(7/3) morning, we loaded up the last of our bags and headed out by 7am for our 11 hour drive to southwest Utah. We went on Hwy 160 through South Fork, Durango, Cortez, and then down into Arizona, then back up to into Utah. We reached our final destination, Zion National Park, about 6:15pm. (The picture to the right is a picture of the Virgin River and Zion that we took on Friday morning.) We unloaded the bogged down van - we had 7 adults, a loaded back, and our car topper! We set up four tents on two sites before heading to dinner in nearby Springdale. Zion has a great shuttle system that takes you to pretty much any trailhead in the main park, as well as into Springdale. It really cuts down on traffic, pollution, and car headaches. Before we left for supper, a woman from another campsite came to ask if we wanted any salmon with mango salsa that had been cooked over the fire; apparently, her teenage group did not like salmon. We took it and devoured it in about 10 minutes! We then went to Springdale to eat supper at Blondie's. It was a great restaurant. I had grilled shrimp with a dinner salad. Jeremy had the mini burgers with fries. (The best meal was purchased by David: oreo shake and apple pie!) After our meals, we tucked ourselves into our really hot tents!!! The temperature during the day was 107F, and it didn't really cool down until midnight or later when the winds picked 
up.Friday morning we woke up to cool weather and breeze. We ate our breakfast of fruit, bagels, and cream cheese before packing our lunches for the day of hiking that was ahead of us. We stayed in Zion to enjoy the beauty of the canyon and see what it offered. We decided to hike Angel's Landing. I was not too keen on it because the desription said "long drop-offs, do not attempt if you are scared of heights." Well, I like hiking, and I don't mind being up high, but I am scared of ledges while 
being up high. We did the hike anyway. The first picture on the upper left is our group at the beginning of the trail. We hiked up, up, up, then turned and climbed up switchbacks named Walter's Wiggles that were pretty cool. You can see Claire, Emmy, and I tiered up the switchbacks of Walter's Wiggles. At the top of that, I worked really hard to kinda scale (with the aid of a chain) one section of the trail. 
When we popped out at the end of this, I said, "There is no way I am doing that", and I didn't. See the "walkway" up to Angel's Landing in the picture to the right. But all the other six people in the unit went on ahead. They got some great pictures (that is Jeremy at the very top in the picture below), and I enjoyed the scenery from under the one tree on the rocky top. 
Jeremy said it was pretty scary in some places and narrow - like a few feet across with drop-offs on both sides. Yikes! Zion is a beautiful place, so sitting on top of a canyon wall is not a bad place to be. After hiking down, Jeremy and I went on the Riverside Hike. It is mostly shaded and follows the Virgin River back into the canyon. It was hot (104F), and the shade felt great. The river is beautiful. The canyon walls are a great red (like the dirt in
Oklahoma, if you've ever been there) and just soar above you. The picture to the right shows the end of the Riverside Hike. You can continue to hike up river into what they call The Narrows. The rest of our group did that hike on Monday; Jeremy and I went to Lake Powell (more on that later). That night for supper we had hot dogs and chips. In the evening, we went to the Ranger presentation titled Bats: Friend or Foe? I think we deteremined they are friends, except for the 3 (of 11oo) species that are actually blood-lickers and can prey on livestock. It was a great presentation, with incredible pictures and many new facts. We headed to bed on another hot night, waiting for the nightly breeze to come and cool us down.
being up high. We did the hike anyway. The first picture on the upper left is our group at the beginning of the trail. We hiked up, up, up, then turned and climbed up switchbacks named Walter's Wiggles that were pretty cool. You can see Claire, Emmy, and I tiered up the switchbacks of Walter's Wiggles. At the top of that, I worked really hard to kinda scale (with the aid of a chain) one section of the trail. 
When we popped out at the end of this, I said, "There is no way I am doing that", and I didn't. See the "walkway" up to Angel's Landing in the picture to the right. But all the other six people in the unit went on ahead. They got some great pictures (that is Jeremy at the very top in the picture below), and I enjoyed the scenery from under the one tree on the rocky top. 
Jeremy said it was pretty scary in some places and narrow - like a few feet across with drop-offs on both sides. Yikes! Zion is a beautiful place, so sitting on top of a canyon wall is not a bad place to be. After hiking down, Jeremy and I went on the Riverside Hike. It is mostly shaded and follows the Virgin River back into the canyon. It was hot (104F), and the shade felt great. The river is beautiful. The canyon walls are a great red (like the dirt in
Oklahoma, if you've ever been there) and just soar above you. The picture to the right shows the end of the Riverside Hike. You can continue to hike up river into what they call The Narrows. The rest of our group did that hike on Monday; Jeremy and I went to Lake Powell (more on that later). That night for supper we had hot dogs and chips. In the evening, we went to the Ranger presentation titled Bats: Friend or Foe? I think we deteremined they are friends, except for the 3 (of 11oo) species that are actually blood-lickers and can prey on livestock. It was a great presentation, with incredible pictures and many new facts. We headed to bed on another hot night, waiting for the nightly breeze to come and cool us down.
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