Zion National Park

Little compares with your first introduction to Zion, words nor pictures can describe the experience, you must make an effort to close your mouth, gawking withstanding it is totally awesome. When my pals agreed to visit Zion as part of our Vegas extravaganza I knew I was definitely going, Zion has been on my to do list forever. In fact everything west of the Mississippi is on my vacation destination radar my travels that direction are minimal and there is so much to see.

Heading north on 15 out of Vegas the mountains were starting to pop up, the drive is a bit over three hours and the scenery gets better and better. We noticed lots of shimmering bits along the road sides and in the mountains themselves. Baffled we stopped to take a closer look but could find nothing other than bits of broken glass. Nearing the park entrance we spied a roadside stand that appeared to be selling glass rocks we immediately turned around to investigate. Feeling smug we had found the mother load to solve our shiny road mystery we approached the owner and began pumping him for information. Turns out the mother load of the blue glass rocks was actually the raw material for making windshields and had been purchased as scrap. The multicolored rocks were from a china factory in WV. They were still pretty.


Zion is Hebrew for refuge, the park evokes a raw power that can be felt in your bones. From the mesa tops to the canyon bottoms the soaring heights are breathtaking. The rivers music is sometimes heard and not scene as it pushes down the canyon. The Patriarchs greet you their towering presence hiding the sun.

Since we arrived before April 1, we were allowed to drive in the park which normally requires a tram as transport. The ecosystems, diversity, micro climates of swamps, deserts and lush greenery are only magnified by the color that is everywhere. The colors changing with the daylight and shadows hiding a brilliant sun, deep blues and greens from the Fir and Junipers, the mountains themselves a sandstone rainbow of creams, reds, oranges with black water stained drips that flowed onto a sea of sparkling aazure and green.

Climbers were being restricted when we visited because of peregrine falcon nesting but they were allowed in some areas. Water is the life force in Zion, the Virgin River cuts through the soft stone and pushes bits of sediment down the bed. There is even a swamp in the desert environment where water cress cover the stream bed. We walked two trails one along The Riverside Walk that rose a gentle 50' and the second a moderate climb on the other side of the tunnel where we saw Desert Bighorn Sheep, 2 adults and one baby. The Canyon Overlook Trail was brilliant, you could walk all around the stones and climb about cliffs. It was a bit scary if you leaned out over the edges. My crew was definitely careful with our footing. The views were so incredible and to think it has not changed in thousands of years, wow. Totally awe inspiring. The root photo teased my imagination. So much to see beyond the obvious, it screamed, "take my picture."