keith&carol
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2002
- Messages
- 208
Yesterday we were in shorts and tee's but today we are going even higher up the mountains so common sense prevails and we dress in layers. Keith is despatched to find breakfast and comes back with egg, bacon & cheese croissants. They would win hands down in a calorie competition but they are nice!
Our first stop is the Visitor Centre for advise on how much we can pack into a day. They tell us that the trail runs for 18 miles and all the viewpoints are to the left so to drive to the end of the road & work backwards then there are no turns across traffic - sensible. There are some roadworks at the start where they are resurfacing and we have to wait for a pilot car to guide us thru but after that the road is fine. The weather is clear and sunny as we climb to the highest point. This is almost 10,000ft and before long we start to see snow. In winter this whole area is devoted to snow sports but in Summer the hikers appear.Most of he trails are strenuous and for fit people only-that excludes us so we'll stick with the views!
At Rainbow Point we come to the end of the road and leave the car for our first glimpse of the canyon. On a clear day you can see for 100 miles and the scene is breathtaking. Bleached spires in the foreground , red ones behind and in the distance the blue/grey of mountains covered in fir trees with a sprinkle of snow like icing on a cake. We follow a short trail thru the trees and see chipmunks scurrying among the leaves and sitting on their hind legs in a cheeky pose for our camera. They make fascinating viewing and it's a while before we can tear ourselves away. The car takes us from one viewpoint to another but at each one there is some walking to do and there are only rough trails and very few guardrails so no wheelchair today then.
At each stop a new vista unfolds of timeweathered red rock which nature has left in the shapes of spires called Hoodoos -which means to cast a spell. Indian legend says that they were once people who sinned so badly they were petrified for eternity and many do indeed look like the forms of people sitting in rows in a giant theatre. Some areas give access to hiking trails and we watch tiny figures going deep into the valley below. We picnic along the way and the time just speeds by. At one point we chat to a Gentleman who told us he spent all his working life on the Space Programme and how exciting the early days were. At another point we spot a team of Rangers labouring up the hill towards us with a stretcher- no panic tho- just training new recruits for the Summer. They are followed by more pushing what looks like a giant lawnmower but it turns out to be a small caterpillar tractor for carrying the rescue gear - ingenious!
Near the end of the trail we call at the only Lodge inside the Canyon for a welcome coffee and the day ends back at the Inn with a Cowboy Dinner of barbeque ribs -delicious! Tomorrow it's Zion National Park.
Our first stop is the Visitor Centre for advise on how much we can pack into a day. They tell us that the trail runs for 18 miles and all the viewpoints are to the left so to drive to the end of the road & work backwards then there are no turns across traffic - sensible. There are some roadworks at the start where they are resurfacing and we have to wait for a pilot car to guide us thru but after that the road is fine. The weather is clear and sunny as we climb to the highest point. This is almost 10,000ft and before long we start to see snow. In winter this whole area is devoted to snow sports but in Summer the hikers appear.Most of he trails are strenuous and for fit people only-that excludes us so we'll stick with the views!
At Rainbow Point we come to the end of the road and leave the car for our first glimpse of the canyon. On a clear day you can see for 100 miles and the scene is breathtaking. Bleached spires in the foreground , red ones behind and in the distance the blue/grey of mountains covered in fir trees with a sprinkle of snow like icing on a cake. We follow a short trail thru the trees and see chipmunks scurrying among the leaves and sitting on their hind legs in a cheeky pose for our camera. They make fascinating viewing and it's a while before we can tear ourselves away. The car takes us from one viewpoint to another but at each one there is some walking to do and there are only rough trails and very few guardrails so no wheelchair today then.
At each stop a new vista unfolds of timeweathered red rock which nature has left in the shapes of spires called Hoodoos -which means to cast a spell. Indian legend says that they were once people who sinned so badly they were petrified for eternity and many do indeed look like the forms of people sitting in rows in a giant theatre. Some areas give access to hiking trails and we watch tiny figures going deep into the valley below. We picnic along the way and the time just speeds by. At one point we chat to a Gentleman who told us he spent all his working life on the Space Programme and how exciting the early days were. At another point we spot a team of Rangers labouring up the hill towards us with a stretcher- no panic tho- just training new recruits for the Summer. They are followed by more pushing what looks like a giant lawnmower but it turns out to be a small caterpillar tractor for carrying the rescue gear - ingenious!
Near the end of the trail we call at the only Lodge inside the Canyon for a welcome coffee and the day ends back at the Inn with a Cowboy Dinner of barbeque ribs -delicious! Tomorrow it's Zion National Park.
