Zion National Park

    On 10/9/17 we left Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park and headed to Zion National Park.  At the entrance gate there was a sign posted that the campgrounds were full, but they gave us a list of campgrounds located outside of the park.  We entered the park from the east and had to pay a $15 tunnel fee because the rangers have to stop oncoming traffic when an over-sized vehicle goes through the one-mile long tunnel on that way into the park.  There are ALOT of oversized vehicles entering the park, so they have a system like you see during road construction where there is a person holding a stop/slow sign at both ends to control the flow of traffic.

         The park was extremely busy and crowded, even though we arrived early in the day, and it just got more so as the day wore on.  Due to the crowds that visit, everyone is required to park their vehicle and use the free shuttle service inside the park.  There are many shuttles running constantly through the canyon so there is a shuttle stopping at the viewpoints/trailheads every 10-15 minutes.  People fill every seat and stand packing the aisle and sometimes you still have to wait for the next bus.  Of all the places we've visited in Utah the last three weeks, this was our least favorite because of the crowds.  We rode the shuttle all the way to the last stop in the canyon and worked our way back towards the Visitor Center where the truck camper was parked.  

       The last stop in the canyon (#9) is called Temple off Sinawava.  We took the Riverside Walk, a paved trail along the Virgin River.  At the end of the paved trail, the canyon narrows.  You can continue your trek through "The Narrows" portion of the canyon, but you must wade in the river the rest of the way.  It was early in the day and very cold in the shade of the canyon, plus the water was icy cold, so there were very few adventurous souls wading in the river.  We were not among them.  

The Virgin River

 

Riverside Walk

 

 

 

       The next shuttle stop (#8) was Big Bend where we hiked down a short dirt trail to the river.  

Shuttle Stop at Big Bend - The one stop hardly anyone disembarked.

       Our third stop (#7) was Weeping Rock where we hiked a short, but steep, paved trail ending at a rock alcove with dripping springs.

Weeping Rock

       We stopped briefly at The Grotto (#6) and then went on to #5 where the Lodge is located as well as the trailhead leading to the lower, middle, and upper Emerald Pools.  The paved hike up to the lower pool was not difficult and was actually the most scenic (to us) with a narrow waterfall.  We should have stopped while we were ahead.  

On trail to the lower pool

 

Waterfall

       It was not much further to the middle pool which was more of a puddle so we continued on up to the upper pool.  My back was bothering me and I was moving slow.  The trail was unpaved, sandy and rocky, with some areas of stone steps, and longer than I expected.  There were lots of people on the narrow path so we were constantly stepping aside to let someone pass (which gave me lots of opportunity to rest:)  There were many large rocks to scramble over as we neared the pool and Mark went down before me. 

 

 

Going over the rocks to the Upper Pool

 

See the pool down below the rocks?

        As I was standing on the rocks trying to get a picture, I suddenly had a strange large, swirly blob in the vision field of my right eye that moved and looked to me like black liquid.  Some background:  I have had flashes of light in my right eye on a daily basis for several months now. I went to the eye doctor this summer and he indicated it was a condition not to be concerned about BUT if I suddenly saw a profusion of new "floaties" or any black blobs (which indicate blood in the eyeball) I should immediately get it checked out because that could indicate a torn or detached retina which can result in blindness if not treated.  Sooooooo, here we are at the Upper Emerald Pool and we have to turn around and hustle back down the crowded trail, catch a shuttle to the Visitor's Center, leave the park, locate the nearest hospital, and wait 2 hours in the crowded emergency room to see a doctor.  During this time the blob had dissipated and spread out into mostly tiny spots and a couple of larger "floaties".  The triage nurse tried to convince me I needed an EKG and a stroke work-up but I refused and said all I needed was a doctor to look in my eyeball! :)  So she sent him in and he agreed with my assessment.  We really liked the ER doctor.  He was very personable and seemed very knowledgeable and competent.  He did an ultrasound of my eye, explaining what he was seeing, and determined that my retina looked good but he could see some  "debris" from the bleed and diagnosed a vitreous hemorrhage. He was going to make an appointment for me to see an ophthalmologist the following day but agreed that I could return to Michigan and see one when I got home as long as my symptoms continued to improve and not worsen since it wasn't a serious bleed.  We assured him we would head for home and do the follow-up there.  We had seen most of what we planned to see this trip, so it was not a problem to begin our journey home.  It will take 3-4 days of driving since we are currently near the Nevada border and I have an appointment with an eye doctor in Michigan Friday afternoon.  So!  We are homeward bound! 😊                  

