Zion National Park, Part 2

It is always the same—we enter a new park and feel a bit overwhelmed with the unfamiliar, but by the second day we have taken temporary root and have a sense of ownership of the park.

We started this day in Zion with a ranger-led shuttle ride of 1 ½ hours. All the ranger talks in the national parks are so well done. We stopped frequently to climb out of the shuttle and learn about the geology of the park and the force of water on our surroundings, such as just how it happens that water comes seeping out of the canyon face so many places here, after a 4000-year journey through the rocks. Another fun topic was rock slides, including the story of an enormous rock which suddenly demolished a park ranger’s bedroom while he ate breakfast in the next room. We got to see scenic areas that most visitors miss because our tour stops were not the standard shuttle stops. These shuttle tours happen every morning at 9 a.m., and because they are so popular, you should sign up a day ahead.

Each place has small delights which are just not the kind of thing to be published in the park newspaper. In Zion we have been entertained by an abundance of tent caterpillars which feed on the cottonwood trees. They are pleasantly fuzzy but absolutely thick on the walks around the visitor center and creepy in such quantities. More than once Great Husband and I have found hitchhiking caterpillars on our clothes. We have also enjoyed watching lizards doing push-ups in our campsite.

We did a steep, but easy hike today, to Weeping Rock. The water seepage comes out of the rocks there, much like rain, and is a beautiful area of hanging gardens, in which plants thrive on the vertical face of the cliffs.

Both evenings in Zion, we finished with the ranger talks at the amphitheater, a very easy walk from our campsite in Watchman Loop B. Tonight’s subject was owls, and the Mexican Spotted Owl in particular, of which there are 20-25 breeding pairs here in the park.  

p.s. We were able to tow the little Escape 19 out through the 1.1 mile long tunnel, exiting on the east side of Zyon National Park. Many RVs are too big and require an escort (for a fee) because they are too wide or too long or too tall.

Basking

Ranger and Great Husband on hike to Emerald Pools

Zion grandeur

Carved by the Virgin River

Leaving Zion