Adventures in Zion

So, Don decided we could save quite a few miles getting to Virgin, Utah, our base for visiting Zion Canyon, by going through Zion National Park instead of around it on the interstate. Well like many short cuts turn out so this one did by being not so short. We knew we were in trouble as we approached the Park gates and there was a sign telling you that RVs need an escort to go through the canyon. Next we saw several RVs of varying size pulled over on the side of the road. So we did too. As it turned out it was a good thing we did. It turns out this was a caravan going through and their leader had done this before. He strongly suggested we disconnect the car and drive through separately. This was the best advice ever. The road twisted, turned, rose, descended, and passed through two tunnels with 13'1" clearance in the middle and 11' 1" on the sides. Our clearance is 12'6". Need I state the obvious?

Jack was in the navigator's seat directing Don down the middle of the tunnels, one of which was 1 mile long, and keeping him away from the side. I was following in the car, my knuckles turning white, just driving our little tow car.

The scenery was the most stupendous we had yet to see as we wound through the red canyon walls, and the sad thing is that there was no opportunity to stop and take a single picture. So we cannot even show our adventure through the tunnel.

We did manage to arrive safely at the visitor center on the other side of the park and immediately started exploring the Canyon before proceeding on to camp in Virgin. We first walked over to the campground where we played in the river for awhile cooling off. This is about the same spot where Bob, Don, and Mike blew a hole in their rubber raft floating up and down the rapids 23 years ago. It brought back some great memories. Jack persevered chasing a little fish until he actually caught. We are not sure what it was but we got a good picture of it before he released it back into its home.

We then took the park shuttle to the Emerald Pools trail head at the Zion Lodge. It was a moderate hike up the the wonderful viewpoints terminating at a small waterfall creating Emerald Pools.

Of course, we stopped at the Lodge before taking the shuttle back to our vehicles for an ice cream and discovered the most wonderful aroma of Pizza. We had to promise Jack pizza for lunch the next day to get him to leave.

We finally found our way to the Zion River RV Resort in Virgin. This place was the most luxurious camping we have ever done and for no more cash than the KOAs. The pool was so great that Jack went swimming each evening when we returned to camp, ate dinner, then went swimming again. One evening he took time out to attend the movie "Dr. Doolittle" the swam until the pool closed.

Weeping Rock



Entering the Narrows

 The next day was our big adventure. We prepared ourselves to hike the Narrows of the Virgin River. It was the most bittersweet day of all. We first took a short hike up to Weeping Rock. Then we had a short wait for the Shuttle to take us to the Temple of Sinawava where we found the trail head to the Narrows. Well we started up the trail when Jack remembered that he left his camera at the last bus stop. Well we hopped back on the bus to retrace our steps and of course it was gone by then. Well this little boy's heart was broken. That camera is one of his prize possessions, not to mention it contained all of the pictures he had taken up to now. We tried to reassure him that we would probably find it back at the visitor center on our way home, and that helped just a little. His mom told me once that she could tell how Jack was feeling by the way he walked. Well, I hope I never have to see that walk again. The dejection started to wear off as we started into the river, and he felt totally better when Grandpa forgot to take his own camera off his belt before entering the deepest part of the river where the water was over his waist. So with Jack's camera MIA and Grandpa's soaking wet we have very little to show of the narrows.

I am very proud of us. Don and Jack rocked across the rocks through the rapids like monkeys, I conquered my fears with the aid of my trusty walking sticks and although I lagged behind them I went the distance. At one point for a very short way the water was slightly over Jack's head and he just dove in a swan through it. We stopped when we reached a rapid that Jack felt was just too swift for him to forge.

So after we consumed the promised pizza which, incidentally was the best piece of pizza I have ever had outside of the Chicago metropolitan area, we descended to the Visitor Center where some kind soul had turned in Jack's camera. He had already decided it was kind of good thing he lost it so it didn't end up swimming in the Virgin River like his Grandpa's. Another bright ending is that Grandpa removed his battery and memory card immediately and was able to dry out the camera and it is still working, at least for now. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't rust before we finish our saga.