My Great American Trip to the Southwest
So some of my coding was poor in my past posts and made my photos all wonky; so I've gone ahead and fixed them
Part One thru Six
Part Seven
Part Eight and Nine
Part Ten thru Fifteen
Here are all the pictures of the trip thus far. I haven't be posting all of them; just too many.
Don't forget to check out Jason/Argoshot's website, too! I've snagged a lot of his pics for my posts; however, I haven't used all of them and he's got some seriously amazing shots, let me tell you!
Squirrel at Cedar Breaks National Monument
It's not a chipmunk but a squirrel! I learned that chipmunks cannot live at such high elevations. Anyway, he was following me for food, and I swear he posed for me here!
Part Sixteen: Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim (July 30, 2010)
On the way out of Kanab, Utah I swear to you the monsoons were following us. Immense thunderstorms roiled across the horizon with lightening that streaked across the horizon again and again, laminating the mountainous landscape to our east/north-east. As we left the Kaibab National Forest and entered the Grand Canyon National Park North Rim, we once again experienced the alpine forests, only this time I was instantly taken back to Germany and the alps in which I grew up; immense, tranquil and stunningly beautiful. The higher we drove, the more and more silver-leaved aspen trees we encountered, all happily waving at us as we drove past. Up the mountains we went, then back down into lush, green valleys.
We had no reservations, nor did we expect to find camping near the North Rim; however, we headed towards the campsite just for shits-n-giggles... and we totally lucked out! Even though Jason had tried many, many times in the past to get a campsite at the North Rim, he had never been sucessful. And here, my first time, and wthere was a cancellation and we seriously scored a great little site just on the edge of the campsite! A first time for both of us!!
We set up camp and quickly drove out to the North Rim Lodge and out to Bright Angel Point. My first site of the Grand Canyon was just at sunset and was utterly amazing... and at sunset too! The view was so intense, the canyon so deep, the distances so vast, my mind truly had a difficult time comprehending what I was seeing. The immensity was just mind-boggling in its massiveness. Monstrous. Gargantuan. Just bloody huge. All accurate descriptions and all completely fail to truly convey its immensity. There isn't a picture taken that will ever be able to convey the vast size of this place, of this massive hole in the earth that lay beneath my feet.
I took hold of my normal overwhelming fear of heights (which often leads to a catatonic state and sobbing tears), suppressed these irrational emotions and climbed to the highest point above the canyon on the tip of Bright Angel Point. No barriers. No stairs. No handrails. Nothing to protect myself. Bouldering my way to the top, I climbed… without even a whimper, though lots of gasping as I tried to catch my breath, pushing my fear aside.
As the sun set, the colors and the textures and the patters in the rock were just stunning. The colors were layered upon one another. There was a vertical layer of white rock that looked as if someone had taken wallpaper-border to the topmost part of the rim. The next layer was shades of red and gold, while below that were horizontal striations of creams, browns and blacks, with the final layer way down near the bottom stark grays and whites.
It wasn’t long before night drove us off of the ledge and back towards the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim, where the chill of the evening air was warmed by roaring fireplaces along with the crush of people all lined up along the balcony, all watching the sun set. We didn’t stay long, eager to escape the throngs of tourists (I see myself as someone whose come to experience and become a part of the majestic spectacle instead of someone who’s just looking in). On the way back to our camp, we saw more thunderstorms filled with the spectacle of lightening off in the distance. Not thinking it would make it our way, we thought little of it… until about 2am, when we were awoken to the sounds of a pitter-patter, followed quickly by an onslaught of rain for the rest of the night. We gave up our idea of 5am courage since there would be no sunrise in which to see anything, so we dozed off and on for the rest of the morning.
We left the campground and headed straight for Point Imperial, hoping that we’d be able see something having found out that the area around the lodge had been totally fogged in and the large hole in the ground completely shrouded in mist; almost like our time in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains where we went up to the edge of the cliffs but couldn't see 5 feet down. Unlike Katoomba, we lucked out at Point Imperial! We were graced with a stunning view of the canyon filled with billowy, misty clouds dancing amid the red and gold monoliths! However, it didn’t last long, what with the temperature where we were standing warmed up, drawing the moisture and fog up and out of the canyon directly in our direction, soon shrouding even our wonderful vantage point with fog forcing us to retreat.
Mount Hayden, Point Imperial, North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park
Clouds fill the Grand Canyon at Point Imperial, North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona USA by argoshots
Part Seventeen: Zion National Park (July 31 to August 6, 2010)
Deciding not to stay another night, what with the weather deteriorating and us being unsure of our camping situation; so we departed back down to Kanab, Utah and towards Zion National Park. We arrived in Kanab to find that the storms which had started just as we had left had flooded the town with red muddy floods of water. Whole streets were covered, inches deep, in the muck! Even the fire department was out in force, scraping up the sticky-goo that was trapping vehicles. What a mess!
We stopped for lunch at Big Al’s at the Junction for burgers and wifi before continuing on through the east-west pass towards Zion. Once again, we were graced with a spectacular landscape! The valley of the Checkerboard Mesas, huge sandstone cliffs and hills with vast # marks covering them from top to bottom. I swear it looked like someone took a comb and brushed the rocks and hills back and forth, the gouges deep enough to enable one to scurry over the slip-rock with ease. The rock formations were a bit softer here than the ones at Capital Reef, however no less impressive… in fact, they were much, much more impressive considering their actual size. They’re the largest sandstone cliffs in the world... and we hadn’t even seen the really big ones yet!
We found a fantastic campsite within the park and immediately set up camp, arriving with just enough time to make dinner, where I learned that wine + gravity + a sharp knife are a poor combination because promptly jabbed myself in my left hand while helping to prepare dinner. Silly me!
We woke late-ish the next morning and took the free shuttle from the visitor’s center directly into the heart of Zion, The Temple of Sinawava. All along the way the shuttle system had a wonderfully informative program detailing the history and the interesting sites within the park. Within just a few days, both Jason and I were able to recite it with some accuracy.
Our first hike was along the Virgin River towards The Narrows, the Riverside Walk. The squirrels were almost tame what with them posing for pictures each time a tourist stopped to snap a quick one. The river wasn’t crystal clear, but it was relatively clean and quite chilly. We also saw a fantastic weeping rock with a hanging garden and a lovely pond at the bottom which was frequented by several huge dragonflies. Since we were going to hike the Narrows the next day, we decided to go swim in the Virgin River for awhile, enjoying the cold water on the very hot day.
A kid plays in the waters of the Virgin River at Zion National Park, Utah USA. by argoshots
Afterwards, we headed towards the Weeping Rock which was located just a few stops down from The Temple of Sinawava. Unlike everyone else who took the main trail, Jason took us off-track towards the pond that lay just below the Weeping rock, and followed the trail up-stream. What he wasn’t expecting was how much the terrain had changed since his last visit, and it had changed drastically. It was very much overgrown and the trail itself disappeared into dead-ends and walls of building-tall boulders. So we made our own trail, jumping overgrowth and clambering up and over boulders. We finally found the pond at the bottom of the Weeping Rock, where we took a breather and enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of our surroundings.
Hidden waterfall in creek under “Weeping Rock” at Zion National Park, Utah USA. by argoshots
The Stream Below Weeping Rock and Weeping Rock Pool
After a brief respite and a few quick photos, we hiked all the way up to the weeping rock itself, over very treacherous terrain of slick wet slippery shards of shale and rock. Without too much mishap, we finally made it to the top, where we relaxed and surveyed our joint accomplishment and enjoying the cool drops of water raining down from The Weeping Rock before heading back. First by way of the Lodge for a much needed treat of ice cream, then back to camp. I was more than a little pleased with myself and my athletic abilities; able to keep up, able to surpass in some cases, able to physically accomplish all that I asked of my body, and more! Hear! Hear! For staying in shape!
Even thought we had planned to get up early the next morning, it was a good thing we didn’t because it ended up being a very long day! What I thought was going to be a 4-5 hour hike ended up being an 11 hour marathon of hiking through rough, deep water filled with slick and hidden rocks, many of which I banged my shins and toes upon throughout the course of the day. If I had known the day was going to take so long, I would have been much better provisioned for the journey; however, Jason woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was just rarin' to GOGOGO. Feeling rushed, I I ended up being as fully prepared, mentally or physically, for the day to come.
When we first started forging the river, I realized the necessity of having a handy walking stick of some kind; any kind, and the first one I found became my trusty stick for the rest of the day, even if I suffered terrible blisters along theme between the meaty-part of my palm between my thumbs and pointy fingers for the next few days. However, it was a god-send that the water was so cold, around 65 degrees or so. Not only did it make the heat of the day that much more bearable, since it was over 100 degrees, it the cold weather really helped keep the swelling down in my hips, which tends to happen after overexertion, like long-distance hiking or running.
