I met Tom and Sue while hiking the A.T. in 2011. They are both retired Doctors; Tom/Family Doctor, Sue/Rehab Doctor. They are now living in St. George, Utah which is very near Zion National Park. I am so thankful that they are taking time from their busy schedule to come and meet us today. Tom is currently planning a "world trip" which he will begin at the end of the month in Reykjavik, Iceland! Sue will be meeting him in August in Spain to hike the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrim's path across Spain.
As we neared Mt. Carmel Jct., we came around a bend in the highway, and we saw a large number of horse trailers camped out and realized there must be an Endurance Ride here! (Years ago, I rode my horse in Endurance Rides.) What we are seeing is the Mt. Carmel XP 5-day Endurance Ride. Five days of 50 miles each day! To complete that is true endurance! (Several years ago my friends, Sue and Patsy, convinced me to go to New Mexico with them and do a 3-day, 55 miles each day, Endurance Ride. Amazingly, we all completed all three days! The horses did better than the humans!) Anyway, we stopped in the convenience store at Mt. Carmel Jct. to fuel the car and get a Utah Road Atlas, and while in the store I met Ann Nicholson, the Mt. Carmel XP Ride Manager, and she said that today is the first day of the 5-day ride. What incredible scenery here for the riders to enjoy!
From there we headed west, and soon we are on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Hwy., a 12-mile scenic road that connects the South and East Entrances to the Park, traveling up steep switchbacks, and through the historic, 1 mile long, Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel.
This our view as we entered the tunnel.
This is our view as we are exiting the tunnel.
Soon we are in the small town of Springdale, Utah, where we have hotel reservations tonight, and there is Tom and Sue patiently waiting for us! After checking our hotel reservation and parking our car, we caught the free Town Shuttle to the Zion National Park Visitor Center, where we boarded the free Park Shuttle. We stayed on the Shuttle all the way up Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, to the Temple of Sinawava stop, the gateway to The Narrows. We then walked the trail, along the Virgin River, called the Riverside Walk, to The Narrows, where the Virgin River flows thru the narrow, soaring canyon walls.
We then boarded the free Park Shuttle again, then exited at the Weeping Rock stop. We walked the nice trail to Weeping Rock, where dripping springs create hanging gardens.
After enjoying the coolness and the beauty surrounding the Weeping Rocks area, we boarded the Shuttle once again to go to the Zion Lodge, a historic Lodge/Restaurant/Bookstore, where we accessed the Emerald Pools Trail. Following the Emerald Pools Trail we are able to continue on along the Grotto Trail as we made our way back to the Shuttle. Along the way we were afforded great views of the Virgin River far below us as we walked along.
When we reach the River, it is nice to have this great footbridge to cross over!
It is also great to have the free Park Shuttles that run continuously throughout the day for Park visitors.
We then took the Shuttle back down to the Zion Lodge, where we enjoyed a great lunch and conversation with our friends, Tom and Sue. The weather today has been picture-perfect! Clear blue skies, mild temperatures! Just an awesome day to enjoy the great outdoors with friends! Thank you to Tom and Sue for making today in Zion Park truly memorable for us!
We will thouroughly enjoy living vicariously thru Tom's and Sue's adventures via his blog:
http://brickthomasblog.wordpress.com
Thank you for sharing your trip with us. You guys sure saw a lot of great places during your weeks vacation to the southwest. Glad you were able to spend time with Snake Hips and Spud.
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