Up at 8:30 and ready to go. Donald slept 15 hours straight!
We did get enough sleep. When we got to the hotel in Washington, Utah about 4:30 pm yesterday, we both laid down for a nap. I awoke about 2:00 am, still in my clothes and thirsty. I did email for a couple of hours and then read my kindle book for another hour. I then slept until 8:00 am. We didn't even have supper, but we had a late lunch and were not hungry.
Today we had a normal day on local time. After a good breakfast at the hotel, we got on the road by 9:00 am and traveled on Rt. 9 along the Virgin River. The mountains are beautiful.
In the low lands suddenly there is grass and livestock. Sixty foot or longer pipes with large wheels about 20 feet apart sprayed water and were moveable across the length of the field. We saw ostriches, bison, longhorn cattle, cows, donkeys and horses. Amazing to see after miles and miles of arid desert and sagebrush.
The Tunnel in Zion connects the park's South and East regions. See the window into the tunnel?
In Zion we lucked out because the tunnel road was closed for construction Monday through Friday, but it was Sunday, so we were able to go through. The road to the tunnel was rough, steep, with many switchbacks, which made it hazardous, but spectacular.
The tunnel was built in 1927 to connect the southern part of Zion National Park with the eastern area. It was completed in 1930 and is an amazing 1.1 miles. Carved through the sandstone it is dark, narrow and has a low ceiling and curves. Large campers are only allowed to go through with an escort and at only certain times. Four openings to the canyon provide occasional glimpses of the sun and fresh air.
We stopped at an overlook and Donald hiked down into the dry wash and continued up into a crack in the mountain that was about two arm lengths apart. Occasionally he was able to touch both walls at the same time. He said he walked about two-football fields distance from the car. It would have been an easy walk if it was flat, but it was down into the gully and then up a mountain. He returned coughing and sputtering from the dust, heat and exertion. He exclaimed, “Don’t let me do that again!”
On the other side of the tunnel the topography was different. Sand stone hills are wind swept and smooth with amazing cross-hatching exposed.
We then traveled route 89 and turned north to Springdale and then to Bryce. We stopped at a diner in Hatch, Utah, for lunch that sported a ‘50s look and we had to have burgers.
We entered Bryce and traveled the whole length of the park stopping at almost every lookout. We walked the trails at several of them and took lots of pictures. It is spectacular with the amazing multicolored layers and interesting sculptures. Arches, grottoes, and hoodoos are everywhere in the canyon.
We saw it all and traveled back the way we came, but continued south to Kanab, Utah to stay the night. We had dinner at a restaurant, but sat outside where the temperature was perfect, 73 with a gentle breeze and about 10% humidity. We had a buffet with barbeque, ribs, shrimp and salads. It was quite good.
It is 10:03 pm and Donald is watching TV. Tomorrow the Grand Canyon North and South Rims.
Note: In Las Vegas it is 3 hours different from Virginia, but in Kanab, Utah it is only 2 hours different. Maybe they do not believe in daylight savings time??
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