For the first 8-9 hours, I had a great time, even with the challenges that I faced again and again. It wasn’t overly strenuous, but it also was extraordinarily strenuous at the same time! We hiked past a small waterfall which cascaded down into the river, alcoves that were perfectly situated as thrones, over small inlets with just enough rock and sand to take breaks, passed outcroppings of trees filled with wildlife one wouldn’t expect in such a flash-flood prone zone. Up hills, down into more water, across rapids, until the walls, which already towered hundreds of feet over our heads became taller and taller as the canyon that ran between them became more and more narrow until we reached a point where the canyon forked off into two. The right side, known as Orderville Canyon, became much more narrow, much quicker than the left fork (still The Narrows). Not only that, the water in Orderville Canyon was distinctly warmer than the main channel.
Most of the way up and back, the water was ankle/calf-deep; however there were a few spots that became a bit harrowing, due to both the depth of the water as well as the forceful speed of the waters as well. A few times I found myself sinking chest deep and swimming through some areas of the narrows. Thank goodness I love being in the water, I believe that helped me weather the journey with much more stoic grace than otherwise.
Having left the camera he lent me back at camp fearing a fall into the water would render it useless, I spent most of the day playing assistant to Jason, constantly removing his monster camera from the bag, standing around waiting for him to take pictures and then putting it back in before we continued on (this is what caused the normal 4-5 hour hike to extend to the 11+ hours that it took us to finish the there-and-back forge). Funnily enough, we were on our way back when he pulled his tripod out of the water to find that the second of the tripod’s feet had disappeared and was quickly heading downstream. Neither of us being fleet-footed enough, we could only stand there and laugh at how Zion had stolen a second tripod foot from him.
When we reached the fork, I was already tired and ready to be done; however, we had a long, long, long way to still to go. The hike back started off well, but became much more challenging the longer the day went. Still, I was able to keep up, though Giggle-Britches had disappeared… at least until I found my second wind, which was about ¾ of the way back to the start of the narrows. Still, no matter how challenging or tiring the day was, I am extraordinarily proud of my physical stamina and mental drive that allowed me to press through the all the challenges that I faced throughout the day. I am so grateful to be in such good physical condition to be able to handle such a hike; however, like I said before, I was ill prepared for such a long day and having an extra snack or two, along with more water, would have given me the energy to weather the strenuousness of the day with much more grace and endurance. Still, all in all it was a brilliant day and I have to admit I’m looking forward to hiking the narrows again, this time planning for an extremely long day in order to continue past the fork in the canyon and further up the Narrows.
The Narrows of the Virgin River, Zion National Park, Utah USA by argoshots
The walls of Orderville Canyon loom as high as 2,000 feet above hikers. Zion National Park, Utah USA by argoshots
Hikers return to the Virgin River Narrows from Orderville Canyon. Zion National Park, Utah USA. by argoshots
Only the largest boulders remain dry in the Narrows by argoshots
Exhausted we finally completed the journey, hiked the last mile along the Riverside Walk, snagged the shuttle and returned to camp. A quick change, we ran into Springdale, the town outside of Zion, for dinner at Blondie’s (no affiliation with the Blondie’s in Hanksville). It was my first experience with fried chicken and waffles! And their burger was probably one of the most excellent I’ve had! Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that we were both buggered and starving.
The next day was spent recuperating, both of us totally exhausted. Thank goodness it was a down day because we found ourselves 15 minutes late for everything: sunrise, sunset, showering, a table at the coffee shop, swimming in the Virgin River thanks to afternoon thunderstorms, etc. Still, it was a wonderful day all said and done, mostly because we spent the day in Springdale, the little town located just outside of Zion’s front entrance. What a wonderful little town that has a Tumbarumba-like feel to it with its own special uniqueness to it. Like Tumba, it is rather touristy in many ways, it does hold its own flavor even with the myriad of folk coming and going. It's also much more vibrant than Tumba with everything is mom-n-pop owned, no franchises of any kind and some very stringent regulations for businesses as well as residents. With the stunning background and landscape of the sandstone monoliths and the Virgin River running right through it, it wasn't hard to fall in serious love!
After our day in Springdale, we headed back to camp and attempted pictures on the bridge overlooking the Virgin River; however, (again) we were about 15 minutes too late for the really fantastic colors. So we headed back to camp, grabbed the light-painting equipment and headed towards the petroglyphs, located just on the other side of the road from our campground. We did get a few shots before being rudely interrupted by a rattlesnake. Almost dancing, I hop-skipped away from it until Jason started laughing and me, telling me to quit dancing and just step away. We lit it up to keep an eye on it, just long enough to watch it slither away, before we returned to camp for dinner and more shots of The Watchman at night, this time during a thunderstorm.
