Gym confirmed that his dear wife was indeed a good luck charm for the Raiders when they beat the New England Patriots on October 15th. It was another messy game but with Mrs. Gym in attendance, the team was able to post a "W". They had driven up from California and were settled at the Marriott Grand Chateau (nothing about it was grand). They should have left the morning after the game but they stayed an extra night in Las Vegas so they could dine one more time, at the iconic Battista's Hole In The Wall.
Then on October 17th, they headed north again. Just past St. George, they turned off the I-15 at Exit 16 and drove east 25 miles. They had arrived in Springdale, Utah. Springdale is one of the most beautiful towns in America. It is situated on the Virgin River where it tumbles out of Zion National Park. It doesn't matter which way you face in Springdale, you will always have an awe-inspiring view of the multi-coloured walls of Zion Canyon. At the eastern end of the town are the gates to Zion National Park. Gym had booked two nights at a very lovely, SpringHill Suites in Springdale. This gave the dynamic duo two days to explore the park.
You are not allowed to drive your car and park it inside Zion National Park. The park service provides a continuous stream of shuttle buses from the park entrance to a total of nine stops from which hikers can get off and find a trailhead. There are dozens of trails of various lengths and difficulty levels, all of them seem to highlight a different unique feature or view in Zion Canyon. Our travelers hiked five different trails during their time in the park. They saw some amazingly beautiful perspectives of the canyon and quite a bit of wildlife. There were many wild turkeys and mule deer there, seemingly comfortable with the human visitors but Gym was most fascinated with the giant tarantula just off the trail that he was able to get quite close to on one hike. Gym and his lovely companion, highly recommend Zion National Park.
On October 19th, after having accomplished everything they wanted to on this trip the meanderers headed for home. They would make it all the way to Butte, Montana on the first day and that left a 7-hour drive the next day back to Calgary. Gym's wanderlust was satisfied, at least temporarily.
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| Even in late October the Zion Canyon is green which is nice against the backdrop of the red sandstone cliffs. |
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| A contrast of red and white sandstones of different ages |
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| A typical shuttle stop in Zion National Park. |
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| Weeping Rock, a short hike upper under the hanging arch is sure to get you a little wet. |
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| Under the arch of Weeping Rock |
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| Another view from Weeping Rock |
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| A little bit steep |
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| Some turkey on the road near Weeping Rock |
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| Riverside Trail at Stop 9 |
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| Do not pet Mr. Tarantula |
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| The River Walk trail winds along the edge of the Virgin River at the narrowest part of Zion Canyon |
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| The River Walks takes you to the point where there are .no banks on the river as canyon walls narrow so much that the trail ends. You can go further and do the Narrows Hike but you need waterproof shoes and pants. |
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| The canyon narrows but before it gets to the Narrows Hike you see some beautiifully lush meados along the river. There are several species of plants that hang on the cliff walls. |
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| There is also a bunch of mule deer that graze along the side of the trail paying no attention to the nearby hikers. |
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| So many pictureque views |
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| Pa'Rus Trail is a hike from the park entrance to Shuttle stop 3. It is paved and pretty easy but you should walk it for the many spectacular views. We did it at the end of the last day. All of the following pictures were taken from Per Rus Trail: |
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