Zion National Park.
DeLynn and Maggie headed off to Oklahoma, and I headed off to Zion National Park, heading for the west gate, about 73 miles from Cedar City. I had forgotten just how nice that entrance is, as it’s preceded by Springdale, a very nice little town leading right to the entrance, with some nice stores including places to eat and drink.
Zion is yet another incredible place, which Bev and I visited in 2014, and again with Kaye in 2021. Here, there is a visitor center/transport hub, with shuttles carrying park visitors up the main Zion Canyon every 5-10 minutes, with about 9 stops along the way, culminating at the Temple of Sinawava. It’s a mighty busy hub. The drive up, about 5-6 miles, I’d guess, through Zion Canyon is beautiful, with visitors getting off and on for various hikes and scenery at every stop. The park is jammed, though, as DeLynn said it would be. It’s a popular spot.
After arriving at the Temple of Sinawava, which is the name for a rock formation at the top of Zion Canyon, I first took the pretty easy Riverside Walk along the Virgin River, a round trip of maybe two miles, ending at the Narrows. It really was jammed, and was like walking down Fifth Avenue, except without the stores and with nicer views. Hundred of people, it seemed (many of them wearing exactly the same waterproof hiking shoes, which gave me pause. Why was that? Visitor center store perhaps?
Instead of taking the shuttle back down to where I had planned to take a more arduous hike, I decided to walk down Zion Canyon, and that was really a good idea. The walk, a little over 3 miles, was wonderful, partly because other than the shuttles zipping up and down, and people on rented e-bikes occasionally traveling the canyon, it was just me and nature, walking through this incredible canyon.
It was a serene and tranquil walk, in which I stopped many times along the way to explore the area around me, seeing some small mountainside waterfalls, and the natural vegetation, wild flowers, and cactus groves along the way, growing out of the mountainside, and with the Virgin River as my companion, flowing down the canyon with me, surrounded by mountains and cliffs.
I scrambled down to the river at some point, and found a spot that I thought would be perfect to release some more of Bev’s ashes. Zion is really the last place on this journey of mine that I’ll be spreading Bev’s ashes, and this, and a couple of other spots I scouted, among the naturally growing wild flowers, seemed a wonderful place to have Bev join the serenity and wildness all around me.
I feel sad this is the last part of the journey for releasing Bev into the wild and the world around us. The ritual of releasing these ashes, and reminding myself and Bev of why this spot to release ashes, and reaffirming my love for Bev, as been visceral, literally holding Bev in my hands as I release her into the air or, in this case, the waters of the Virgin River. I will miss this part of my journey.
I continued my hike down the canyon, looking for spots along the mountainside that seemed the right place to release some more ashes, quite aware that this release will be the last on my journey. I found two spots that seemed right, spreading Bev’s ashes into the natural flower gardens planted by nature, and growing out of the mountain.
I continued walking down the canyon, thoroughly enjoying the peace and majesty. It was really wonderful.
However… I guess I really have to start wearing hiking shoes, instead of my pretty well worn sandals, because despite the fact that I’ve walked a great deal over pretty rugged terrain, my feet aren’t sufficiently callused, and I started to get a couple of blisters, making walking more difficult after a while. So, when I got to the area I had intended to hike, where again there were loads of people, I instead picked up the shuttle and headed back to my car to put on some socks (and maybe change my shoes).
By the time I got to my car, my feet were too sore to walk more today, plus by now it was starting to get late in the afternoon (and, in fairness to my feet, I had walked over 5 miles), so I drove the scenic route (all routes in Zion are scenic) up through the canyon, about 13 miles toward the Temple of Sinawava, to the east gate, from where I’d head back to Cedar City.
But, what a drive through the eastern section of Zion that was, going higher and higher, to close to 7.000 feet. Heavenly. Maybe that’s why the park is called Zion.
And then what did I see? The very sight Kaye had been hoping to see on our train journey from Durango to Silverton. Desert Bighorn Sheep, a small herd, just grazing on the side of the mountain, alongside the road. Wow!
As I headed further up the mountain, the rock formations began to change regularly, highlighting the diversity of Zion, and differences in the eastern part of the park.
I hit a beautiful rainstorm as I neared the top of the drive and the eastern exit, after first driving through the two pitch black Zion-Mount Carmel tunnels, drilled in 1927 at about 5,500 feet, one of which is over a mile long. Just a great drive.
And then I took the unsurprisingly scenic Mount Carmel scenic highway, acrosst’ (as DeLynn would say) the mountain, through Orderville, where DeLynn was raised and his mother still lives, and back toward Cedar City, about 73 miles away.
And finally, back to DeLynn and Maggie’s for the evening, and deciding to stick around an additional day. I’m thinking maybe I’ll go visit Area 51 in Nevada, about 3½ hours west, or Pioche, also in Nevada, north west, a town DeLynn describes as an old cowboy town, or maybe both.