The Red Cliffs of Zion (October 2021)
We checked out Zion National Park which is absolutely gorgeous! More red rock, varied plants and trees, and there ARE fall colors even in the desert. We went on a short hike and came across a Jerusalem Cricket that is described as a Frankenstein-like insect with a nasty bite.
The thing that cracks me up is the cow grates you pass as you enter or exit a freeway. They are designed to make the cows think they’ll fall if they walk on them. Very effective barriers.
Hiking and Biking and Ghosts
We biked near our campground and looked for trails. We found an old cemetery with all the graves marked “Unknown.” The ATV trails had lots of loose rocks and were very steep. That was unsettling at times.
After we made a quick smoothie, we hit a cool hiking trail called Red Reef. Again, I had to use my courage to scale tall rocks. One place even had a rope to hold onto. I’m scared of heights so Jeff walked me through each step. He is so patient and kind to me.
For our evening entertainment, we visited a wild west ghost town called Silver Reef. They had 6 people impersonating ghosts from the Silver Mining heights during the late 1800s. Each person researched their character in-depth and shared their adventures and lives. Some characters were exceptional and others not so much. All the characters were male. It would have been nice to hear from females and maybe some American Indians, but I bet those are harder to research.
Interesting fact: at one point silver was discovered in the sandstone here - a geological rarity. They mined actively for 5-6 years and then stopped because the US government decided to value gold over the silver
A Living Wall and Actual Dinosaur Tracks
We got up early to go to Zion National Park for some morning hikes because the parking lot fills up by 8 am. You have to take a shuttle bus to get to most of the hikes. We stopped first at the Zion lodge and saw the Emerald Pools with the baby waterfalls.
After coming down the mountain, we said a quick hello to some horses and Jeff got coffee. It felt good to sit for a bit. We also saw wild turkeys near the Zion lodge while waiting for the shuttle bus.
We got off at the last stop and did the River Walk which is the same path as the Narrows Water Hike. We weren’t prepared for water up to our waist so we turned around. The amazing thing about the River Walk is that near the baby waterfalls there were walls of plants growing out of the rock. It looks like a living wall.
On our last day we went back to Red Cliffs and hiked and mountain biked. We went on a short hike to see dinosaur tracks.
It is so great to have so many outdoor options.