Spring break plan: April 16th-19th--Take our whole family (16) to Zion to show them the places that we have loved for 40+ years since we worked at the park back in the '60's. We stayed at the Pioneer Lodge in Springdale (recommend it!) and it happened to be the Free Nat'l Park week. We didn't know that 5 months ago when we planned it. We worried about the weather, but it turned out to be fabulous (mid 70's). Then we worried about the Fed. government shut down, but luckily we dodged that bullet. The above picture is a shot off the Emerald Pool bridge. The Virgin River was very high and swift with our record breaking water year. We had a terrific time. There were some surprises that I thought were worthy of a post on my blog.
When we hiked to the Gateway to the Narrows, we saw something that we had never seen before. Since the river was too swift to wade in, as many people expect to do, someone started a cool thing that caught on. We saw at least 100 carins all over the beach. My kids and grandkids had a blast creating their own carin. They reminded me of hoodoos from Bryce canyon. This one by our daughter was the largest, about 4 feet tall.
Another surprise was the construction going on at the Lodge. The red zone was all around the main grassy area in front of the lodge. Our family rode the shuttle to the lodge on Saturday so that we could picnic on the lawn before our hike. We had to rethink that plan. The desk employees told me that they were redoing the restrooms (thank heavens) and the plumbing needed to be updated. They were going to reseed the lawn and also put in some xeriscaping. They also told me that the rooms just got TVs and WiFi as of this year. We may stay there next time we go to Zion.
We come to Zion just about every year. Our favorite time to come is in November, December, and February. This is the first time we have come in April. The leaves were so beautiful and the wildflowers were gorgeous at this time of the year. Emerald Pool had multiple waterfalls spilling over the cliff. We went on 5 hikes with our kids. The Pa'rus Trail was wide and easy for anyone to navigate. Everywhere we looked there were amazing vistas for us to drink in. We walked after dinner when the sun was low in the sky.
On Sunday, we went on a challenging hike by the tunnel. (I'm afraid of heights, so I had to be brave.) My daughter hiked with her 3 year old in a back pack for kids We were all rewarded at the end of the Canyon Overlook trail with the incredible view in every direction. Bear and Nic were off golfing instead of hiking that morning. The weather was perfect for hiking.
I loved this heart shaped tree on the Canyon Overlook trail. It conveys my feelings for my family in my most favorite spot on earth...Zion.
Another surprise was this new feature right before the bridge at the walk-in entrance to the park. At the top it reads Hearts Together...Love Forever. People had put heart locks on the chainwork. It's new. It was a picture op for each of our families.
This fall we redecorated our living room and upstairs rooms. It was long overdue. We painted the walls the color of Zion. We framed some beautiful pictures of Zion and now we truly have touches of Zion in just about every room in our house. The last thing we put up Dec. 17th was this vinyl Zion statement above our front door. We love it.
Last month, Bear took me to see the Donny and Marie concert in Las Vegas for my birthday. Then we drove to Zion and stayed at the Lodge. We met for dinner at the Lodge with two of our amazing Zion friends and their wives.
Mike Walker and his darling wife Maria live in Boulder City Nevada. Mike is a retired High School coach/English teacher who now teaches a college class on creative writing. Maria has an art/technology job in Las Vegas using her art degree. She also speaks 4 languages: Dutch, Russian, Ukrainian, and English. It was great to catch up with Mike and meet his new wife. We hadn't seen Mike in years. He was Bear's roommate at Zion. He told me of some escapades that he and Bear were involved in that I hadn't heard before. It was quite enlightening.
Noel Williams and his wife Susan were staying at the Lodge that weekend to attend an art show that was held in Springdale. Susan is a high school art teacher in the Salt Lake valley. Noel is an electrical safety consultant. We talked for about 3 hours.
