Day 1438

WE got up at 6:30, did the pet stuff, and left for Zion.  We made good time.  We got to the gate at 8:15.  Apparently the initial rush was over.  The line of cars was only 6 or 7 long.  We parked very close to the Visitor's center and boarded a bus.

We took the bus to the lodge.  We had breakfast in the lodge - a buffet.  It was pretty good, and not very expensive - $12.  When we were finished we got back on the bus and rode up to the last stop.  We were going to stop at the Weeping stop, but it was closed due to a landslide.  A big chunk of rock had fallen from almost the top of the canyon wall,  You could see how it had been powdered as it slid all the way to the road at the bottom.

We got out at the last stop and walked up the narrows trail for a mile until it ended.  Going any farther involves wading.  Lots of people were doing that.

Did I mention that it was cold?  It was 34 degrees when we got to the park.  There were icicles formed where the water seeped out of the canyon walls.  It was a fun walk though.  We had long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts, so it wasn't too unpleasant.  Besides, we knew it would be warm later.

When we got through with that trail we got back on the bus and went down to the Grotto stop.  That's the trailhead for the pools.  We planned on walking down to the lodge for lunch, but the trail was closed by another landslide just past the pools.  We ended up walking to the upper pool instead.  The last part of the climb was brutal.  It was steep and involved climbing over a lot of rocks.  The pool was much larger than the middle pool and worth the walk.  Unfortunately we had to go back the way we came, which was a lot more work the the blocked trail we planned on using.

We had lunch at the lodge.  We ate in the restaurant because we didn't want to wait in the huge line for the cafe.  It was OK, but expensive.  I had a beer which was wretched. 

We got back on the bus and stopped at the museum.  It was small, but kind of interesting.  Then it was back to the visitor's center.  We spent a little time there and then started for home.  Ellen's asshole was beginning to rumble.

We got home about 5:30.  We fed the pets and turned on the TV.  I had a little nap and then had dinner - leftover sausage and toast.  Then I took a shower.  After that it was TV and surfing until an early bedtime.