September 20, 2012

WE TOOK OUR TIME ON OUR WAY TO ZION NATIONAL PARK. While we toyed with the idea of going to Beaver, Butch Cassidy’s birthplace, we concluded that it was too much of a detour. However, we did stop in Red Canyon, a place not far from Beaver. 
 

As we approached Zion, Carole spotted a rock shop; and we stopped to buy a few. Entering Zion National Park, we drove on the only stretch of the park where cars are permitted. To see other sections of the park, you have to take one of the frequent shuttles which take visitors to and from some of the most scenic areas of the park. After our trip through the park, I concluded that shuttles would be fine.

The park brochure euphemistically describes the road as having “frequent sharp switchbacks.” Put another way, there were blind, hairpin turns every 70 or 80 feet. Zion is the most popular park in Utah, and the road was crowded with European off season travelers. At several points, we drove though dark tunnels, one of which was over a mile long. During the entire 12 mile drive, there were “no passing lines” on the road for traffic from both directions. Rounding one turn, however, we nearly crashed into someone who felt that it was safe to try to pass someone while making a sharp curve on a mountain road, clearly a not-ready-for-Mensa person.

Always curious about the names of towns, I inquired as to why a town clearly safe from hurricanes would have such a name. Apparently, years ago some local commented on a particularly strong wind and said it was like being in a hurricane. Either the guy was very rich or the town was in the midst of a very boring year.