Monday, July 27, 2009

Come to Zion

We decided to take a quick trip down south over the 24th of July... we started out at Zion National Park and had time to do a couple of hikes. The kids were like mountain goats, which is especially funny because Coleman often complains when starting the trek into a store like Costco, "My legs are tired... I don't think I can walk anymore..." They did really well on the hikes and we loved the scenery!

It was HOT but luckily our hikes were mostly in shady areas.

Coleman and Liv were fascinated with everything they saw... squirrels, lizards, squirrles, plants, still more squirrels, etc. Coleman kept reminding me not to feed them or touch them.

We took a nice rest at the end of the riverside walk. I was a little tempted to go through the water and look into the Narrows... but that will have to be an adventure for another day. My desire to stay dry (other than the sweat that was dripping down every inch of my body) outweighed my urge to see the Narrows.

Here we are at the end of the riverside walk.... oh, the water looked tempting!

And of course the requisite "hold up the rock" photo... there were a lot of international tourists hiking around us and they thought this photo op was too good to pass up too. We are so inspiring!

We hiked up to Weeping Rock--the significance of the name took awhile to sink in for Coleman... we explained it several times and after sitting under the dripping rock for a few minutes he said, "Oh! I get it... it's like the rock is crying!!!!" It was a light bulb moment for sure.

The kids could have stayed a long time catching the dropping water... Olivia thought it was hilarious to gather what she could and throw it on us. Silly girl.

After our hikes we were wiped out and hungry... and despite being warned by a friend, we ate at the little cafe at the lodge. Note to self.... when a friend says it's bad, listen. The food was terrible... Ryan said it was "okay" but it was inedible in my opinion. I realize I am picky... but it was really bad. The fries tasted like they were five hours old and even Coleman realized they didn't have any salt... he drowned his french fry woes in ketchup and was good to go, but I couldn't stomach more than a few... and the "chicken" sandwich tasted much worse than cardboard on a bun.

Despite the bad food, our day in Zion was fabulous. We hope to get back and go on some of the other hikes that we didn't have time for.

**Have you been to Zion lately?
**Any stand-out-bad food I should avoid in the future (I promise to listen this time :))?

5 comments:

Sara White said...

Glad you had a good time on your trip. Last time we went to Zions we took a stroller on the hike "Weeping Rock". I wouldn't do that again. It was a pain! By the way, I see that you are reading "The Time Traveler's Wife". By chance is that your copy and if so, can I borrow it when you are done?

Julie Pia said...

I LOVE ZION'S!!!! We've taken our kids a bunch of times. We took the kids on Angel's landing last time. I don't think I'd do that again with my little one's. I was in a panic the entire time.

And the food.....Oh, the food!!! Yeah, don't eat the food!!! It is absolutely HORRIFIC! We've experienced the same thing. You are absolutely famished and need anything you can get your hands on....... or so you think! The only item I would go back for is the ice-cream. It's pretty hard to screw up ice-cream.

Glad you guys had a good time! loves....

Kristi said...

It's fun to see pictures of these places and know exactly where you are talking about because we've been there, too! What fun memories for your family. I'll have to remember NOT to partake at that little cafe - thanks for the head's up! :)

Kristy said...

Glad you enjoyed the park. The Pizza Noodle is great food just outside the park in Springdale. There are a few yucky food joints and some really tasty ones.

Jen said...

We also went to Zions, but were short on time so just drove through. When I lived in Cedar City I went quite a bit to Zions and loved it. One part of Zions that not many people know about is Kolob--yes...you hike to Kolob...it is fun to sing the song as you are hiking. They have some great hikes there and very little tourists. It is the north end of Zions and the entrance is just south of Cedar City about 10 miles and right off I-15, so if you don't have time to go all the way into Zions, this is a good way to see a part of it!