The Watchman and Range Overlooking Zion South Campsite
The Virgin River after sunset by argoshots
We spent the next day hiking the Emerald Pools; which were just beautiful! What can I say; I always find that playing in water on a hot day delightful! The hike to the the Lower Emerald Pool was a steady climb, but pretty easy. We came down a small rise in the trail to see the Lower Emerald Pool being filled by several beautiful waterfalls cascading down from the Middle Emerald Pools. We hung out for a bit, cooling off by playing under the smattering of dropplets from the main waterfall and watching the play of the water on the rocks, which was being playfully buffeted by the shifting winds. The hike became a bit more challenging as we headed between the lower and middle pools. Of the three, the Middle Emerald Pool was the largest, with vast, still areas where one could clearly see tadpoles swimming through its crystal clear waters. While we never encountered any frogs, there were thousands of tadpoles, many which were already forming tiny little legs next to their shrinking tails. It was really kind of cool to see! The hike to the Upper Emerald Pool was the most challenging of them all; however, I wouldn't have called it strenuous, which is what it was labeled. The upper pool was much smaller than normal; at least that’s what both the ranger and Jason said. Still, it was a lovely place, with a waterfall raining down upon us and the pond. Unfortunately, it was rather crowded and I would have stuck around longer enjoying the scenery; however I was once more drive out by the crowds and couldn’t wait to get out of there. So we headed back down, only instead of going back the way we came, we headed in the opposite direction, away from the middle and lower pools, where we found ourselves at an unlabeled set of pools, fed by a babbling brook and several very small waterfalls. Going off tail, we headed up stream for a bit, taking time to stop and enjoy the cool water and shady surroundings.
Emerald Pools Trail by argoshots
A photographer tries to capture the scale of Zion Canyon at the Uppper Emerald Pools by argoshots
Along our entire hike up-to and back from the Emerald Pools, I kept seeing this one large rock formation off in the distance and each time I saw it I had these visions of an Evil Genius’ ship blasting off while O-shaped face of the rock formation whisked out of his way. Every single time I saw it, I had this very clear vision... too bad I never did get a picture of it.
Our inital intent was to only stay a few days in Zion; however, two days got pushed to three, which turned into four, until we found ourselves leaving six days after we had arrived. What can I say, I totally get why it's one of Jason's favorite places on the planet because I too fell in love with this amazing place. The convergence of an wondrous display of Mother Nature with its stunning landscapes with cascading waterfalls and winding rivers, green in the center of the valley/canyon surrounded by the red-gold warmth of sandstone monoliths in all directions along with the delightful and beautiful small town dedicated to keeping its small-town feel while encouraging green-living. Beautiful people. Beautiful landscapes. Beautiful in every way. I fell in love. Utterly in love. It’s Tumbarumba USA, only more.
Part Eighteen: Las Vegas (August 6-8, 2010)
So we left many days after we had planned, spending the morning taking pictures of the Alter of Sacrifice (with a huge red stain down its front) and the West Temple (the largest known sandstone monolith in the world), followed by breakfast at the Zion Lodge before headed towards Vegas. The drive out of the mountains was just amazing! Once again Mother Nature provided spectacular views, one after another… at least until we reached the bottom. Then it just turned ugly. Not uniquely ugly, just plain ugly. The high desert is a wonder to behold; the desert is just ugly. Even the funny looking Joshua Trees were not enough to make the stark, barren, sand-filled landscape pleasing to the eye. The closer we drove to Las Vegas the worse it got.
We came down out of the desert and into the Las Vegas Valley and I was just done. Even with the chance to experience, to watch and to observe the spectacle of Vegas wasn't enough to counteract the culture shock I felt after spending so many weeks out in the quiet of the US outback. I am not a big-city girl anymore... not at all, and Las Vegas is very much a big-city. It's got an air to it, an energy that (in my opinion) is very narcissistic and self-centered, with its cookie-cutter feel and the stagnant, husk-drying heat
Still, I had some fun experiences while we were in town. My first, but not my last, In-N-Out Burger (it was my first fast-food burger in more years than I can count). Visiting my first Trader Joe's. The best pizza I've ever had at Metro Pizza where the crust wasn't too bready, the sauce was just right and not over powering, there was a ton of amazing toppings and comes with a meat sauce and homemade ranch dressing. Can you say YUM?!?! I knew you could ;) Oh yeah, I'll deal with Vegas if I get to go to the Metro again!
The highlight of the weekend was spending it with some family friends who are more like family than just friends. These are the only folks that I've known my entire life and it was just so wonderful to reconnect and just BE with genuinely nice folk.
