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| Beautiful Zion National Park |
Today was an early start at 7 am. Although Vegas can be exciting, it was nice to hit the open road and blow out the exhausts! As planned, Leon left the tour at this point due to a knee issue. Although his knee is painful, he really is going to regret not continuing! But, we wish him well as we hit the open road!
First pit stop: Mesquite. We met some nice people simply re-fueling. This group of cars is getting a LOT of attention!
Next, we drove through the spectacular Virgin River Gorge. What a beautiful drive, winding through the gorge next to the Virgin River! It seems as if the canyons swallow you up as you twist and turn through the approximately 15 mile stretch to emerge to the other side and enter into Utah.
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| The trail to the Narrows. |
Zion National Park was our destination. The parking lot in the park was full, and they had laid a chip seal just after the entrance to the park. VERY frustrating, especially when we discovered that the parking lot was full, and had to exit and park just outside of the park in a paid lot. BUT, we enjoyed a nice lunch at the Brew Pub adjacent to the parking lot.
Rett skipped lunch to fulfill a bucket list item and hike to and through the Narrows, a popular hike that includes walking over a mile through the river of the narrow canyon. Way to go, Rett! You’re awesome!! The rest of us did some walks and rode the shuttle throughout the park. This is a beautiful national park. Well worth the visit, but it is very crowded. The mandatory shuttle system is a little confining. As we are all drivers at heart, of course we would rather drive ourselves throughout the park. Through November 3, 2013, access to the Zion Canyon scenic drive will be by shuttle bus only. So, after November 3rd, you can drive through on your own.
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| Zion Park Views |
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| Narrows |
We WERE able to drive through the park on the the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway scenic drive which runs along Highway 9. This drive begins at the entry into Zion National Park, meanders through the mile long tunnel and along a highway that slowly winds down from a high plateau and ends at Mt. Carmel Junction. This drive starts from the east side of Zion through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, to the south side of the park. One of the first sites is the geological wonder, Checkerboard Mesa. There are impressive hoodoos and twisted rock sculptures all the way up to the rim of the highway. After exiting the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel, the Great Arch and Beehives come into view. WOW. What an incredible drive with amazing views!
In Mt. Carmel we reached our lodging for the night: the Best Western East Zion Thunderbird. This is a charming place, with a pool and jacuzzi, surrounded by the beautiful views of Mt. Carmel. We were all pretty beat after the excitement of the start of the tour and the drive today. Some of us had a few drinks by the pool to relax. There is a restaurant conveniently located at the hotel. We had dinner and called it a night. No driver’s meeting tonight! Too tired!
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| The Virginia River inside Zion National Park |
