[Wednesday 13 September]
Another gorgeous day in the park. And another morning of profound quiet. After breakfast in our room we dressed and headed for the shuttle. We got off at the visitor center in plenty of time for our 10:15 meetup for Ride with a Ranger. After our Ranger took roll call, we walked over to the special bus that would take the 25 of us back up into the canyon.
We made three stops during the tour, stops not part of the routine shuttle service. At each stop Steven would herd us off the bus and we would gather round while he gave his little talk: stop 1 focussed on geology, stop 2 on the human history, and stop 3 on what I'm not sure.
While the tour was another wonderful opportunity to appreciate the awe-inspiring grandeur of this place, unfortunately our Ranger wasn't up to the task of making us more aware of the park's nuances. His presentations were uneven to the point of being annoying as he fumbled through his so-called cheat sheets, indeed didn't seem to know a great deal about the park and its history, failed to repeat questions for the others in the group, and generally lacked enthusiasm. He was, in a word, uninteresting.
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| taking the shuttle from the lodge |
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| meeting our ranger |
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| stop 1 |
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| not too exciting |
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| stop 3 Big Bend |
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| the Organ |
The tour ended at stop 9 where we left the bus and hopped onto the next down-canyon shuttle back to the lodge. Back in our room we refreshed ourselves, grabbed our sun hats and set off down canyon once again. We got off at stop 2, the Museum of Human History, where we were able to access The Pa'Rus Trail.
We explored this small museum, nicely laid out but with few exhibitions. They are mostly known for providing a 22-minute film about the park and their Ranger talks on the back patio. The patio has wonderful shaded seating with stunning views of the West Temple and Tower of the Virgin.
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| lots of prickly pear |
From the museum we made our way over to the Pa'Rus Trail in the direction of the visitor center. The trail was flat, and generally coursed along the Virgin River; it was also open to the sun so sun hats and sunscreen today were absolutely essential.
As we neared the visitor center the trail got closer to the river and also scooted along several of the large campgrounds as well.
Once back at the visitor center we left the park and walked over into Zion Canyon Village, a cluster of businesses in Spring dale that hug the park entrance. We stopped at the Perks for an afternoon HB (hot beverage), and just relaxed in the shade. Impressed by the coffee shop's menu we ordered a couple of sandwiches to go; they would serve as our supper.
We then made our way back to the park -- I cannot say enough about the Senior Pass! - and stopped into the park store. I picked up a couple of adjustable walking sticks and Susie opted for a t-shirt. We still had a lot of park to see.
After stopping back at the lodge to drop off our sun hats and gather our wits, we headed back out but this time up canyon to shuttle stop 7, the Weeping Rock Trail. Just a half-mile round-trip, this walk was all uphill to a grotto nestled high above the roadway. There we would see the weeping rocks, points in the rock where water, no longer able to move downward due to the impermeable rock, is forced laterally out of the rock. This results in a constant light rain and some impressive hanging gardens.
The walk also provided some lovely views of the canyon as well. And I'm glad to have splurged on the walking sticks!
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| stairs are very slippery so the chain handrails were helpful |
Back down to the shuttle stop and to the lodge. We noted that by late afternoon many hikers who had gone up to the Riverside Walk and the Narrows earlier in the day were now heading back down canyon so the busses were full, including the extra busses put on the down canyon run as well.
Fortunately we were not on the bus long and soon hopped off at the lodge. Once back in the room we showered, put on fresh clothes and sat out on our terrace with a glass of wine enjoying just being HERE.
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