Zion Day 2 May 25, 2011

Zion National Park 

 

 One of the first things you notice about Zion is, of course, the massive rocks jutting up from the ground against the bright, blue sky. Sculpted and fierce, they inspire oooh and aaahs and cause you to wonder about the forces that carved them.  Truly remarkable examples of the power of wind, water, and freezing temperatures...all have a part in the creation of these monoliths. All done thru the fleeting passage of time...before our very eyes.

Along with the blue sky and monolith rock formations are the lush green plants and trees.  Zion reminds me of the Garden of Eden with the bounty of green foliage.  The green is so bright set against the rust red of the rock...the depth and variety of colors makes me wish I had the talent to paint this.  I'll just have to be happy with Jay's wonderful photography skills to capture and print in all its glory. 

Waterfall seen from Riverside Walk

I must have walked around here with my mouth open for most of the day during this walk.  Every corner we turned around I was in awe of the pure enormity of the rocks, the rich reds and tans and the contrast of the green trees and grass.  I felt like a kid discovering a treasured secret.

Cut outs like this one are caused by the freezing and thawing cycle and the water seeping thru the sandstone which eventually weakens and pieces sheer off.  The plants find places within the crevices to take hold and grow and, in this instance, a little pond has formed below as well. You can see where the rock remains wet with the melting water seeping thru.

Jay getting set up to take a shot.  He's just so cute!

The Virgin River is responsible for carving most of Zion and this year it is very active.  It is the highest its been for this time of year in over a decade and it is definitely a force to respect.  In fact, The Narrows, which is the hike that continues on from the Riverwalk is currently closed since the river is so high and fierce. What a beautiful site it is! 

These are little cairns are built and left by people in memory of those they have lost.  There were hundreds lining the river.  Apparently its expected that the rise of the river with wash them away as time passes...

My cairn in memory of people dear to us that have passed on.

Jay with his tripod right on the edge of the river taking shots of the white water.  He has learned to take some great water picture in the photography classes he is taking.

This is a great example of the forces of wind and ice on this rock face.  The numerous grooves are almost like the life circles of trees

Rock climber--yes, there was quite a crowd watching

We had a great time in Zion.  We are looking forward to returning with the kids and spending a lot more time hiking and exploring the wonder and beauty we found there.  Who knows, we may even get up enough nerve to do Angel's Landing!

Springdale and Zion National Park, UT May 24th, 2011

We landed in Las Vegas, obtained our rental car (Jeep Patriot) and immediately headed on our way to Springdale.  We wanted to get there in time to see Zion at sunset if possible.  As we drove along I-15, I was blown away by the rock formations and was blowing up the camera taking shots from inside the car.  My little Sony is a truly amazing little camera and I got some wonderful shots moving at 75 miles an hour!  This pictures shows how the rocks just seem to swallow you up!

The Majesty of the mountainous rock formation is such a humbling thing to behold...









We arrived in Springdale in the evening of the 24th and were filled with anticipation.  Once we found our hotel, The Red Rock Inn, and checked in, we started snapping away at the amazing landscape that this little town nestles down into.  With the setting sun, the rocks just come alive with brilliant color!

 

We checked into our room and were happily surprised at how nice it was; complete with a jacuzzi that Jay specifically requested.  We decided to leave the unpacking to later, go and grab a quick bite and head to the park

To get up to the park, we had to take the shuttle that runs every 10-20 minutes from several stops in Springdale. From spring to fall, private vehicles are not allowed on Scenic Drive.  It was nice to just sit back and watch the scenery and marvel once again at the brilliant rock formations jutting to the heavens. I recall just wanting to back time up a few hours so we would have more of it to see and enjoy everything this marvel of nature has to show us.

Since our time was limited we decided to take the easy, 1/2 hour hike to Weeping Rock. Since Weeping Rock is the 3rd to final stop along the route, we had time to enjoy the view.  It  was awe-inspiring!  The majestic rock walls were amass with vivid colors in the setting sun. Yellows, ivory, tans......

brick, clay, emerald greens.... like we've never seen. What a gift to the eyes and the imagination. Zion really is an Eden.  Trees and plants and flowers grow and bloom in places that defy gravity; clinging to crevasses and rock overshoots. The lushness of it all depicts the power of the will to live and the bounty of the Virgin River.

We arrived at the Weeping Rock stop and read about the history of the geology of it.
"A dripping spring feeds the hanging garden of ferns and mosses at Weeping Rock.  Seeps and springs are part of a pattern in Zion Canyon; hanging gardens flourish along the Emerald Pools and Riverside Walk.
Because the cliffs' Navajo sandstone is porous, it acts as a vertical reservoir.  Snowmelt percolates down through the sandstone.  When it reaches an impermeable layer of siltstone, the moisture travels along cracks until it emerges from the canyon walls, punctuating the cliffs with damp micro-habitats. Life concentrates in those green niches."





And concentrates it does! The photo below is the ledge that is Weeping Rock.  The water marks and the green growth are very apparent.

...the bridge we crossed over to start the hike.  What a nice walkway down to the creek and a cute little overlook!

Weeping Rock

The underside of Weeping Rock.  The seeping water looks like rain and again, the green growth is abundant.  What you can't see or hear are the sounds of the bullfrogs in the little pond down from Weeping Rock and the numerous mosquitoes that we were totally unprepared for!






Unfortunately, the darkness came quicker than we were ready for and the above mentioned mosquitos were relentless!  We cut our photography session short and hurried to make it back to the shuttle pick up spot.  The short amount of time spent here has just increased our excitement about returning tomorrow. Where will we go? See the Emerald Pools? Hike Angel's Landing?  Only tomorrow will tell!

16 Hours and Counting

The clock is finally on the downward slide towards vacation nirvana!  Seems like we have been planning this trip for months and that it would never get here...but it is so very close now!  I am giddy with the anticipation of my own reaction to the beauty that we will encounter in Utah.  So much natural wonder in a relatively small area that we don't even know is there unless we search it out.  I vaguely remember seeing the odd picture of the Arches and the Hoodoos, but it was a fleeting "wow- that's really cool!".  Not really anything that touched me in any way or made me really want to see it.  I think I finally googled Zion National Park and was literally blown away by the images on the screen. Then I checked out Bryce Canyon (I remember seeing pictures in Jay's photography magazine) and knew I needed to see this.  Finally I took out a map and I am still amazed at the sheer volume of state and national parks in the state of Utah.  Initially our trip was going to be the Utah Grand Circle Tour which would have been wonderful, but exhausting.  We opted to go as far as Moab and back to LV.  It will still be pretty taxing, but we hope to get a small sampling of things and then go back with the kids next year.  I can't wait!

Parenting 20 somethings

So, since when does posting important information on Facebook supercede the courtesy of a conversation with your mother?? I guess when the person happens to by my 21 year old daughter.  I found out by logging into FB that she has rented an apt with her boyfriend!  I knew she was thinking about it and hoped to do it before the summer, but how hard would it have been to call and let good ol' mom know that the deed was done?
I am amazed at the lack of consideration this shows and angry at consistently being shut out of what's going on with her.  Obviously this has been a tone between the 2 of us for some time and I should be used to always being the last to know things...would be nice to be part of the loop.