Otherwise... if it hadn't been for the food and the Perlottos, Vegas would have been a total bust... Kinda like Cali ended up being, sadly
Part One thru Six
Part Seven
Part Eight and Nine
Part Ten thru Fifteen
Here are all the pictures of the trip thus far. I haven't be posting all of them; just too many.
Don't forget to check out Jason/Argoshot's website, too! I've snagged a lot of his pics for my posts; however, I haven't used all of them and he's got some seriously amazing shots, let me tell you!
Squirrel at Cedar Breaks National Monument
It's not a chipmunk but a squirrel! I learned that chipmunks cannot live at such high elevations. Anyway, he was following me for food, and I swear he posed for me here!
Part Sixteen: Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim (July 30, 2010)
On the way out of Kanab, Utah I swear to you the monsoons were following us. Immense thunderstorms roiled across the horizon with lightening that streaked across the horizon again and again, laminating the mountainous landscape to our east/north-east. As we left the Kaibab National Forest and entered the Grand Canyon National Park North Rim, we once again experienced the alpine forests, only this time I was instantly taken back to Germany and the alps in which I grew up; immense, tranquil and stunningly beautiful. The higher we drove, the more and more silver-leaved aspen trees we encountered, all happily waving at us as we drove past. Up the mountains we went, then back down into lush, green valleys.
We had no reservations, nor did we expect to find camping near the North Rim; however, we headed towards the campsite just for shits-n-giggles... and we totally lucked out! Even though Jason had tried many, many times in the past to get a campsite at the North Rim, he had never been sucessful. And here, my first time, and wthere was a cancellation and we seriously scored a great little site just on the edge of the campsite! A first time for both of us!!
We set up camp and quickly drove out to the North Rim Lodge and out to Bright Angel Point. My first site of the Grand Canyon was just at sunset and was utterly amazing... and at sunset too! The view was so intense, the canyon so deep, the distances so vast, my mind truly had a difficult time comprehending what I was seeing. The immensity was just mind-boggling in its massiveness. Monstrous. Gargantuan. Just bloody huge. All accurate descriptions and all completely fail to truly convey its immensity. There isn't a picture taken that will ever be able to convey the vast size of this place, of this massive hole in the earth that lay beneath my feet.
I took hold of my normal overwhelming fear of heights (which often leads to a catatonic state and sobbing tears), suppressed these irrational emotions and climbed to the highest point above the canyon on the tip of Bright Angel Point. No barriers. No stairs. No handrails. Nothing to protect myself. Bouldering my way to the top, I climbed… without even a whimper, though lots of gasping as I tried to catch my breath, pushing my fear aside.
As the sun set, the colors and the textures and the patters in the rock were just stunning. The colors were layered upon one another. There was a vertical layer of white rock that looked as if someone had taken wallpaper-border to the topmost part of the rim. The next layer was shades of red and gold, while below that were horizontal striations of creams, browns and blacks, with the final layer way down near the bottom stark grays and whites.
It wasn’t long before night drove us off of the ledge and back towards the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim, where the chill of the evening air was warmed by roaring fireplaces along with the crush of people all lined up along the balcony, all watching the sun set. We didn’t stay long, eager to escape the throngs of tourists (I see myself as someone whose come to experience and become a part of the majestic spectacle instead of someone who’s just looking in). On the way back to our camp, we saw more thunderstorms filled with the spectacle of lightening off in the distance. Not thinking it would make it our way, we thought little of it… until about 2am, when we were awoken to the sounds of a pitter-patter, followed quickly by an onslaught of rain for the rest of the night. We gave up our idea of 5am courage since there would be no sunrise in which to see anything, so we dozed off and on for the rest of the morning.
We left the campground and headed straight for Point Imperial, hoping that we’d be able see something having found out that the area around the lodge had been totally fogged in and the large hole in the ground completely shrouded in mist; almost like our time in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains where we went up to the edge of the cliffs but couldn't see 5 feet down. Unlike Katoomba, we lucked out at Point Imperial! We were graced with a stunning view of the canyon filled with billowy, misty clouds dancing amid the red and gold monoliths! However, it didn’t last long, what with the temperature where we were standing warmed up, drawing the moisture and fog up and out of the canyon directly in our direction, soon shrouding even our wonderful vantage point with fog forcing us to retreat.
Mount Hayden, Point Imperial, North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park
Clouds fill the Grand Canyon at Point Imperial, North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona USA by argoshots
Part Seventeen: Zion National Park (July 31 to August 6, 2010)
Deciding not to stay another night, what with the weather deteriorating and us being unsure of our camping situation; so we departed back down to Kanab, Utah and towards Zion National Park. We arrived in Kanab to find that the storms which had started just as we had left had flooded the town with red muddy floods of water. Whole streets were covered, inches deep, in the muck! Even the fire department was out in force, scraping up the sticky-goo that was trapping vehicles. What a mess!