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

     This morning (10/8) we drove to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park and spent a quiet, leisurely day hanging out in the campground.  We took a short walk into the dunes and saw a few other hikers playing in the sand and a few off-road vehicles tooling around.   The sand originates from Navaho sandstone and has a high concentration of iron oxides.  Although its not "pink" it does have kind of an orange tint.  In the Visitor's Center there is a collection of jars of sand from all over the world.  The jar of sand from the Silver Lake Dunes is top row center :) 

Silver Lake jar is top row, 15th from the left

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon

     We left Page,  Arizona (10/7) and drove by the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and stopped at the Navaho Bridge over the Colorado River on our way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Vermillion Cliffs

 

  

Colorado River at the Navaho Bridge

       The campground at the North Rim was full and we were told that it is reservation only and fills up months in advance, so we drove back out of the park to the DeMotte Campground and were very thankful when we got the last available site.  After securing our campsite we drove back into the park.  Just inside the park we saw a small herd of Bison grazing in the meadow.    

Bison

       The area around the Visitor's Center and the Grand Canyon Lodge was packed with people.  We joined the crowd and hiked on a paved trail out to the nearby Bright Angel Point.  

 

       We then decided to drive the 23 miles from the Visitor's Center to Cape Royal at the far end of the park.  To get there, we drove the Cape Royal Road which is a paved, two-lane road, but narrow with no shoulder and lots of twists and turns and ups and downs.  Driving the truck camper on that road took all of Mark's concentration.  We stopped at four points along the road where there are views of the canyon.  We were able to easily find a parking spot at these overlooks since this side of the park was considerably less busy.  

Point Imperial

 

Point Imperial

 

Point Imperial

 

Vista Encantada

 

Vista Encantada

 

Roosevelt

 

Walhalla Overlook

 

Walhalla Overlook

 

Walhalla Overlook

        At the end of the road we hiked the Cape Royal Trail which was an easy walk on a flat, paved trail with views of the canyon.  

 

 

       

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

     We left Kodachrome Basin State Park in the morning (10/6).  Mark decided to take Cottonwood Canyon Road which is a rough dirt road that bisects the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument beginning at Kodachrome Basin State Park and ending at Hwy 89.  It meanders 46 miles through stark badlands, sandstone ridges and some scenic canyons.   Along the way we stopped briefly to see the Grosvenor Arch.  The road travels through some pretty desolate countryside and the condition of the road kept us moving at about 10-15 mph for most of its length.  It was a warm, windy day that kicked up a lot of dust.  We met more cows along the way as well as some travelers in distress and we arrived at Hwy 89 about 4 hours after we set out.    

Cows

 

 

Grosvenor Arch

 

 

       Our first distressed travelers were a lady and her daughter who were looking for the town of Escalante and their GPS had gotten them waaaaayyyyy off course and lost in the Escalante Monument instead.   They were going in the opposite direction of where they wanted to be, so we showed them our map and got them turned around in the right direction.  Our next distressed travelers were two fellas from California who knew where they were, but were stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire on their rental car.  We helped them out with our jack and then followed them the remaining 17 miles to Hwy 89 in case their "donut" spare failed them, too, with the poor road conditions.  We ran into them again later in the afternoon at Stromboli's Pizza in Page, Arizona where we stopped for pizza and they were eating spaghetti and meatballs while their tire was getting repaired.  

Following the fellas from California - Look closely to see their car

 

       We also stopped at a spot overlooking Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam. 

 

Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell