Son of Zion

 

Today we started our day looking at the Watchman. Margaret and Dodie had named it something else (Tamm-Teragram) but the mountain above our camp already had a name: Watchman. It's a pretty good moutain. We actually got up at 3:30 am, because the wind was blowing everything not tied down: the awning of the RV, the lawn chairs, the bathroom vent, the skylight. Then we got up again at 7 am and had a great morning hike from the campground up the Parus trail to the History Center. We met Ranger Michele, and she said there were some friends of hers working the East tunnel who would really like to meet me.

At the History Center, we saw a great movie on Zion. Very Very beautiful. The movie made us most excited about leaving out the east entrance. It's a wild and crazy landscape that way.

Then we boarded the bus and boy were we lucky. We got Bus Driver Chris. He knew everything about Zion and he talked a million miles an hour to tell us the history, the geology, the flora and the fauna. He's "retired" after being a tour operator. He does this for fun and leads four or five tours a month. In the winter, he teaches third grade for fun too. Four or five times a month he hikes up Angels Rim, and every night he and his wife ride their tandem to the Temple of Sinwawa. He says the ride down is a blast. He's only 54. Chris told us the difference between and arch and natural bridge. The bridge is formed by water, the arch by exfoliation. That's a big word for rocks falling off.

We stopped to see the Weeping Wall, where ferns are growing from cracks fed by water dripping year round. Chris said the water that is dripping out now entered the Sandstone above 4000 years ago. He also said some of the formations in the park will erode during our lifetimes. Geologists think so. The sandstone is constantly eroding and falling down. The Navajo sandstone comes in many colors, depending on the minerals in it. That is why you see layers of white, pink, red, orange. So beautiful.

Chris also said that there are no mountains here. This is a mesa, and the valley was carved by the virgin river. Where it is really wide, the river had an easy time carving an old ocean bed.

I could not believe how quickly the morning flew by. It was time to move the RV and let someone else have our spot. We exited the park's east entrance, a very exciting exit through a one mile tunnel with 5 arched windows blasted for peeking out into the canyon. The RV had to be escorted. What that means is the rangers stop traffic and we drive right down the middle of the road. Margaret says she was not really as big as they said by four inches wide and 1 foot tall. But driving down the middle was cool, even if it did cost $15. We were still trying to decide whether we were going to Bryce or the Grand Canyon, so we asked the escort ranger. He said BRYCE. So that's where we are going next.

Meanwhile, let me tell you that the east entrance is not to be missed. It is a wierd landscape of layered and carved rocks, and the checkerboard mountain is a must see. It has cracks going horizontal and vertical, and the colors of the sandstone make it look just like a checkerboard. Margaret kept saying oh wow, this is wierd. Balto and I starred in a canyon movie so you can experience the drive. Hope it turns out.

See ya soon!