The Video

Here is the vacation in under eight minutes.

The Monsoon

I am told that Monsoon means "rainy season" in another language.  Therefore, saying it is Monsoon season is redundant.  Even in the desert there are violent thunderstorms.  Currently there is a severe thunderstorm warning, a dust storm warning and an airport weather warning.  Our hotel is near the airport.  We've hit a home run tonight.

I grabbed the camera and pointed it in the direction of the impending storm.  No tripod.  Just two shots and this was one of them (from through a window).  I am not stupid enough to walk outside in this.

But it's a dry heat.... NOT!

Made it to Phoenix.   Airport says 111.  Car says 113.  Either way it is hot.   Surprisingly it is not a dry heat. The dew point is 58.  Must return the car and come back to the hotel without melting.

Flagstaff

No pictures today.   We drove from Zion National Park to Flagstaff.   It was a retrace of our route for most of the day.   At times the car thermometer told us the air outside the car was 110 degrees.   Here in Flagstaff it was 88 which felt great.   After checking in we made our way up the street to a movie theater and watched Star Trek Beyond.   No spoilers.   I would see it again.

Today we drive to Phoenix.   Before getting there we will stop in Scottsdale and visit Taliesin West,  one of Frank Lloyd Wright's design retreats.  

Our plane leaves early on Saturday.   6am!  

Last Night in Zion Canyon

We are getting toward the end of our vacation adventure.  Tomorrow morning we depart Zion Canyon and head towards Flagstaff.  We are mostly there because it is a way point commuting back to Phoenix, but we will check out Frank Lloyd Wright's place while we are in the neighborhood.

Zion has some interesting features.  There are micro climates or environments in the park.  It is mostly a desert, but the Virgin River runs through it.  Because of that there are places where it is quite green.  In front of the lodge there is a tree that gets special care because it is at least a century old.  Around that tree is a green patch of lawn.  Every evening in the summer the does bring their fawn to the grass because it is moist.  They don't mind the vacationers as long as they keep a respectful distance.

For some reason people spend time naming rock formations.  I suppose that it makes it easier to navigate the park.  Many of the names are biblical in origin, but not all.  Here's one called the pipe organ.

We couldn't say goodbye unless I made an attempt at some star shots.  I tried last night but there was light pollution from the lodge.  Tonight, I went across the street to the bus stop.  They stop running at 8 PM local.  I sat in the middle of the parking lot with my photo pillow and looked at a few areas.  I like the shots best when there is still a hint of sun.

As the night progresses there are more stars, but it's time to call it a night.  We visited 3 National Parks and two Navajo Monuments so far on this trip.  All of them unique.  At Zion not only is the canyon special for its features but so are the animals and insects that live here.  There are bobcats and grey foxes, mule deer, prairie dogs and a few mountain lions at higher elevations.  In the insect category there are tarantula spiders.  We didn't see any, but a Ranger told us they are fairly common.  She says they are pretty docile if you ignore them.  OK.  I'll take her word for it.  There is also a unique insect called a tarantula spider hawk.  It looks like a very large wasp. It's mission is to find a tarantula.  It paralyzes it temporarily and then lays an egg inside the spider.  The offspring feeds on the spider from the inside until mature.  It really sounds like the plot to one of the Alien movies.

There were 3.2 million visitors to Zion last year.  For 11 of them it was their last visit anywhere.  Virtually all of them died during a flash flood.  Rangers post notices about the flood potential each day and if you are smart you do not hike the Narrows when the word "probable" is posted.

In other parks visitors often fall to their deaths from trails.  In virtually every case bad footwear was to blame.  Park literature reminds hikers to wear hiking boots.  Athletic shoes, unless specifically constructed for rugged hiking is not a good choice.  Neither are flip flops.  We saw lots of those on trails.  Someone fell into Bryce Canyon during our visit.  Vacationing from a hospital bed or the morgue just isn't fun.

The parks are a national treasure, despite a political interest in selling them.  If you visit (and you really should) visit safely.

See you in Flagstaff!

