Friday at breakfast our waiter suggested we wait until the afternoon to try the Angel's Landing hike. He said that lots of people go up it in the morning thinking the will beat the heat.

Instead we drove around to the west side of the park and hiked the Wildcat Canyon / Northgate Peaks trail - a mostly-level, 2-mile (one way, 2 miles back) stroll through some beautiful forest.  The drive out there itself is worth it - climbing through stunning canyons most people never see.  The weather was perfect until our return hike when a cold front came through and we got hailed on.  Go figure.  



Angel's Landing is the signature hike in Zion Canyon.  2.5 miles one-way.  The reason this is so popular is that the viewpoint is on top of the only rock "fin" that protrudes into Zion Canyon, offering a spectacular 360 degree view of the entire main canyon.

After lunch we took the shuttles from our hotel to the main canyon (no driving into this area) and started hiking to see how close we could get to the top.  Leaving the shuttle, we crossed a foot bridge over the Virgin River, then took a mostly level path north.  After the path, we started up long series of paved switch-backs that have been cut into the west wall of Zion Canyon.  Since this was afternoon and the west wall, we were in shade.  Since this was the Friday before a holiday weekend, there were still many people on the trail.

  

And looking out



Leaving the switchbacks, we entered Refrigerator Canyon, very cool.  At the time of day we were there, the south wall appears to glow due to the reflection of the sun off the north wall.  There were several birds in this narrow space, including an owl and a crow that were not good friends.



If you look closely in the hole on the left, you can see the owl.



The next section is Walter's Wiggles, a steep series of switchbacks.  



Above these, we arrived at Scouts Landing - a small rock plateau at the base of the fin, about 1000 feet up and 2 miles in.  From here there are dramatic views to both to the north and south.  On the north side it is straight down to the river.  



To the north




The last section of the hike is along the ridge of the fin.  This section is extreme hiking - there is a heavy chain to hold, but this very narrow and steep in sections with immediate drops on both sides.  Again, since this is so close to Memorial Day, there were many people on the chain.  Going up and going down is on the same side of the chain.  As we sat at Scout's Landing we heard people complaining of pushing on the chain.

This shows people on the chain, but does not show how the ridge narrows above.



We started up the chain but thought better of it because of the crowds and because I was wearing tennis shoes not hiking boots.  The rocks are smooth and covered with sand so I had no grip.  This was a good idea because we were both exhausted by the time we returned to the bottom.

We returned for dinner and chocolate to celebrate our success and ease our painful feet.
 

      



 

 

Thursday was another travel day, but the travel was brief.

We spent the early afternoon in Bryce.  The weather was erratic.  45 and sleet to 35, windy and snow and back up to 50, calm and partly cloudy in the span of an hour and a half.  We toured the southern part of the park but did not hike or even get out of the car for very long since we were in the windy and snow portion of the day.

We drove down to Zion, entering from the south east from Mt Carmel, along the way reading 'Till We have Faces' (C. S. Lewis).  A hard read but an enlightening picture of faith.

Bryce was spectacular in it's detail but relatively small - not on the scale of say, Yosemite.  Zion, on the other hand (and we've only seen the east canyon) is very much on the scale of Yosemite.  We are staying in Springdale and hey - have cell service for the first time of the trip.

Bryce - the camera doesn't pick up the snow

   



With the weather we were up sheep creek.



Leaving Bryce - back through Red Canyon



Entering Zion - not the main canyon yet

There are easily as many Europeans and Asians visiting the National parks as there are North Americans.  We've met people from many foreign lands including the  Czech Republic, Hungary, China, Canada (Quebec) and Texas.

Tuesday was a travel day, so no post. We had lunch at a German bakery / cafe in Orderville, UT.  And by lunch we mean pastries.  

Further north, the last section of the road to Bryce is through Red Canyon, which is quite beautiful.  We are landed in Cannonville UT (elev 5800).  

Wednesday AM, we had breakfast in Tropic (4 mi north) and proceeded up to Bryce Canyon (elev 8000).  Since we are much higher than Lake Powell, it is far colder here:  30-60 degrees. 

The road through Bryce is along the rim.   We started at Sunrise point and hiked the Queen's Garden trail to the Navajo trail / Wall Street.  This route descends about 550 ft before returning to the rim.

