September 22, 2012

WE HAD A LONG, BUT A GOOD DAY in Zion National Park today. There are very few roads in the park, and limited parking. Like most people, we parked just outside the park and went to the visitors' center to get some basic background on the park. Carole picked up a new Jr. Ranger work sheet. 

Shuttlebuses run every 5 or 10 minutes, and we hopped on one to see those sights where Carole could do her "home work." One of those stops was at the Lodge where we could both eat lunch and look at the mountains. The lodge has a large front lawn, and people were sprawled all over it either eating lunch or simply relaxing. 

We took in a ranger presentation where we learned that the park has a large number of Tarantula Hawks.  They are not really hawks, but flying insects slightly larger than a wasp. Despite their small size, they impart one of the most painful stings of any insect in the world. Being stung by one has been likened to a three minute electrical shock. The ranger assured us that they usually don't bite people. In other words, she told us what we have been told about rattlesnakes, grizzly bears and mountain lions. I was certainly reassured by her comment.

A large number of people who come to the park come to hike its numerous hiking trails. Those trails range from very short, simple ones to extremely strenuous ones. Climbing is also popular in the park. Yesterday, a climber was found dead on one mountain. He was rappelling and fell. He caught one of his feet in his rope and was found upside down. I learned about this incident in an on-line newspaper. His death was not mentioned by any of the rangers or tour guides we met.

There are spectacular mountain views at every turn.

It is difficult to believe that a small river, the Virgin River, carved out these mountains over a period of millions of years. The widest point in the river we saw was around 25 feet, but heavy rains and melting snow can turn the little river into a large, raging body of water. Two years ago, the river flooded covering some of the roads and forcing the park to close for a time.

Hopping onto and off of the buses was tiring. Walking around trying to find the answers to Carole's home work was also tiring. By 4:30 pm we were ready to go back to the Visitors' Center and get Carole's new badge. Part of her homework required her to draw a badge for the park. When she turned in her Jr. Ranger brochure, the rangers passed it around and gave her the usual compliments.