Tuesday May 10, 2016 Zion National Park and the Vermillion Cliffs

Well, it was up Hwy 93 to Kanab again today. The drive is scenic in places and boring flat in others. Today, I encountered a  rolling roadblock the forced everyone to the side of the road so a 18-20 foot-wide houseboat hull could come the other way. Boy was that thing big!

I got to the East Gate at Zion in about 75 minutes. I stopped at the first viewpoint in the park to take some pix and met a couple on their way out of the park. They told me there was no parking at the Visitor Center and that I should just drive on into town and park there and take the shuttle to the Visitors Center. They also told me that you can’t drive cars in the park and all transportation is by foot, bike, or shuttle. Good information that had me knowing what to expect when I got to the Visitors Center. I drove through town and found a parking spot in what had been a mud hole, it was full of ruts and tire tracks. It was dry now, so I parked there. I had seen a Brew Pub sign as I drove through town and decided to walk back to it. It was half a mile or more and I was bushed when I went into a very quiet pub. Again, I’m on AZ Std time and they’re on Mtn Daylight Time and I’m an hour early for lunch. The kitchen was open and they were serving food, so I had a very nice Bison Meatloaf sandwich with a pint of their porter. A quality beer, well rounded and not hoppy at all.

I spent the afternoon on the shuttle going to the end of the line and back. I got off at stops that sounded interesting on the way up. I tried to hit those I missed on the way up, on the way back but probably missed a couple.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Navajo sandstone formation at Zion National Park

Navajo sandstone formation at Zion National Park

I’ve decided not to go to Grand Canyon tomorrow. Three hours drive in each direction makes a very long day, and I’ve driven more than 500 miles in the last two days. I’ll find something to do that’s closer to home.

On the way back from Zion, I stopped along side the road to shoot the Vermillion Cliffs in the distance. The Vermillion Cliffs are just one of seven? layers of rock that make up the Colorado Plateau. Each has a unique color and the positions of the layers can be traced by following the colors.

Vermillion Cliffs Utah

Vermillion Cliffs Utah

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