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We Came, We Saw, We Concurred: |
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Thank heavens we eschewed yet another trip to Europe for Paradise Gained! My wife Alice and I have gloried in the magnificence of Yosemite and the Canadian Rockies, South Dakota's Badlands, Norway's fjords and Alaska's glaciers. But we were unprepared for the other-worldness of Zion and Bryce. Our adventure began in October with our friends Nancy and Ray Treiger. We flew on Air West to Las Vegas (the one downer of the trip - it is my least favorite city, but there is one redeeming factor I'll address a bit later). After an overnight at the unremarkable Mirage Hotel in Vegas we set off in the morning by rented car northeast on the divided, multi-lane U. S. Highway 15 North the quick way to get to Bryce National Park some 300 miles away. Area Attractions - Valley of Fire State Park –
At the 50 mile mark of our journey, map maven Nancy informed. "Say, this looks interesting, we're right near Valley of Fire State Park. Do we have the time?" "Why not," we all agreed. So we got off at Exit 75. What we found was an imposing assembly of formations of fire-red sandstone that appeared as if Henry Moore was given a massive pile of play dough while God looked the other way. The Park abuts Lake Mead National Recreation Area at the Virgin River confluence. It lies in a basin 4 miles wide by 6 miles long. Its elevation varies between 2,000 and 2,600 feet. We were totally impressed, but what we did not know at the time
was that this was a mere tasting of what was yet to come.
Eaterie - Molly's Restaurant
Since we had spent more time in Leeds than we anticipated, we opted to continue north on Interstate 15 rather than the undivided Rtes. 9 & 89, which we did without incident, getting off at Exit 95, then swinging southeast on Rte. 20 to US-89S to the town of Panguitch UT-12 to UT-63 to Best Western Ruby's Inn near the entrance to Bruce Canyon. We were unable to secure reservations at Bryce Canyon Lodge, which we later determined is not in the same league as Yosemite's Awahnee Lodge.
Best Western Ruby's Inn
Overall
Impression
- Cowboy's
Buffet and Steak Room Golden
Age Passport
BRYCE CANYON
NATIONAL PARK
Overall
Impression- On arriving at the fabled national park we were greeted by something that is regarded as a phenomenon in these parts … a blinding snow storm.. Since the entire region was experiencing a lingering drought, the natives were overjoyed. We were restless. We envisioned a wipe-out of our best laid viewing
plans and contemplated a rapid departure the following morning. Well, it turned out just fine for everybody. The next day, the skies were relentlessly clear and the mountains and ponderosas were cloaked in a glorious raiment of white. Erosion has shaped a colorful amphitheater of hoodoos, formations whimsically arranged, seemingly tinted with a supernatural palette knife.
Sunrise Point
Sunset Point
More of Sunset Point
I will leave it for others to wax elegant about the amphitheater known
as Bryce National and to extol the miracle of nature that awaited Joseph Smith's and Brigham Young's people a century-and-a-half ago.
Up until now, I had been captivated by Canada's Rockies and Northern California's Yosemite and could not imagine arriving at anything as transforming as Bryce. That is, until Zion.
Driving South on Route 89 from Bryce we happened upon these spectacular chess pieces. We continued on Route 9 - losing the snow -and reached the entrance to Zion National Park. Total distance from Bryce, just 86 miles.
ZION NATIONAL PARK
Overall
Impression There is an old saw that suggests that in Bryce, you look down to see unparalleled beauty, whereas in Zion, you look up to experience this kind of magnificence. "Nothing can exceed the wondrous beauty of Zion ... in the nobility and beauty of the sculptures there is no comparison." The words belong to geologist Clarence E. Dutton, who penned them in 1880. Well, Clarence, that about sums it up for us. The above photo was taken from the entranceway to the Zion National Lodge. From April through October, the Zion Canyon Shuttle provides a scenic drive through the Park a sanctuary with over 146,000 acres of cliffs, canyons, diverse plant and animal life, and massive sandstone walls, some as high as 3,800 feet. The round-trip lasts for 90 minutes if one chooses to remain on the vehicle. We got on and off to explore a particular area, knowing that another shuttle would be coming along in six minutes.
ZION LODGE
Overall
Impression The best thing Zion Lodge has going for it is its spectacular placement. A room with a view is a redundancy. You can't avoid beholding a breathtaking piece of scenery from any room ....
whether you stay at one of the two-story motel rooms with balconies (as we did) or a cabin. Our room was spotless, fully air-conditioned, with two queen-sized beds. There are no accommodations in the lodge itself; just a reception area, shops, post office and restaurants.
Red Rock Grill Open daily, year-round
Dining Food is a cut above institutional but fresh, varied and appetizing, with generous portions (a 6 oz. cut of prime rib is the prime dinner fare.) Servers are young men and women recruited from Asia and Eastern Europe. Most are highly educated, personable and willing. The big plus of course, are the amazing views if you're seated at or close to the windows. It was nice toasting a "hello" to Jacob (one of the three patriarchs) with my morning orange juice.
For "quickies," continental breakfast or snack bar food, the Castle Dome Café is self-service with outdoor seating. Zion Lodge and its restaurants are operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts, and contracted by the National Park Service.
After a briefing by a U. S. Park Ranger ...
Alice (left) and Nancy prepare to set out from the Lodge to the Lower Emerald Pool Trail ....
... as Ray (left) and Hal await them on the footbridge overlooking the Virgin River .
LOWER EMERALD POOLS The Lower Emerald Pools Trail is 6/10ths of a mile, with a relatively easy 79-foot ascent for we upper-middle-ager's. The views are no less astonishing than the more demanding Middle Emerald Upper Emerald Pools encompass.
We took the shuttle from the Lodge, two stops to Weeping Walk and followed a paved trail where springs continually drip from overhead.
WEEPING WALK TRAIL
At the next shuttle stop, Temple of Sinawava, we headed up-river through a shaded walk that meanders through forested glens (the Blue Spruce, state tree of Utah, grows at elevations of 6,000 ft- up). We followed the path of the Virgin River, past mule deer, rock squirrels, lizards, countless species of birds, and more than 800 species of plants including the conspicuous white, trumpet-shaped datura, known familiarly as the moonlily because its blossoms open in the cool of the evening. Our journey ended in a high-walled canyon.
RIVERSIDE WALK
One shuttle stop south of Zion Lodge is the inspirational Court of the Patriarchs featuring (L-R):
ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB
The penultimate stop of our trip was Kolub Canyons in the northwest corridor of Zion National Park, which we reached by exiting at Springdale, heading west on Rte. 9 to Rte. 15, where we drove north to exit 40. From there we penetrated to Timber Creek Overlook, with views of Timber Creek, Kolub Terrace and Pine Valley Mountains.
KOLUB CANYONS
As they used to say in those Movietone travel movies at the old Bijou, "it is time to bid a fond farewell to Bryce and Zion National Parks and head to our final destination, Las Vegas." I mentioned earlier, a "redeeming factor" to our overnight in Vegas, prior to our return flight to New York. And here it is ... “O” BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL |
