May 5th, 2011 § § permalink
We had a full day of hiking with bright blue skies and lots of sunshine; cliff faces of rusty reds and burnt orange dropped down to the river of spring snow melt rushing at the bottom of the canyon. Looking up, we could sometimes see a condor gliding around the cliff faces, dipping into a cavern and further into the blue the criss cross of jet streams – a different type of flight.
Zion National Park, Utah
The shuttle buses took us right into the canyon and we were free to hop on and hop off at our preferred trailheads.
Unlike the Grand Canyon, Zion Canyon is usually viewed from the bottom looking up.
Bordering the Virgin River grows Fremont cottonwood, box elder, willow and Utah juniper.
A vast desert millions of years ago the Virgin River has cut through the red and white beds of the Navajo desert leaving cliffs dropping 3000 feet.
Emerald Pools trail
Emerald Pools
Nineteenth century Mormons saw these sculptured rocks as the natural temples of God and called the canyon Little Zion after the Celestial City. (National Geographic: Guide to the National Parks of the United States. 6th ed. 2009)
May 4th, 2011 § § permalink
Ghost Calico Town
On Thursday, April 21, starting from Bakersfield on state freeway CA 58, we headed north on the interstate freeway I 15 through Las Vegas, Nevada, and through a small section of Arizona to Springdale, Utah; a total of 437 miles. My brother tells me that no-one in the whole of the USA would find the Mojave desert interesting but I did. The flat plains were dotted with Joshua trees and distant snow tipped mountains were sometimes broken by the circling of wind turbines. We visited the tourist attraction of Calico - this ghost town took us back to how life was in the late 1800s during a silver mining boom. Further down the I 15 the bright signs of Vegas beckoned and broke the stillness of the desert, however, we wanted to reach our ‘pot of gold’ - Zion N.P. by dusk. As our road cut through the mountains and the rock colours changed from greys and browns to the rustiest of reds characteristic of Zion, we knew we were close.
Map showing route from Bakersfield to Zion National Park
Passing through Las Vegas
We spent two nights at Zion Canyon Campground which was very well located near the National Park entrance and like Yosemite National Park we again had the convenience of visiting the town and the park by free shuttle bus.
Zion Canyon Campground
Heading towards Springdale, Utah
April 4th, 2011 § § permalink
Update on USA Road Trip
- Los Angeles to New Orleans – April to May 2011
