Canyon Overlook: Zion National Park

Checkerboard Mesa, Zion National Park

We arrived at our hotel, just outside the Zion National Park, late last night.  It was late and I had promised the kiddo that we would go swimming.  The pool, however, was an outdoor pool which had just been opened last week and I didn't relish the idea of 40-50 degree water.  So I passed much to my child's disappointment.  Perhaps we will find another pool to swim in during our trip?

Zion Canyon, Canyon Overlook Trail

Canyon Overlook Trail, Zion National Park

Our first order of business this morning, however, truly was business.  Duane has been unemployed for the past 2.5 months, and all of us have been on COBRA.  Thankfully, he starts a new job on Monday, May 2^nd.  Since COBRA doesn't allow prorating payments, we had to make a decision to either go without health insurance for a day, or pay for an entire month's worth of health insurance.  The decision was practically a no-brainer.  The employer controlled monopoly over health insurance means that rather than getting what you need for the best price, employees get the most costly, most all inclusive plans, which the employer writes off as a business expense, with the employee picking up only a fraction of the cost.  Until you are no longer an employee.  Then you get to bear the entire cost, which for a family can run in the thousands of dollars, when you can least afford it because you no longer have an income.  We decided to go without health insurance for a day, which saved us nearly $2,000.

Indian Paintbrush, Zion National Park

This had an impact on how long we would be able to stay in Zion.  We decided to drive home in one day, since we didn't want to be on the road on a day when we were without health insurance.  We would have to leave Zion at noon.  We decided to hike Zion's Canyon Overlook trail, see if we could catch a bus along the river, and then head home.  Duane drove, while I called the COBRA processing center to see about cancelling COBRA over the phone.  I found out, much to my dismay, that you can only cancel via telephone if you have gone on Medicare or have other coverage, neither of which exactly applied to our situation.  Obviously, they don't want to make it easy to cancel - they would lose a lot more money.  So, we would have to find a copy shop, download the form off the internet, fill it out and fax it in, somewhere along on our drive.  As long as we got the paperwork in by midnight, we would be okay.

Wildflower, Zion National Park

We drove up to side of the Canyon to the trailhead, which is immediately after the tunnel, but kept driving towards the Checkerboard Mesa.  We decided to stop by the side of the road so that the kiddo could climb up the rocks.  He was really wanting to climb up some large rocks, and given the disappointment over the pool the previous evening, it was time for him to have some fun!  The "rocks" here are actually petrified sand dunes, which geological forces have uplifted over time.  They make for easy climbing - perfect for a young boy! 

Canyon Overlook Trail (yellow), Zion Nat'l Park

We headed back to the Canyon Overlook trail.  It looked like we would have a lot of company today.  We headed up the stairs at the beginning of the trailhead.  It's a pretty short hike at only one mile round trip, but the view at the end of the canyon is simply breathtaking.  There were many wild flowers in bloom, it being Spring.  It's always lovely to photograph them. 

Prickly Phlox, Overlook Trail, Zion Nat'l Park

We returned to the car and drove down to the visitor center to possibly catch a bus into the main area of the park, along the Virgin River.  It was extremely crowded, however, and likely would have taken several hours.  We decided to save it for a future trip.

We started the long trip back home, stopping at the Kinko-Fed Ex office at the Las Vegas Convention Center in order to send in our COBRA cancellation form.  Just as we were getting into Vegas and needing the GPS to find the Kinko's, my Subaru's cigarette lighter plug broke and blew a fuse.  No electricity to anything running off the cigarette lighter and, even worse, no air conditioning.  We used Duane's cell phone and Google Maps to get us to Kinkos.  We got the form filled out and faxed in with 5 minutes to spare.  Then Duane came out and spent about half an hour finding and replacing the broken fuse.  The cigarette lighter still didn't work, but at least we had air conditioning on the long drive home!  A bit too much excitement, but we made it home by 12:30 am, just half an hour past being "Cinderella," and without any further incident.

From Monument Valley to Antelope Canyon

Ford Point, Monument Valley

Not a lot of hiking today.  Mostly just walking, but the scenery is indescribable, so I'll take it.