We stopped for lunch at Big Al’s at the Junction for burgers and wifi before continuing on through the east-west pass towards Zion. Once again, we were graced with a spectacular landscape! The valley of the Checkerboard Mesas, huge sandstone cliffs and hills with vast # marks covering them from top to bottom. I swear it looked like someone took a comb and brushed the rocks and hills back and forth, the gouges deep enough to enable one to scurry over the slip-rock with ease. The rock formations were a bit softer here than the ones at Capital Reef, however no less impressive… in fact, they were much, much more impressive considering their actual size. They’re the largest sandstone cliffs in the world... and we hadn’t even seen the really big ones yet!
We found a fantastic campsite within the park and immediately set up camp, arriving with just enough time to make dinner, where I learned that wine + gravity + a sharp knife are a poor combination because promptly jabbed myself in my left hand while helping to prepare dinner. Silly me!
We woke late-ish the next morning and took the free shuttle from the visitor’s center directly into the heart of Zion, The Temple of Sinawava. All along the way the shuttle system had a wonderfully informative program detailing the history and the interesting sites within the park. Within just a few days, both Jason and I were able to recite it with some accuracy.
Our first hike was along the Virgin River towards The Narrows, the Riverside Walk. The squirrels were almost tame what with them posing for pictures each time a tourist stopped to snap a quick one. The river wasn’t crystal clear, but it was relatively clean and quite chilly. We also saw a fantastic weeping rock with a hanging garden and a lovely pond at the bottom which was frequented by several huge dragonflies. Since we were going to hike the Narrows the next day, we decided to go swim in the Virgin River for awhile, enjoying the cold water on the very hot day.
A kid plays in the waters of the Virgin River at Zion National Park, Utah USA. by argoshots
Afterwards, we headed towards the Weeping Rock which was located just a few stops down from The Temple of Sinawava. Unlike everyone else who took the main trail, Jason took us off-track towards the pond that lay just below the Weeping rock, and followed the trail up-stream. What he wasn’t expecting was how much the terrain had changed since his last visit, and it had changed drastically. It was very much overgrown and the trail itself disappeared into dead-ends and walls of building-tall boulders. So we made our own trail, jumping overgrowth and clambering up and over boulders. We finally found the pond at the bottom of the Weeping Rock, where we took a breather and enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of our surroundings.
Hidden waterfall in creek under “Weeping Rock” at Zion National Park, Utah USA. by argoshots
The Stream Below Weeping Rock and Weeping Rock Pool
After a brief respite and a few quick photos, we hiked all the way up to the weeping rock itself, over very treacherous terrain of slick wet slippery shards of shale and rock. Without too much mishap, we finally made it to the top, where we relaxed and surveyed our joint accomplishment and enjoying the cool drops of water raining down from The Weeping Rock before heading back. First by way of the Lodge for a much needed treat of ice cream, then back to camp. I was more than a little pleased with myself and my athletic abilities; able to keep up, able to surpass in some cases, able to physically accomplish all that I asked of my body, and more! Hear! Hear! For staying in shape!
Even thought we had planned to get up early the next morning, it was a good thing we didn’t because it ended up being a very long day! What I thought was going to be a 4-5 hour hike ended up being an 11 hour marathon of hiking through rough, deep water filled with slick and hidden rocks, many of which I banged my shins and toes upon throughout the course of the day. If I had known the day was going to take so long, I would have been much better provisioned for the journey; however, Jason woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was just rarin' to GOGOGO. Feeling rushed, I I ended up being as fully prepared, mentally or physically, for the day to come.
When we first started forging the river, I realized the necessity of having a handy walking stick of some kind; any kind, and the first one I found became my trusty stick for the rest of the day, even if I suffered terrible blisters along theme between the meaty-part of my palm between my thumbs and pointy fingers for the next few days. However, it was a god-send that the water was so cold, around 65 degrees or so. Not only did it make the heat of the day that much more bearable, since it was over 100 degrees, it the cold weather really helped keep the swelling down in my hips, which tends to happen after overexertion, like long-distance hiking or running.