There are SO MANY AMAZING ROCKS.  Initially we started to take lots of pictures.  Every 25 feet your perspective changes.  After a while we were both visually overwhelmed.  There were so many amazing rocks - but we became more selective in our photos.  How many times can you say photos don't capture the astonishing beauty of this place.  Another place Nate would love to run and play.  

And many amazing rocks.




 It was windy and cold on the rim, but became warm and still once we hiked down in.






And Wall Street




The switch backs above wall street.



After our hike, we went to lunch at the lodge.  We returned to the hotel for a nap.   

In the evening we returned to to the Bryce / Inspiration point, which is quite a hike up from the parking lot.  This is the place where you see the the most common picture of the Bryce Amphitheater.  We could trace our hike down Queen's garden and back up Navajo.

  

We returned to Cannonville (pop 148) for dinner.  According to Trip Advisor there is one restaurant in Cannonville:  fine dining at i.d.k bar-b-que.  Since this is the ONLY place to eat in Cannonville, we were fortunate because the restaurant happens to be directly across the parking lot from our room, although this could change in the future.

The food was actually quite good, although again they don't get the sauce quite right.  Jenna commented it was kind of like eating at the stadium, though far cheaper.        

Monday morning we rented a boat for the day on Lake Powell.   There were several points of confusion regarding this.

* The lake straddles the UT AZ line - the states are on different time zones in summer.  Page is AZ and the nearby boat rental is UT, meaning we arrived later than planned.     

* The water is down about 100 ft, changing the shoreline dramatically in some places and not in sync with the maps.  

* Initially we were blind to distant corners.  There was an optical thing going on where distant shores and further shores blend together.  This improved over time as our eyes became accustomed to it.    

* The marker buoys and the map don't exactly agree.  Deciding which channel to take at broad intersections was challenging.  

* It's OK to boat up to markers that are mile markers.  Not so good to boat up to markers that are warning of submerged rocks or shallow areas.  No generalizing allowed.    

Once we figured all of this out, things got a lot easier.  

At this point and time of year, the Colorado River's water is cold and clear.  It was very easy to see the bottom and fish at 10-20 ft.  It was easy to see shallow places and rocks from a distance.    

Our goal was to start at the western end of the lake and travel east to Rainbow Bridge  - one of the worlds largest natural spans - about a 50 mile trip one-way.  The weather was ideal at about 80 degrees and wind was very light.  

For the first 30 miles or so this felt much like boating through Monument Valley.  Initially, on the north side the Mesa's come up to the lake so there was frequent beautiful shoreline.  The south side is more gentle grades, but as we proceeded the monuments to the south appeared more frequently.  With clear skies, clear water, low traffic and astonishing landscape, it is difficult to convey the sense of awe in God's creation.  

Traveling east means going up-stream or up hill.  The lake was narrowing, the walls were getting higher, steeper and closer.  Eventually we felt as though we'd entered a western movie and at any moment the bank robbers were going to take shots at us from the cliffs overhead.  It was as if we were entering death trap canyon - whether this was the opening fight scene or the finale we weren't sure.  

This feeling became far more acute as we left the main channel to boat up the canyon to Rainbow Bridge.  Very narrow with soaring walls - but with no posted speed limits nor any no-wake markers, the canyon was just high walls and sharp curves and fast boating.  This has to be one of the funnest and most beautiful places in the world to take a boat.  We didn't exactly rocket up it, not knowing where the robbers were.  But we did cruise up it - so fun.  

With the low water, the hike to the bridge itself was about a mile - very easy and mostly silent except for the occasional  echo from the few other people there.   We were mostly alone except for the vulture following us.  I mean really?  

Try and find Jenna (way down at the bottom)



We respected the religious views of 5 native american tribes and did not approach or walk under the bridge itself.  Even if you don't agree with their point of view, there is still Matt 7:12, right?

Since we knew there were no robbers, we did rocket our way back out of the bridge canyon just for the fun of it.  The 50 mile ride back was much simpler since we knew the way and only had to slow for a few moments to figure out which channel to take next.   

After dinner again at the Texas BBQ (apparently a converted gas station), we went to the Mesa Theater (single-plex) to see Captain America Civil War.

