Zion

5/09/05 1:45 pm, This is the Checkerboard Mesa in the eastern section of Zion. They say that these sandstone mountains are petrified sand dunes from what was once the largest desert on the planet. 




5/09/05 1:45pm, Close-up view of Checkerboard Mesa. Here, the windswept sands from which the stone was formed are clearly visible. This is one of the oddest sights I have ever seen. 




5/09/05 4:15pm, Waterfall at Zion. This is not a permanent waterfall, so it does not have a name. The Virgin River, which formed Zion, was flowing at 1500 cubic feet per second...normal flow in May is 375. 



5/10/05 12:00 Noon, The sun broke through the clouds and highlighted a section of the mountain we were hiking towards. The glowing greens were breathtaking, especially after so many days in the desert. 



5/10/05 12:15pm, Lovely view of the east side of Zion from the trail. Notice how lush everything is. Wildflowers bloomed everywhere. Shortly after this photo was taken the weather turned and there was hail, though not quite so violent as we experienced at the Grand Canyon. 




5/10/05 4:30pm Kolob Canyon is in a remote northern section of Zion. The views are quite stunning. It started to snow while we were there. 


Zion is what its name means: 'sanctuary'. This canyonland of Navajo Sandstone was carved by the Virgin river, which empties into the Colorado. Zion is a lush oasis in a dry sagebrush land. I regret that we visited it after we'd already seen the Grand Canyon and Bryce, because it was almost anti-climactic. Still, it was a lovely place, and a welcome break from 8 days of unremitting desert. Zion receives 2.5 million visitors a year and has been closed-off to vehicle traffic. They have shuttles running at 6-minute intervals, carrying people into and out of the canyon. It makes things quiet and much less polluted, and I'm sure this change has saved a lot of the wildlife.