Hiking in Southern Utah

On August 14, 2011 after church the four of us got into the car and headed south from Oregon towards Utah.  Ron and Vicki (our pastors and friends) joined Aaron and me on this expedition to see the nature that God so beautifully created in Utah.

Our first stop was Zion Canyon National Park.  Our motel was in Springdale, UT and we drove in and out of the park several times in our 2 days there.  Having a Senior Pass makes a difference.  Just give them the card with your ID and you are in.  We took the shuttles provided and saw everything.  We did a lot of hiking.  I was so pleased that I could hike much more easily after having lost so much weight and all the exercise I've done in the past year and a half.

Next was Bryce Canyon--just a couple hours down the road.  Here we stayed at Bryce Canyon City.  A very small city all virtually owned by one family.  Huge motel, shopping, restaurants and a rodeo--all owned by the family.  At Bryce you can do more driving in your private vehicle, but there is a shuttle bus you can take in also.  The Forest Service was doing proscribed burns so it was very smoky.  But it was beautiful anyway and we did a lot of hiking.  Aaron and Ron attempted to climb to the top of Angels Landing but didn't make it completely to the top.  A very steep trail, sheer drop-offs, and lots of other climbers led them to only go about 2/3 of the way.  Vicki and I did our own hiking on safer and lower trails.

Then it was off to Arches National Park.  Again going in and out and in and out.  Lots of walking to see various arches, to catch the sunset and sunrise.  Watching the tourists from other countries enjoy the beautiful sights in the USA was enjoyable.

This Tuesday, Sept. 13, Aaron and I leave for another trip.  Another trip....another blog.