OH, WOW! OH, WOW!

If I said "Oh, Wow!" or heard Forry say, "Oh, WOW!" once today, I heard it a hundred times -- or more! We left Auntie Violet to guard the campsite at the RV Park (and discovered when we got home that she had given ALL of the thistle seed away to the finches today!) while we drove the Toad over to Zion National Park.

I was "ohing" and "ahing" before we even got into the actual park boundaries. It is so nice to have an "America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass." We bought them several years ago for a whole $10. The pass allows us to get in to the National Parks for free (and for 1/2 price camping), which today saved us the $25 entrance fee!



You can only drive your own vehicle as far as the Visitor Center on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. From there you take one of the free shuttles that travel up and down the canyon. You can get on or off of the shuttle at any of the various stops. We decided to ride the shuttle to the upper end and then walk the trail up the Virgin River to the Narrows (where the trail ends and you have to wade in the river to get through the 16 mile long Narrows.). Our park neighbors had gone yesterday and commented when they returned about how many people were at the Park and we found that to be true as well. The shuttles were pretty full, but people kept hopping on and off, so they were never too crowded (though I understand that later in the season, they are pretty much standing room only).



We saw lots of these busy little critters along the trail. It's obvious they were unafraid of people -- probably used to handouts -- and would come right up to you. There were lots of signs warning of fines for feeding wildlife and I must admit, we didn't seeing anyone doing it.



The trail is very nice, but it's all uphill for the 2.2 mile round trip. This rock was hanging over the trail with no visible means of support, so Forry thought he'd help it out...

What a pleasant surprise to see something common to our former home in Spokane -- I didn't expect to see Oregon Grape growing in a canyon in Utah.

One of several gorgeous waterfalls in the canyon. It's not a stream coming from the canyon rim, but actually seepage along a shale shelf level in the sandstone layers of the cliff.

Another view of the Virgin River --

This is one of the white bluffs called Navajo sandstone in the area known as the "Court of the Patriarchs."

After we returned from the shuttle trip -- and our hike -- we drove the Toad on the Zion - Mount Carmel Highway through the tunnels to the East Entrance of the Park and back again. Switchback after switchback and more absolutely gorgeous scenery!