For the first 8-9 hours, I had a great time, even with the challenges that I faced again and again. It wasn’t overly strenuous, but it also was extraordinarily strenuous at the same time! We hiked past a small waterfall which cascaded down into the river, alcoves that were perfectly situated as thrones, over small inlets with just enough rock and sand to take breaks, passed outcroppings of trees filled with wildlife one wouldn’t expect in such a flash-flood prone zone. Up hills, down into more water, across rapids, until the walls, which already towered hundreds of feet over our heads became taller and taller as the canyon that ran between them became more and more narrow until we reached a point where the canyon forked off into two. The right side, known as Orderville Canyon, became much more narrow, much quicker than the left fork (still The Narrows). Not only that, the water in Orderville Canyon was distinctly warmer than the main channel.
Most of the way up and back, the water was ankle/calf-deep; however there were a few spots that became a bit harrowing, due to both the depth of the water as well as the forceful speed of the waters as well. A few times I found myself sinking chest deep and swimming through some areas of the narrows. Thank goodness I love being in the water, I believe that helped me weather the journey with much more stoic grace than otherwise.
Having left the camera he lent me back at camp fearing a fall into the water would render it useless, I spent most of the day playing assistant to Jason, constantly removing his monster camera from the bag, standing around waiting for him to take pictures and then putting it back in before we continued on (this is what caused the normal 4-5 hour hike to extend to the 11+ hours that it took us to finish the there-and-back forge). Funnily enough, we were on our way back when he pulled his tripod out of the water to find that the second of the tripod’s feet had disappeared and was quickly heading downstream. Neither of us being fleet-footed enough, we could only stand there and laugh at how Zion had stolen a second tripod foot from him.
When we reached the fork, I was already tired and ready to be done; however, we had a long, long, long way to still to go. The hike back started off well, but became much more challenging the longer the day went. Still, I was able to keep up, though Giggle-Britches had disappeared… at least until I found my second wind, which was about ¾ of the way back to the start of the narrows. Still, no matter how challenging or tiring the day was, I am extraordinarily proud of my physical stamina and mental drive that allowed me to press through the all the challenges that I faced throughout the day. I am so grateful to be in such good physical condition to be able to handle such a hike; however, like I said before, I was ill prepared for such a long day and having an extra snack or two, along with more water, would have given me the energy to weather the strenuousness of the day with much more grace and endurance. Still, all in all it was a brilliant day and I have to admit I’m looking forward to hiking the narrows again, this time planning for an extremely long day in order to continue past the fork in the canyon and further up the Narrows.
The Narrows of the Virgin River, Zion National Park, Utah USA by argoshots
The walls of Orderville Canyon loom as high as 2,000 feet above hikers. Zion National Park, Utah USA by argoshots
Hikers return to the Virgin River Narrows from Orderville Canyon. Zion National Park, Utah USA. by argoshots
Only the largest boulders remain dry in the Narrows by argoshots
Exhausted we finally completed the journey, hiked the last mile along the Riverside Walk, snagged the shuttle and returned to camp. A quick change, we ran into Springdale, the town outside of Zion, for dinner at Blondie’s (no affiliation with the Blondie’s in Hanksville). It was my first experience with fried chicken and waffles! And their burger was probably one of the most excellent I’ve had! Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that we were both buggered and starving.
The next day was spent recuperating, both of us totally exhausted. Thank goodness it was a down day because we found ourselves 15 minutes late for everything: sunrise, sunset, showering, a table at the coffee shop, swimming in the Virgin River thanks to afternoon thunderstorms, etc. Still, it was a wonderful day all said and done, mostly because we spent the day in Springdale, the little town located just outside of Zion’s front entrance. What a wonderful little town that has a Tumbarumba-like feel to it with its own special uniqueness to it. Like Tumba, it is rather touristy in many ways, it does hold its own flavor even with the myriad of folk coming and going. It's also much more vibrant than Tumba with everything is mom-n-pop owned, no franchises of any kind and some very stringent regulations for businesses as well as residents. With the stunning background and landscape of the sandstone monoliths and the Virgin River running right through it, it wasn't hard to fall in serious love!
After our day in Springdale, we headed back to camp and attempted pictures on the bridge overlooking the Virgin River; however, (again) we were about 15 minutes too late for the really fantastic colors. So we headed back to camp, grabbed the light-painting equipment and headed towards the petroglyphs, located just on the other side of the road from our campground. We did get a few shots before being rudely interrupted by a rattlesnake. Almost dancing, I hop-skipped away from it until Jason started laughing and me, telling me to quit dancing and just step away. We lit it up to keep an eye on it, just long enough to watch it slither away, before we returned to camp for dinner and more shots of The Watchman at night, this time during a thunderstorm.
