrown out) some and 'enhanced' others, so what I intend to post of them above should bring us up to date
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. (I think I also said that last night, no?) Sorry. To complicate matters, it turns out that this WiFi connection we're accessing here at the hotel will also 'Time You OUT!" so that I have had to do and re-do things a few times. Good thing I've got nothing better to do but sleep. After all, I am on vacation, aren't I? Tomorrow we're going to Bryce Canyon. Sorry if I've misspelled that. Untill next time,
Quinn
Edit: Now that I have put in the pictures I must tell you I tried something different. If you haven't already figured it out, go back and click on 'view album', then click on the first picture. This will show the text (Story) that goes with each one and will make them bigger. Also, I tried to put in more than these, just a few landscape type shots from Zion today, but got discouraged after three attempts were thwarted. Maybe I can include some of these next time.
Thanks and good night
Comments
Fantastic
Hey Q & E,
You are doing a wonderful job on documenting your vacation! Interesting, very very interesting. Thank you!!! Love you guys, Tracy