Day6: Zion National Park

Zion National Park is midway along the geological Grand Staircase, extending from Bryce Canyon to Grand Canyon. The floor of the canyon is about 4,000 feet in elevation while the walls of the canyon tower to nearly 8,000 feet. The canyon was formed by the Virgin River which runs through the canyon. The canyon walls are colorful and striped.

We are staying in the lodge located in the canyon along the river. The lodge is run by a company called Xanterra and they do a great job. The food is fantastic. Since we are off-season the rooms are half price and they we get coupons for a free breakfast off the menu. There are very few people here -- like it is our own private park! when Jim and I were here 3 years ago in October it was so crowded we couldn't find a place to park at the visitor's center. The scenic loop road was closed to traffic then and shuttle buses took folks to the sites. Now the buses are all in mothballs at the visitor center and we can drive freely, the weather has been great, and the scenery is fantastic. This is certainly the time of the year to come here.

We got up and went for our free breakfast, then we went off to the visitor's center to explore some of the trails. We went on two trails, got a little lost in between, but had some great views.

My rock climbing and path finding training at Red Rock came in handy. And Teresa is a great guide. As she said, she has been hiking in the forest professionally for years. I haven't done much hiking, but I'm getting better. The secret for me is to always watch my feet. Hard to do when you are busy looking for photo opportunities -- but I'm learning.

While we were wondering around, we ran into some wild mule deer -- there are lots of them around here and they don't seem spooked by people at all. They are fun to watch. We found a rock that looks like a cow. Reminded me of the cows they had in Kansas City one year that folks decorated and put all over the city. So we named it "Cowen Rock." Probably won't make the guide books.

It was chilly in the morning, but warmed up by noon. Layering is the way to go because of the wide variation in temperature here. I have about 4 layers of clothing and that has been working well.

We drove into Springdale for lunch. Springdale is one of those small towns that stretch along a single road. It is filled with motels eateries, and gift shops -- most of them closed for the winter. We did find Oscars which had a number of cars out front (a good sign). It was a Mexican/Hamburger place. Expensive, but the food was plentiful and good. Then Teresa headed for the Indian Crafts shop that had a 70 percent off sign in the window.

Springdale reminded me of Weed, CA. It is much smaller, but the mountains are right there in your face, everywhere you look.

Back to the park for some more hiking. We went on two more trails. Had dinner and tried a prickly pear margarita, which hit the spot. I think we will sleep well tonight.

Tomorrow we head out of the canyon on a windy road, then back to Arizona and the Grand Canyon.