CANYON COUNTRY - ZION

A quick dash across the desert from Vegas and we enter the first of many red, pink, white, vermillion rocks and canyons.  Still amazing places after 22 years of last visit - but then they have been around millions of years and will hopefully continue long after we mess up the planet.

FIRST STOP - ZION

Called in at the Main Gate and got our $80 annual permit that gets us in to all the National Parks in the USA for a whole year - a pity we only have a month, but it paid for itself in the first 3 days - so a bargain.  And it covers all the occupants of the car - so even more of a bargain, as thought we would be paying per person.  A glimpse into the park

and then an amazing drive to the other entrance on our way to our first AirBnb in Orderville - a typical small (very) American Morman town with 2 stores, 2 gas stations and an ancient motel (+ 2 defunct ones).  This is our car and house

 

OK, just kidding - this is the spacious house

and very comfortable, albeit still set in the '70s with avocado fridge and loo, plush carpets throughout and formica tables and chairs - some dudes in London would pay a fortune to transport it over.  Plus, of course, bibles, religious books and other Mormon reminders - not sure they approved of our glass of wine on the front porch on Sunday night when a family member popped round.  But they did have this amazing picture - presumably of the whole town in 1914 - the clothes are brilliant and obviously their very Sunday best

 
We spent 4 nights here - ate in each night as too tired to bother with BBQ and went out each day to walk and gawp.  These are some of the pictures in Zion NP - it is vast, like all the NPs, and we only scratched the surface with a couple of 2 hr hikes to various scenic points.

We went back into Zion for a second day and wanted to repeat our ascent of Angels Landing 22 yrs ago (its the classic walk and entails severe drop offs and chains to help you across some of the final sections ) but it was like a zoo - Sunday and hundreds going up and down on the chains so would have been no fun at all.  

This is a collage of Angels Landing with a close up of the string of people going up and coming down the same way clinging to chains - thousands of feet up on slippery slopes.  (Lin, with a bit of a dislike of vertiginous drops, would love it!!!!)

Branched off to West Rim trail half way up to AL and had great views, walk and lunch stop.  Only saw 6 people and a wonderful picnic to make our day in Zion.  

Hope this video of the lunch stop works - have never succeeded with videos in the blogs up to now!!  Am sure some of my eagle eyed readers will let me know (Allan - or Eunice who is enjoying the Zion pictures as one of her favourite places) - so may post this and then revise tomorrow!  Yes!! Had to convert to YouTube first-time hurray!!!
If not then these are the photos up top