Zion National Park, Utah
Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 8:32 pmMy last stop in Utah was Zion National Park. It's definitely a place of awe and wonder. Humans have inhabited Zion Canyon for 10,000 years. In 1776 Spanish priests Dominguez and Escalante were the first Europeans documented in the region. American Jedediah Smith explored the area in 1826. The canyon was formed through the action of the very swift-flowing Virgin River and reveals how rushing waters shaped its narrow and twisting walls. In 1858 Brigham Young directed Mormon scout Nephi Johnson to explore the Upper Virgin River. His recommendations led to further Mormon settlements. In 1863, Isaac Behunin was the first non-Native American to settle in the canyon and the first to call it "Zion" - a Biblical reference to "a place of refuge."
In 1930, the federal government completed the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway and tunnel which are used when entering and exiting through the eastern entrance. If your rig measures more than 11'4" in height and/or 7'10" in width, you have to pay an extra $15 and they will stop traffic in the opposite direction so you can drive down the middle of the tunnel because it's so narrow. I guess in 1930 they didn't envision RVs and MHs. I thought my rig was small enough so I wouldn't have to pay, but the ranger got out his measuring tape and said, "Pay up and you'll thank me when you get in there." He was right!!!
Zion National Park is certainly, as they say, "A sanctuary for the soul."
The Virgin River
Rock Wall
Weeping Rocks. You can't see it, but there is water dripping from the upper edge of the overhang. Water from the upper plateau soaks through the porous sandstone. Here, where it encounters a more solid layer of rock, it flows out of the rock and drips down like a heavy sprinkle of rain.
Golden Columbine hanging on to a crack in a rock wall
This may be hard to see, but I just had to include it. This was taken from my campsite. If you look just above the green bushes in the foreground, you'll see a horizontal, very red layer that looks like bricks. It's below the upper layer of lighter sandstone. Dinosaurs walked on that dark red layer. Isn't that fascinating?
So ends my tour of Utah national parks. On to Grand Canyon!
Sandi
In 1930, the federal government completed the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway and tunnel which are used when entering and exiting through the eastern entrance. If your rig measures more than 11'4" in height and/or 7'10" in width, you have to pay an extra $15 and they will stop traffic in the opposite direction so you can drive down the middle of the tunnel because it's so narrow. I guess in 1930 they didn't envision RVs and MHs. I thought my rig was small enough so I wouldn't have to pay, but the ranger got out his measuring tape and said, "Pay up and you'll thank me when you get in there." He was right!!!
Zion National Park is certainly, as they say, "A sanctuary for the soul."
The Virgin River
Rock Wall
Weeping Rocks. You can't see it, but there is water dripping from the upper edge of the overhang. Water from the upper plateau soaks through the porous sandstone. Here, where it encounters a more solid layer of rock, it flows out of the rock and drips down like a heavy sprinkle of rain.
Golden Columbine hanging on to a crack in a rock wall
This may be hard to see, but I just had to include it. This was taken from my campsite. If you look just above the green bushes in the foreground, you'll see a horizontal, very red layer that looks like bricks. It's below the upper layer of lighter sandstone. Dinosaurs walked on that dark red layer. Isn't that fascinating?
So ends my tour of Utah national parks. On to Grand Canyon!
Sandi
just a neat place to visit