Day 22 (Zion!)

Day 22
July 13, 2006
Page, AZ to Zion National Park, UT (108 miles)

After breakfast, before checking out, we made a quick trip to the Whaweap Marina Scenic Overlook where we said “Ooh” and “Ah,” shot some dramatic video of the panoramic view and then quickly got back in the air-conditioned car. It was already 95 degrees in the shade at 10:30 AM. Golly!

The drive to Zion was essentially more of the same terrain that we saw between Grand Canyon and Lake Powell—mountainous and very dry most of the way, but as we got closer to Zion, the land was slightly less arid and we began to see a few ranches where farmers could keep cattle. Just outside the park we came across a herd of about 55 buffalo. This was exciting for us. We felt nostalgic about the plains before white people came here. While watching the buffalo graze and suckle their calves, we thought about the millions of bison that roamed the immense grasslands of the western US only 200 years ago. We felt the weight of the environmental impact Americans have had on our lands. Most of all, we were happy that buffalo didn’t go the way of the buffalo completely. That they weren’t hunted to extinction and that their numbers are growing again. As Emily put it, “It’s a lot different when you see a lot of them in a field compared to seeing just one in the zoo.”

Zion was not exactly as we remembered it. Partly because Zion has changed and partly because our memories are fallible. Zion is, however, just as magnificent as we remembered. The canyon floor where the lodge, visitor center and campground are located is about ¼ mile wide, mostly flat and lightly forested with huge cottonwoods. The Virgin River, small and fast-flowing, runs the length of the canyon with the main park road parallel to it. At the north end of the canyon, where the park road ends in a cul-de-sac, River Walk Trail continues next to the river until the canyon is only as wide as the river, and the “Narrows” begin. The walls of the canyon are actually multiple peaks that tower up to 2,500 feet above the canyon floor. Smaller “slot” (side) canyons form breaks in the canyon walls on both sides of river. Sheer limestone walls of red, white and beige, some vertical and as much as 1,500 feet tall, form formidable walls for the canyon in many places. Standing on the canyon floor you must tilt you head way back to see the tops of the canyon walls, and at night the rocks partially obscured the Big Dipper in the western sky. It is nearly impossible to capture the full height of the walls in one photograph, even in a portrait orientation!

After dinner, Frank and Emily walked to the Virgin River so she could swim. The water felt like it was about 65 degrees, roughly 40 degrees cooler than the air. It was cold enough that even an 8-year-old noticed and commented on it. It didn’t hold her back, though. She jumped right in and was soon running the shallow rapids like a champ.

Later, Sessy read while Frank, Elliot and Emily went for a walk and stargazed. The stars were incredible. After our eyes adjusted, we could clearly see the Milky Way and so many other stars that the familiar constellations, including the Big Dipper, were hard for us to locate. Emily saw her first, second and third meteors.

We returned to the trailer and prepared for bed. At bedtime it was still very hot and uncomfortable. We had small fans over our bunks, but to be honest we think they did more for us psychologically that physically. We tried to relax and waited for the night winds that we knew would come.

Last time we were camping at Zion we were quite surprised by the winds that kicked up overnight. What we didn’t know was that the superheated air on the canyon floor creates an air inversion when the air on the canyon rim cools after sundown. It takes the rest of the night for the hot air below to switch places with the cool air above. The night winds begin slowly and build. They are warm if not hot at first, but pretty soon you start feeling patches of cooler air between the hot gusts. By morning, it is nearly all cool air, and to our surprise, we had to get blankets out of the car to cover up with (we had put sheets over our sleeping bags, making it impractical to remove the sheets and climb in our bags).