We arrived at Goulding's late last night, making our first stop ever at a Sonic Burger practically in the middle of nowhere, which was probably the worst burger we've ever eaten. 

I had tried to get a reservation in the The View Hotel, which is right in the park with a great view of the Mittens, but it was full and my attempts were too late.  No matter; Goulding's is right across the highway.  We ate a quick breakfast and decided to take Goulding's half day tour. 

West Mitten, Monument Valley

Before taking us to Monument Valley, our tour guide first took us to a Navajo hogan, where an elderly Navajo woman showed us the art of weaving Navajo blankets, including the steps to card and spin the wool before weaving it.  Weaving is becoming a lost art.  There are few women left at home to weave as so many of the young women have left home to go to college and get jobs.   I had a real sense of hospitality and also of their sense of humor.

Ear of the Wind, Monument Valley

We drove the short distance to Monument Valley and got our first view of the Mittens and of The View Hotel, which hugs the contour of the bluff,  its sandstone-colored walls blending in perfectly with the surrounding landscape.  Someday, I would like to stay there. 

We were able to get out at several places and walk around.  The Navajo made sure that there were several shopping opportunities, mostly for buying Navajo jewelry.  Much of it was quite beautiful, but I was not in the market today.  The lookout for Ford Point was one such market area.  But there were also a few places where we could scamper up sand dunes, right under a natural arch, look at petroglyphs on the Navajo Sandstone formation, and see ancient dwellings.

Petroglyphs, Monument Valley

This really is one of my favorite places in the Southwest.  It is grand, sweeping, and majestic, but at the same time it's beauty is desolate and barren.  Hints of olive green from the sagebrush and other foliage give it a somewhat softer feel, but the landscape is always imposing.

Towards the end of the morning, the wind started to pick up.  Eventually, the wind became so strong that it whipped the sand up, scouring our bare knees.  That was uncomfortable, but we escaped inside The View for lunch, where I had a sampling of traditional Navajo food.  The restaurant is beautiful with incredible vistas of Monument Valley.  The View also has a very nice gift store with a good selection of both touristy knick knacks and authentic Navajo crafts.

Entrance to Upper Antelope Canyon

After lunch we piled back into the car and headed for Antelope Canyon, another one of my favorite spots in the Southwest.  The canyon is one of several slot canyons located along a large wash that drains into Lake Powell.  In fact, the entrance is not far from Glen Canyon Dam.  We managed to get one of the last tours of the day into Upper Antelope Canyon.

Slot canyons tend to form in soft sandstone or limestone rock and in areas where there is a paucity of rain.  Rainfall, sometimes from miles away, rushes through the rock so fast that it cuts a deep, narrow channel.  The danger of flash floods is ever present.  Water has been known to lodge fallen trees high up between the canyon walls.  National Geographic once tried to place cameras in Upper Antelope Canyon to record what it was like when the water rushed through. The force of the water was so strong that none of their cameras survived the onslaught.  Several tourists were killed at Lower Antelope Canyon during a flash flood in 1997 as a result of rainfall over seven miles away.   Warning sirens have now been placed at the entrance as a result.

Despite the possibility of danger, these slot canyons are a photographer's dream.  The light filters down to the bottom of the canyon in an amazing array of oranges, pinks and purples.  So beautiful!

We hadn't ever seen Lower Antelope Canyon, and since we still had a bit of time, decided to drive over to see what we could see.  Unfortunately, there were no more guided tours for the day.  So we continued on into Page, stopped at the grocery store for some supplies, and then continued our drive toward tomorrow's destination, Zion National Park.

And Now For Some Real Hiking...

Great news! My husband, who lost his job just before we all got the flu last February, will be reemployed again as of May 2nd. Our trip to the Southwest and Disneyland that we canceled on account of the flu, we can now do over our son's Easter break! We plan to go to Disneyland, then drive east to visit the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and then swing by Antelope Canyon, Zion National Park on our way home. It's a lot of driving, but I think we can manage this inside of a week and get some really awesome hikes in!