Out the East Entrance of Zion and on toward Bryce Nat'l. Pk.

Got a late start this morning and tarried too long at an artist's gallery, but it all was good.

Anxious to see the East Entrance 'coming and going'.  The view will be so varied from both directions.

Here we go, headed East...

Canyon Junction...as we leave the 3 mile road that connects the Lodge up the Canyon with Utah Hwy. 9, we are headed east on Hwy.9 for 23 miles of AWESOME mountain scenery until we turn north on US 89 outside the Park.  Hold onto your seats, folks; pictures don't do it justice; you just have to experience it yourselves.  "Come on down."

The view changes at every bend in the road

There's a tour bus (that rectangular dark spot) on the upper portion of this U-turn where you meet yourself coming back..several of those on this trip...and no guard rails!!

AWESOME...and there's that bend in the road to the left

AND AWESOME

                                                      AND AWESOME SOME MORE

...and the sights just go on and on and on.

This is approacking the first tunnel.

Tunnel 1, Window 1

Out the window of a slowly moving car

You're not allowed to stop

Tunnel 1, Window 2

Emerging from Tunnel 1.

And you can't even see the bottom of this spire

The surface texture of the rocks is changing on the east-facing rocks

The light at the end of Tunnel 2!

Around every bend a different view

the trees and vegetation are changing...must be more moisture on the east side

Son Warren could tell us all about these rocks, geologist that he is.  They just LOOK DIFFERENT to me.

Pctures from a moving car window aren't always perfect, but this road doesn't always accomodate pull-offs for photo ops!  It's often 1,000 ft. down...with no guard rail.

 

 

Even the clouds are different...and always that blue, blue sky

These rocks look "softer"...their folds are more rounded

I believe this is the west exposure of Checkerboard Mesa



                                                           This IS Checkerboard Mesa

Checkerboard Mesa zoomed in

Checkerboard Mesa from afar

Leaving the East boundary of Zion and headed for US 89 at Carmel Junction, then north to Bryce National Park with a stop or 2 along the way.

We are losing altitude, the starkness of the rock cliffs and canyons, and the arid  vegetation.  "On a clear day, you can see forever."...a little overcast today and many fires in the area.

It's just another canyon, folks!!  Just notice though how the vegetation has changed.

Even the flowers by the side of the road have responded to increased moisture with brighter, more prolific plumage

Definitely different folliage and plant life...but still that big sky look

Bingham Art Galleries.  Imagine a fine art gallery 'out here'.  Let's stop and see what they are about.

 The Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts carries on the Maynard Dixon legacy of southwestern artists.  From the Southwest that Thomas Moran made famous and those who followed, not necessarily in his footsteps, with their own styles and forms of art the Thunderbird (Maynard Dixon's logo) Foundation

preserves his Utah homestead and gallery and educates the public about his contributions to American art.

The Board and staff were putting together the final touches for a fundraising gala to be held the evening I passed through.  Many beautiful (and expensive) paintings were hung for auction as were some small canvases priced lower in the $1,000 range.  See following....

Ray Roberts' cowgirl crossing a stream was one of my favorites

This quadrant of an oil was by Kate Starling, one of the artists to whose paintings I was most attracted.

mountain meadow by Ron Rencher

Carol, I wish you could have seen Spike Ress' clouds

This one looks more like Cedar Breaks National Monument...also a little like Bryce.

This is Edith and Maynard Dixon's home, situated along a wonderful stream and looking at an inspiring view of the mountains to the east.

...the mountains to the east...

There were beautiful flowering plants and a wonderful trumpet vine covering the side of a shed, to which hummingbirds flocked; but they were camera shy!

Moving on up the road toward Bryce.

Clouds for Carol

And that blue, blue sky for all

More clouds for Carol

A stormy sky for the the rest of us

Carol's clouds are lifting

There's still threatening weather in the distance

The sun reflected off the scattering clouds.

I was so concentrating on the clouds, I omitted the landscape, which is more like much of Wyoming and Montana as the river valley, fed by the Asay River, spawns fields and farms.

The scenery is about to change again as we enter Dixie National Forest, which covers a large portion of south central Utah.  How many shades of coral and sage green can you see?

Red Canyon is an introduction to Bryce, except we are "down among the hoodoos"...by definition: a pillar of rock, usually of fantastic shape, left by erosion.  Hoodoo - to cast a spell.

Enlarged for you to see the faces of Pharoahs and Sphinx...I'll bet you didn't know they were here !

Zion doesn't have the only tunnels through this beautiful, colorful rock.  There are 2 here together.  Look closely, and you can barely see the shadow of the opening of the 2nd one around the bend.

