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!
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