Monday, July 30, 2012

Zion!!

After saying  goodbye to our friends in Vegas we headed for Utah to Zion National Park.  Entering via the Virgin Pass, some might describe as a "white knuckle drives".  This picture doesn't do it justice.





The weather was hot (again) and we checked into a very nice RV park in Virgin, UT.  The RV's fresh water pump was giving us trouble and I had arranged for a replacement to be sent to us there. 

We decided to start with an easy hike (yeah right) up the Watchman the next morning.  It was described as a "moderate" 2.7 mile trail reaching up to a Mesa offering a splendid view of the surrounding area. The rock formations are very impressive and beautiful (in a rugged way).




We reached the summit and as advertised, the vistas were excellent.





Our day's excitement happened on the way down.  I was leading the way, which turned out to be a mistake.  As most of you know, I'm a little hard of hearing (deaf) and never heard the warning of the snake.  Diane shrieked  (shouted) several comments.  Look out!  No,no, don't back up!  Forward! Run!  Turns out I had walked by about a 3' Rattlesnake.  He warned me of his presence but I never heard him.  When I turned around he was all coiled up with his rattler activated!  Holy s**t!    A little too close for comfort.  We waited until he had crossed the trail and continued on his way.




We made it to the bottom and sat for a while soaking our tired feet in the cool waters of the Virgin River while waiting for our heart rates to normalize.  

There are so many fascinating, diverse and beautiful sights, I picked just a few to share.

The Checkerboard Mesa:


The Temple Cap:


The Tunnel:




 

And finally, another thing we noticed were some of the diverse plantings that the local farmers were cultivating. 

The Shoe Tree:

and ....The Bra Tree:






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