Destination!

Bryce will be tomorrow's entry.

We're finally here.

Aug. 20...Riverside Walk below the Temple of Sinawava

Another easy walk...1.5 hours roundtrip.  Minor drop-offs.  The paved trail follows the Virgin River along the bottom of the narrow canyon known as Zion Canyon.

This is probably the most popular of all the trails in the Park.  It is easy, interesting, and terminates at one of the 2 more challenging trails that are the ones hikers want to tackle for "bragging rights": 

"I hiked The Narrows", at the upper end of Riverside Walk, 8 hours/9 miles roundtrip

or

"I hiked Angels Landing" via Walter's Wiggle, 4 hours/5.4 miles roundtrip with long drop-offs and no side rails... not for those with acrophobia.

This water is cold and swift, and the bottom of the river is an unknown mix of sand and rocks...

very difficult to walk in.

[9/11 comment: I imagine The Narrows has been closed all day today because of the rain we have had since last night.] 

Hikers are advised to check with the Visitors' Center before commencing this hike.  High water levels can prevent access, and flash floods follow rains.

Following is the quote from the Park map and guide regarding hiking The Narrows:

"The Virgin River has carved a spectacular gorge in the upper reaches of Zion Canyon- 16 miles long, up to 2,000 ft. deep, and at times only 20 - 30 feet wide.  The Narrows, with its soaring walls, sandstone grottos, natural springs, and hanging gardens can be an unforgettable experience.  It is not, however, a trip to be underestimated.  Hiking The Narrows means hiking in the Virgin River.  At least 60 % of the hike is spent wading, walking, and sometimes swimming in the river.  There is no maintained trail because the route is the river.  The current is swift, the water may be cold and deep, and rocks underfoot are slippery.  Flash flooding and hypothermia are constant dangers.  Good planning, proper equipment, and sound judgment are essential for a safe and successful trip."

The notch in the rocks is the beginning of The Narrows.

This is the beginning of The Narrows.  First, you have to cross the river to get to the first stretch of sand beach.  I haven't done that yet, but must soon if I want to experience any of The Narrows.  The rains have begun and the temperatures are dropping daily.

Look closely, and you will see a baby squirrel.  This is the most excitement I had on this hike.  Too bad, I didn't think to put my camera on movie mode.  The children around were so excited about this baby squirrel chasing his/her tail around and around and around.  He would stop briefly and then begin again.  We adults advanced several theories about this strange behavoir:

1. He had rabies... we certainly hope not.  He didn't appear vicious or attack anyone.
2. He had gotten some hallucinogen
3. Some prankster had given him something alcoholic (the young people who work in the Parks are full of antics and do a lot of drinking)
4. He had fleas
5. And my favorite: he had no siblings, and the only thing he had to play with was his tail

Poor guy/gal; I don't know why he/she didn't fall over from dizziness.  At least he/she was smart enough to stay in the shadow of a bush on one of those 100+ degree days.

Mother squirrel finally came to see what all the commotion was about and must have admonished her juvenile, for he/she calmed down and left the tail alone.

 The sunlight on the young tree made its leaves appear silver.  Note the cross-hatching of the rocks in the background (my geologist son probably would admonish me for my terminology!).

The Ranger Talk for the evening was called "Starry Nights", held in a campground behind the Visitors' Center.  Thank goodness I had presence of mind to take a good flashlight (thank you, Ronnie).  It is amazing the difference in our night skies at home in town with all the "light pollution" and the night skies with very little competition for the stars.  I cannot recall the last time I had seen the Milky Way!  It stretched in an arc completely across the zenith of the night sky!  I just stared and tried to take it all in...mission impossible!!!

Next adventures occurred during my first week of work: a surprise visitor and one I hadn't seen since we worked together in The Tetons.  Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of either.

Janice Howard, a neighbor in Johnson City and member of one of my bridge clubs, showed up unexpectedly on Monday morning, Aug. 22.  She had told me at bridge that she would be passing through Zion, but I didn't get any details.  Annie Shurtleff from Tulsa had tracked me down through a mutual Facebook friend to let me know she would be in Zion on Wednesday, Aug. 24 on a Road Scholar tour (formerly Elderhostel).  She showed up as I was headed to lunch, so we talked over lunch and arranged for me to join her for a talk by a Hopi Indian fellow, who also was their bus driver.  Very interesting and informative.  We then went to her room and caught up on what we both had done since we worked in the gift shop at Jackson Lake Lodge in The Tetons in 2006.

Next adventure will be a day trip to Bryce Canyon National Park when I have days off the following week-end.

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU, PEG