A great day - the pics don't capture this.  .  

     

   

What a way to start an adventure.

Our flight to Vegas (Spirit Airlines) was at 8:50 PM Saturday evening.  When we got to the airport, Spirit's check in counter was dark.  All departure boards said the next flight out to anywhere was Sunday morning.  No notification from Orbitz nor Spirit of the cancellation.  Chaos ensued momentarily.  Over several hours we were able to determine our flight time, cancel our hotel in Vegas, get a hotel in KC but not modify the car reservation.   

Up at 4:30 AM KC time, 2:30 NV time, we started the day early but were able to sleep on the plane.  Once in Vegas our car reservation was gone - Budget's offer was now double in price.  We tried walking from booth to booth - landing at Firefly for nearly the same price of the deal that we had lost.  

Once mobile we drove the strip, very quiet and strange looking on Sunday morning.  We got breakfast and headed north east.  The drive to Page AZ alternates along the border between UT and AZ.  My cousin Tamera told me in the past about the beauty of the color in the desert in spring.  While not the intense green of a KC spring, it is certainly far more green than the rest of the year out here.  Very beautiful indeed.  

We arrived at our hotel at 2:46.  The people at the Page Quality Inn apparently are not very generous because they would not let us check in until 3:00.  And it's a good thing, because there were maybe 2 other people in the hotel at the time.  You're not in Kansas City anymore Toto.  Nor Italy.        

We drove the town, which took 11 minutes round trip.  This is a planned community started in 1957, and built up during the 60s.  The interesting thing is all the churches are in a row, well, on a loop.  Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, Episcopalian, Assembly of God, etc.  Fascinating.  

Once in the hotel, Jenna let me sleep for a couple of  hours -  we then headed out to the Glen Canyon dam and Horseshoe Bend.  

The dam is a technical wonder on the scale of Hoover dam.  Horseshoe Bend is about 5 miles south and three quarters of a mile hike from the road.  Lots of people from all over were there.  Many, many Chinese speaking Mandarin.  The terrain is rough but there is an easy path.  Nate would love this place - lots of rock climbing, running and jumping for him.  The canyon bend itself is a place of spectacular beauty.  

We decided on a local, out-door Texas BBQ for dinner.  The meat was awesome but the sauce, well, once again you are not in Kansas City.  Jenna commented - how weird to be a BBQ snob.  

The hostess bypassed any open seating - we were seated at the end of a picnic table elbow-to-elbow with a young couple.  Apparently we were going to get to know each other.    

Wesley and Deborah, are from Belgium.  They are on their honeymoon and traveling the southwest west by car.  They have a stone house on a small farm and have a blended family of 3 children, a dog and 2 horses.  We had a great evening, chatting for almost 3 hours, sharing pictures, cultures, experiences.        

On a Sunday night in Page, the Texas BBQ is the hoppin' place.  A country band came in and played long sets.  Jenna and I and several other couples danced in the hay-bale dance floor converted from the parking lot.  A line formed to get in.  Who knew?   

No AT&T cell service in Page AZ, so we are down to WiFi and WhatsApp. I don't think that WiFi is going to extend far out onto the lake so the current plan is to not have an emergency.  

We thought this looked like 3 penguins huddled together  

    

    

    

  

Part 1

Part One.  Jenna just earned her bachelor's degree in kinesiology with highest honors from Avila University here in Kansas City.  She has been accepted into several physical therapy doctorate programs; accepting the offer from Southwest Baptist University in Boliver.  We are anticipating celebration part two in 3 years.

There are so many people to thank for their participation in Jenna's education.  Without listing, thank you all.  Special thanks goes to Carolyn for getting her through years of homeschooling in preparation to perform well in college.  Thanks also go to Jenna herself for her relentless hard work to keep her grades up.  And thanks be to God our Lord Jesus Christ - for sustaining and encouraging us through it all.

Jenna and I have spent the last few months preparing a sort of relaxed, casual meandering in areas previously undiscovered and unseen by the human eye.  That may be a bit of an exaggeration.  We are going to some national parks and recreation areas.

The adventure begins tonight as we fly to Las Vegas - our starting point for southern Utah.