When we remember Zion..

Beautiful view of Zion Canyon

Hoa and I traveled from the Grand Canyon where the mountains are inverted and shoot into the ground to Zion, where the mountains shoot up nearly vertically from the flat river meadow.  We arrived in our Motel by driving through the park, again approaching sunset, which allowed our first view of the mountains from a sharp setting sun.  The motel was next door to an elk, buffalo and texas longhorn reserve and luckily it was downwind of the motel. ;)  

The next day we took a scenic shuttle tour of the canyon and settled in for a 3 mile hike with a 900 foot ascent.  The ascent was fairly steep but luckily we had just hiked up 1300 feet at the grand canyon.  Starting with a concrete trail that switchbacks up the mountain face it continues up with a mix of sand and sandstone rock.  Eventually you are hiking up sandstone rock and at times need the chains that they have nailed into the mountain.  The trail is called hidden canyon, and this is because once you summit the hill you are looking out to another canyon on the other side.  

Where we are headed

on the trail

The mountaineer cowgirl

After some jerky and bananas and even an avacado, we took in a nice flat 2 mile walk along the river that has sheer cliff faces on boths sides.

wait, we walk between those?

Then it was time to eat.  Hoa as if on cue found the only vietnamese family in the town of 320 people.  And they own a thai/asian restaurant.  We enjoyed some fresh vegetables and fish stir fried and some fresh spring rolls.  Then it was time to collapse and prepare for a long day on the road.

The Grand Canyon

It was fitting that we left  Las Vegas, the city of man made monuments, towers and pools for the Grand Canyon, which makes Las Vegas look like a strip mall.Pulling into the park around 6pm we got to make our first look at the canyon right around sunset: absolutely beautiful.  A person can think that seeing pictures or maps or descriptions of the Grand Canyon would lessen the first impression it casts.  It doesn't.

The next day, we geared up, filled our camelbacks with water, and started on a trail that leads down to the base of the canyon.  To go all the way to the bottom takes all day, and it takes another full day to trek back up.  Thats our excuse for only going 1/3 of the way down to the first station 1300 feet down the canyon.  The trail was beautiful and every so often we had to make way for the mule teams making their trek up the canyon.

Mule: part horse, part donkey, all muscle

level view from 1/3 down

After the grueling trek back up to the top of the canyon, we were sore and thirsty and enjoyed some ice cream with all throngs of tourists who came to visit.  Enjoying the warm evening (see californians..  it does stay warm in evenings in the rest of the country) Hoa and I took in dinner at the main lodge which has been serving tourists since before 1920.  Then the reality of our march up the canyon set in and we retired to rest weary muscles

Day 1, Sin City

We spent the day driving hours through the
most fertile land in the US. Driving past avocados, pistachios, cherries, oranges, and unidentifiable groves of trees.
Then as if turning a switch we crested the hill and hit the southern Mojave desert which would be the complete opposite of the previous 4 hours. Hot, dry, sandy, and very windy as the mime to my right would attest to. ;)
Rolling into Vegas and jumping into the hot tub to erase 8 hours of driving from our bodies. Success!
Hitting up Al's Oyster bar and then some live music because I'm always checking out the competition, even when out of state. (We could have taken them Randel.. The singer sung Brick House like John Fogerty)
Tomorrow a good breakfast and then on to the Grand Canyon!

Get Ready, Cause Here We Come!

May 2nd, Hoa and I begin a trip across the west, and midwest.

Long drives, and beautiful scenery, and absolutely no work!

28 days away from home but at home in America.

I've been doing alot of traveling around the world in the past 4 years,

but I think this one will bring more memories per square mile than all the others.

Below is the map of our trip.   Stay tuned for more posts on our progress and 

adventures.

Hoa and Erik

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