June 3, 2004 - Zion National Park, UT - Day 2
We started the day by driving up I-15 to the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center, which is at the northwest corner of Zion National Park. The young lady we talked to said she had nothing to do with the fact I haven't been able to see any of the Ring-tailed Cats that are supposed to be living in the park, though they do eat her cat food. Of course, if I was up and about when those little nocturnal animals were, I might be able to see one. She did suggest a couple of hikes to us. The Taylor Creek Trail, a 5.5 mile round trip walk to see the Double Arch Alcove and a shorter one-mile round trip walk to the Timber Creek Overlook Trail. Barb suggested that we take the longer hike first, because it was still relatively cool, etc. So off we went, not sure what to expect. A side note regarding this road we're taking. The brochure says, "Drive carefully. The road ascends 1100 feet in 5 miles with moderately steep grades and many curves." Sounded great to us, and it was. There were those number thingys in the book that were supposed to match numbers on posts on the road that would explain things, and they pretty well did. We only missed a few of them. Either they were missing or I was enjoying the drive too much and Barb was hanging on too hard or something.
Well, those "stairs" were a harbinger of things to come. Moderately challenging, but nothing we couldn't handle. That water (yeah, there's water down there, trust me) is called Taylor Creek.
And we crossed that creek maybe 30 times each way (it is, after all, the Taylor Creek trail). Barb is studying which rock to slip off of next! The water must have been 2" deep at the most. And then a shot of the trail leading in to some very welcome shade. I carry two bottles of water in my fanny pack, and we sort of rationed it so we'd have one bottle up and one back. It worked OK, but we should have had more.
Isn't God wonderful. He created sharp jagged edges and graceful curves all together. And boy, did that shade, stone-cold bench, and cool breeze feel good at this point. The time for this hike was given as 4 hours and, according to my lame calculations, we're a little less than half way to our destination. Barb's face is getting red, a sure sign that it's not a good idea to leave her out in the sun much longer. But she did just fine.
See? I said she was doing just fine, red face or not. Maybe when she edits this, she'll share the name of this pretty flower with us (sorry!). And I promise to keep the pictures of rocks to a minimum, but some are just too spectacular to skip.
This cabin was one of the original settler's homestead cabins according to the brochure we have. Said something about summer use. Must have been a rich guy to be able to take summers off, eh? The little placard in front warns us that it's an old cabin and may fall down. Duhhhhh.
Notice the shingles, at least most of them, on this side. and the view out the front door!
And this side has no shingles. Must be a pretty strong prevailing wind or something. And then a peek between the chicken wire over the windows. I was a bit surprised to find a bed spring just like the ones my folks used to use at our summer cabin in the Santa Cruz mountains of CA when I was a kid. Note the "shelving" falling off the wall on the right.
A shot of the trail leading through one of its easier places and some cactus about to bloom. The 100+ degree heat we've been having isn't typical for this time of year we're told, and with all the blooms we can believe it.
This spotted lizard (not sure if that's its correct name, but it's the color of it's skin) was one of many we shared the trail with (lots of lizards and lots of butterflies). It's about a foot long. And another bit of bright color in an otherwise rather hot dusty environment.
Yeah, more rocks. Can't help it! And then the creek/trail combination. Such variety.
Cabin number two further up the trail. Same little placard warning us to stay out, and the remnants of a stove. At least the pipe was still there.
The beauty and wonder of this place, the Double Arch Alcove, is beyond our ability to share through photography because of its size--it's like a huge cavern (see size perspective in photo below with Barb in it). The picture on the left is of the two arches. Lighter one above the darker one we're standing under. Then on the right is the back of the alcove. The dark lines are where the water is seeping out, adding to Taylor Creek.
The ceiling of the alcove, and another try at catching the magnificence of the two arches.
Same song, second verse.
OK, I'm taking shots from my right to my left into the alcove with a 28mm lens, the shortest my zoom will go. I'm about 75 feet from the back of the alcove.
And then after the last shot as I turn, Barb suggested she could be a "standard" for size. She's 5'2" and standing on the "floor" of the alcove. Despite the sign you'll see below, there's a trail up the back of the alcove. We didn't go further than the base. The "prize" was well worth the hike!! Incredible!
Can you empathize with the frustration we experienced trying to take pictures of this beauty to share with you?
Turned around and took a shot looking out from the alcove, and then there's Barb sitting on a rock contemplating the beauty.
More attempts to share some of this with you, and then we headed back down the creek after spending maybe 1/2 hour enjoying the coolness of the alcove and being awed by its beauty.
So how come those grey rocks are in there with all the red ones? And that cactus we took a picture of on our way up has opened a blossom--such a beautiful color!
The views on the way back to the car. And did those car seats ever feel good, and were we ever glad to swap boots for sandals! And refreshing our water supply besides. Good thing the walk/hike wasn't much further. Barb's toes needed a break, and I managed a tiny blister on one heal, and the red stuff leaked out of my leg where I caught a rock someplace along the way and lost my footing.. Worth every bit of discomfort, believe us. It's been a while since we'd done that kind of walking, and we're a bit out of shape I suppose. The fact that we're around 5500 feet or so might make a difference too.
Now we're at the shorter walk, the Timber Creek Overlook trail. One mile round trip. Barb remembered to bring her tennies, I forgot, so had to put the boots back on. Arrghh! We ate lunch first and by the time I put the boots back on, my sox were dry. Warm weather and lack of humidity does things like that for you. Oh, yeah, there were more rocks and more flowers along the way, too.
We both love the color of the prickly pear cactus blooms. And then one of the prettiest flowers in the valley, the sego lily. Utah state flower. The inside of the one above it. Just as magnificent as any other scenery in the area too.
More rocks and flowers, and we're done for the day. Must be cooling off, as it was only 103 when we got back to the Road Abode. Tomorrow will be a driving day. There's a couple of routes we'd like to take that don't entail any hiking/walking to speak of.