Zion National Park

After visiting Hoover Dam on Thursday, it was 200 miles to Watchman Campground, just inside Zion National Park. It took us about four hours including stops along the way for gas and Jamba Juice. We entered and left Arizona three different times, twice at the dam, and once on Highway 15. Most of the drive was flat desert until we entered the Beaver Dam Mountains. They first appear on the horizon as a sheer wall that the road just heads straight towards. Only when you are within a couple miles can you make out the narrow canyon that the road winds through. At one point the road is elevated between the two canyon walls. An extra bonus on the trip.

The Park

We spent today (Friday) touring the Park. Cars are not allowed on the main road in the park, it is only open for Shuttle Buses. The shuttles run frequently and have many stops at trailheads and vista points. Unfortunately, I tried some time exposure pictures with the digital camera last night and left the settings on it screwed up, so most of the digital pictures I shot today were way overexposed. Luckily we also shot film, so there will be good scenic pictures later. We hiked to Weeping Rock and up the Riverside Trail at the top of the shuttle line. Aggregate, we walked a whopping 2.5 miles, but it was well over 100 degrees out, so no one was in prime form. If you're interested in seeing more about Zion National Park, go to www.nps.gov/zion.

Watchman Campground, site B57

After we returned to camp it was Shane time. Dogs aren't allowed on the shuttles, so therefore they can't go into the park unless you walk them in. They also aren't allowed on the trails. Shane stayed back in the motorhome. Yes, there were a couple of windows open for ventilation, two bowls of water, and the air conditioner was left on full blast. After we left he jumped into the navigator seat of the cab. There is a privacy curtain that separates the cab from the rest of the motorhome that we had closed, and though Shane was fine going through it to get into the cab, he evidently didn't want to go the other way. We're not sure how long he spent sitting on the chair watching for us to return.

We took him down to the river for a swim. Kevin and I went in with him and he chased rocks and ducks for about an hour. After dinner, he got the T bones from our steaks.