Road Trip - Day 3 - Arrival in Zion
8:00amThe night was unrestful, I didn’t sleep well. Still, the tent is back in its bag by 5:30am and the sleeping bags returned to the back of the van. I fire up the propane stove and heat water for morning tea. By 6 am we are on the road again. Small mountain towns and B&Bs dot the landscape in greater frequency as we approach the ski resorts of Vail and Breckenridge. Towering above the tree-covered valleys are the Rockies, their caps laden with snow, brought into stark relief by the morning sun. It warms the heart.
We weave our way through a sharp valley cut into the mountain. Sheer cliffs, towering hundreds of feet in the air, flank us on both sides. A stream, twenty feet wide and speckled with whitewater, flows below. Our elevation is gracefully decreasing, the tree covered valleys being gradually replaced with more scrub and barren rock. The rock has gone from gray to tan to now showing bands of red.
12:00pm
Crossed the border into Utah. Gone are the tree covered valleys of Colorado; we are entering desert land now. Naman notes it reminds him of Arizona. Terra is tan with stocky rugged hills and cliffs around. It is getting warm outside.
4:00pmI awaken with a firm tug at my shoulder. We are in a small town just south of Zion National Park, in front of a grocery store. We pick up dinner (veggie burgers, soup, chili) and some drinks before heading up into the park. The National Parks Pass saves us $25 on the entrance fee, and fortunately our campsite is just a 5 minute walk from the visitor center. We setup the tent then hop on a shuttle bus that takes us inside the canyon.
Central to Zion is a canyon that formed deeply but not very wide. Navajo sandstone cliffs tower overhead on each side as the road winds its way along the Virgin River. We begin a small hike, and the timing is perfect: the setting sun lights up the cliff faces, pulling out the oranges and reds.
8:00pm
A log burns in the fire pit, four burgers being tended to by Naman. We approached the campground 15 minutes earlier. Looking out over the campground, families gather around picnic tables, fires crackle in the pits, and the melody of laughter and music wafts our way. We have a filling dinner followed again by s’mores. Before sleep a moment is taken to simply look up at the sky, upon which stars upon stars upon stars are revealed.