The Narrows, Zion Canyon National Park

The Contis were up early this morning.  Reville sounded at 5:30 AM.  Our breakfast consisted of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, ordered last night for the very purpose of feeding us before our hike.  We were on the first park loop bus that pulled up to the Lodge and we got off at what is called The Temple of Sinawava.  Majestic peaks line the sides of the Virgin River.  You first hike the scenic Riverside Walk which is paved and about a mile and a half long.  When it finishes you walk down a short group of stairs and get in the water.

After that you walk.  Sometimes, for brief periods, you get to walk on rocks that aren't in water.  Mostly, you walk in water.  It varies in speed and depth.  The temperature of the water is 72 degrees today, which feels reasonably good, considering our air temperature is headed up to near 106 degrees if not higher.

Most of the hike the water was mid calf in depth.  Sometimes it made it up to within striking distance of your waist.  You can see Jan is sporting hiking poles which are a huge asset in a hike like this.  You can steady yourself when traversing the rapids.  My camera rode in a waterproof bag and I brought it out when I was on dry land or in a place in the water where my footing was very secure.

There are multiple advantages to an early start on this hike.  First, the air temperature overnight made it into the 60's.  So it's very comfortable.  Second, most people do not like getting up to catch a 6 AM bus.  Therefore, we weren't competing with a large crowd while hiking upstream.  When we returned and hiked out of the river and back onto the Riverside trail we were walking by dozens and dozens of people.  Third, the light in the Narrows is better for viewing and photographing.  Finally, the thunderstorms that are typical in July come late in the afternoon.  Thunderstorms can cause the water level of the Virgin to rise quite a bit and quite fast.

We did not complete the entire 9.4 mile hike, which takes the average person 8 hours.  However, we made it pretty deep into the Narrows.  We hiked upstream for 110 minutes and then turned back and headed downstream.  That made our total hiking time about 3 hours and change.  Then we did another 1 mile hike to the Lower and Middle Emerald Pools just for good measure.

Now we plan to shower and have lunch and stay out of the afternoon sun!

Farewell Bryce and hello Zion

Time to say goodbye to Bryce Canyon National Park, but not before tying up a few loose ends.  I tried for more star shots.  Negative Ghost Rider the pattern is full - of clouds.  Late afternoon thunderstorms are normal for Bryce, but they usually roll in and roll out.  Last evening it rolled in and the cloud cover stayed right through the morning.  Still, you can get some nice shots of that!

Bryce Canyon obviously existed before the Mormon couple that named it and lobbied to see the lands preserved.  The Pauite Indians lived in the canyons.  Depending on which tribal member you speak to the name they gave the canyon is "red painted faces" or "red stones standing like a man in a big hole."  I find the second version more humorous.

While we bid adieu to the hoodoos it is also time to say farewell to a companion who accompanied us on many of our adventures.  My spider leg tripod, which is so convenient because of its size, succumbed to the rigors of my photographic demands.  Repair is not possible.  A small, private service preceded its journey into the recycling bin.

Now it is onto Zion.  Incidentally, Zion gets points for great night views too so we aren't done with star shots yet.  The tripod can't assist me, but my airplane neck pillow, a Christmas Gift a long time ago from Steve Baboulis, can be shaped into many forms.  In fact, that tree line shot with the blue sky was done with the "photo-pillow."

Zion gets so many visitors that the National Park Service restricts driving.  If you stay at the lodge, like we are, you get a special permit that allows you to drive into the park.  Otherwise there are shuttle buses that run very frequently.  We plan on using them too because in the center of the park only NPS vehicles can drive.  Jan booked us a very nice room.  Check out her Facebook posts for more on that.

One of the first named features that greets visitors is Checkerboard Mesa.  Quick geology review.  Mesa's are wider than taller.  Buttes are taller than wider.

Right now, it is the hottest part of the day.  People who do not stay in the park will leave shortly to deal with traffic and get to their hotels.  Once it gets towards evening it quiets down and the lighting is better for taking pictures too.  We'll be here two days.  Then to Flagstaff and then back to Phoenix.