The Watchman and Range Overlooking Zion South Campsite
The Virgin River after sunset by argoshots
We spent the next day hiking the Emerald Pools; which were just beautiful! What can I say; I always find that playing in water on a hot day delightful! The hike to the the Lower Emerald Pool was a steady climb, but pretty easy. We came down a small rise in the trail to see the Lower Emerald Pool being filled by several beautiful waterfalls cascading down from the Middle Emerald Pools. We hung out for a bit, cooling off by playing under the smattering of dropplets from the main waterfall and watching the play of the water on the rocks, which was being playfully buffeted by the shifting winds. The hike became a bit more challenging as we headed between the lower and middle pools. Of the three, the Middle Emerald Pool was the largest, with vast, still areas where one could clearly see tadpoles swimming through its crystal clear waters. While we never encountered any frogs, there were thousands of tadpoles, many which were already forming tiny little legs next to their shrinking tails. It was really kind of cool to see! The hike to the Upper Emerald Pool was the most challenging of them all; however, I wouldn't have called it strenuous, which is what it was labeled. The upper pool was much smaller than normal; at least that’s what both the ranger and Jason said. Still, it was a lovely place, with a waterfall raining down upon us and the pond. Unfortunately, it was rather crowded and I would have stuck around longer enjoying the scenery; however I was once more drive out by the crowds and couldn’t wait to get out of there. So we headed back down, only instead of going back the way we came, we headed in the opposite direction, away from the middle and lower pools, where we found ourselves at an unlabeled set of pools, fed by a babbling brook and several very small waterfalls. Going off tail, we headed up stream for a bit, taking time to stop and enjoy the cool water and shady surroundings.
Emerald Pools Trail by argoshots
A photographer tries to capture the scale of Zion Canyon at the Uppper Emerald Pools by argoshots
Along our entire hike up-to and back from the Emerald Pools, I kept seeing this one large rock formation off in the distance and each time I saw it I had these visions of an Evil Genius’ ship blasting off while O-shaped face of the rock formation whisked out of his way. Every single time I saw it, I had this very clear vision... too bad I never did get a picture of it.
Our inital intent was to only stay a few days in Zion; however, two days got pushed to three, which turned into four, until we found ourselves leaving six days after we had arrived. What can I say, I totally get why it's one of Jason's favorite places on the planet because I too fell in love with this amazing place. The convergence of an wondrous display of Mother Nature with its stunning landscapes with cascading waterfalls and winding rivers, green in the center of the valley/canyon surrounded by the red-gold warmth of sandstone monoliths in all directions along with the delightful and beautiful small town dedicated to keeping its small-town feel while encouraging green-living. Beautiful people. Beautiful landscapes. Beautiful in every way. I fell in love. Utterly in love. It’s Tumbarumba USA, only more.
Part Eighteen: Las Vegas (August 6-8, 2010)
So we left many days after we had planned, spending the morning taking pictures of the Alter of Sacrifice (with a huge red stain down its front) and the West Temple (the largest known sandstone monolith in the world), followed by breakfast at the Zion Lodge before headed towards Vegas. The drive out of the mountains was just amazing! Once again Mother Nature provided spectacular views, one after another… at least until we reached the bottom. Then it just turned ugly. Not uniquely ugly, just plain ugly. The high desert is a wonder to behold; the desert is just ugly. Even the funny looking Joshua Trees were not enough to make the stark, barren, sand-filled landscape pleasing to the eye. The closer we drove to Las Vegas the worse it got.
We came down out of the desert and into the Las Vegas Valley and I was just done. Even with the chance to experience, to watch and to observe the spectacle of Vegas wasn't enough to counteract the culture shock I felt after spending so many weeks out in the quiet of the US outback. I am not a big-city girl anymore... not at all, and Las Vegas is very much a big-city. It's got an air to it, an energy that (in my opinion) is very narcissistic and self-centered, with its cookie-cutter feel and the stagnant, husk-drying heat
Still, I had some fun experiences while we were in town. My first, but not my last, In-N-Out Burger (it was my first fast-food burger in more years than I can count). Visiting my first Trader Joe's. The best pizza I've ever had at Metro Pizza where the crust wasn't too bready, the sauce was just right and not over powering, there was a ton of amazing toppings and comes with a meat sauce and homemade ranch dressing. Can you say YUM?!?! I knew you could ;) Oh yeah, I'll deal with Vegas if I get to go to the Metro again!
The highlight of the weekend was spending it with some family friends who are more like family than just friends. These are the only folks that I've known my entire life and it was just so wonderful to reconnect and just BE with genuinely nice folk.
Otherwise... if it hadn't been for the food and the Perlottos, Vegas would have been a total bust... Kinda like Cali ended up being, sadly