Day 7

Our day starting with some disappointment as we were hoping to do some horseback riding but learned that reservations weren't open until later on in the day. We drove into Zion not sure what to expect and not sure that Zion could hold a candle to Bryce! Zion like Bryce ended up being an indescribable experience featuring strange rock formations, sheer cliffs and gorgeous scenery. Zion's landscapes varied dramatically. The first section we drove through featured sloped rock formations that showed layered curved lines and colors of red and white. Emily said that the rocks looked almost like human muscle fibers intertwined. There were also sloped cliffs that had natural checkerboard-like patterns on them that looked fake but of course were not. This landscape was probably my favorite of all of Zion due to the weirdness and uniqueness of the environment. Like Death Valley, it was out of this world. We saw some horned mountain sheep, lizards, and some beautiful red sand. Looking at the Zion brochure, we saw that other animals that could be seen in the park were tarantulas and mountain lions! We drove through a cool mountain tunnel that cut through the canyon and this tunnel was DARK! It was made in the 30's and is considered an engineering marvel as it has strategically placed windows that let you see the breathtaking views of the canyon. Emily was more than a little nervous driving through this tunnel, but she did a great job leading us out into the remarkable canyon. At this point, private vehicles are not allowed to continue so we loaded into one of the park's energy- saving shuttles. We made our way on the shuttle and stopped at various lookout points and hiking trails. We took some short hikes to see more extraordinary views of the canyon walls. After loading up with postcards and souvenirs, we left Zion. Our original intention at this point was to head to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and find some lodging for the night as it was a 5 hour drive from Zion. We quickly realized this would not work after calling all of the hotels at that area and realizing that they were all filled up. Being flexible road trippers, we decided to find a hotel in Flagstaff and use that as our home base for 2 nights while we saw Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

(Written on Day 7 on way to Flagstaff)
Right now we are driving to Flagstaff and other than the driver, Dan, the girls are asleep soundly. I understand that they are tired but I just can't take my eyes off the scenery. I had no idea that this area would be so constantly stimulating and beautiful. I expected that we would drive to the scenic areas and have down time in the car to sleep/read/write but the whole dang trip has been constant scenery. We have travelled on mostly scenic highways and not multi-lane freeways so around every turn has been something new to see. I don't even want to write this because it makes me look away from the window!


We decided to stop at the Sunset Crater/Watpataki National Monument. This drive was really cool as we passed through a thousand year old lava flow that had settled into the forest which totally changed the landscape and brought in Native Americans because the lava made the soil very fertile. As we continued our drive, we made it to the Watpataki Pueblo which held the remnants of a 100-room pueblo. We were able to walk among the ruins which were preserved very well despite being near a thousand years old! The coolest part of this experience was a Blowhole. The blowhole is a small hole in the ground which is connected to a large underground opening. Because of the varying air pressures above and below ground this hole either blows or sucks air. At this point it was blowing air, so much so, that when you put your face in front of it a strong rush of air like a powerful fan cooled you off in the desert heat. It was amazing that this was a natural phenomenon as it seemed so perfect at that moment in time. We left the park and headed down to Flagstaff. We checked into our hotel, enjoyed a nice Mexican dinner, and relaxed before bed in the hot tub!