Zion National Park Eastern Approach

Photos

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

We were up with the sun again. No nice sunrises here surprisingly. It was another cloudless day. Breezy and cool in the morning and breezy and warm in the afternoon. We had more or less a repeat of breakfast at Clarke’s. We packed up and turned in the key cards and set off again west on Utah 12. The Red Canyon was still lovely. We stopped and took more pictures. Clay saw a cottontail cross the road but we didn’t see any other animals today except birds and lizards. We stopped at a couple of viewpoints we had missed yesterday. One had a sign about pronghorn, but we didn’t see the herd it was referencing. It was interesting though. It said “pronghorn are confounded by fences”. Evidently even though they are fast and can jump far, they will not get a running start and leap over a fence. They will try to wriggle under or through it.

Zion entry fees. You can see that these standard entry fees could really add up. Thank goodness Clay is old! Even though we have had to buy 2 Senior passes due to not having one on us in Hawaii, we are still way ahead on the savings over regular entry prices! The tunnel escort fee is for large vehicle that require the longer tunnel to become one-way traffic only. There must be some real money made here on these fees!

We headed down Utah 89 and ran into some road work with the road only open one lane. Good thing we had a short drive today and were in no hurry. This part of the drive was not very scenic, (though on the map it has the same scenic byway designation as 12 and 24) but it was short. We turned right on Utah 9 (which was designated scenic and was very scenic) and were soon waiting in a 15 minute or so line to pay (show our pass) to enter Zion National Park. We had decided to try for the Canyon Overlook Trail entering Zion NP from the east on Utah 9. When we got there we found no available parking and a long line to get through the tunnel. There is more parking in the lot on the other side of the street but they don’t allow left turns so even though traffic only moves about every 10 minutes, you can’t get there. Oh, well. We missed that one. Bad news. Good news is that we are both nearly paralyzed from our crazy climbing hikes yesterday and beyond the views, we weren’t really looking forward to it. How sad is that?

The entry drive on this approach was crazy scenic and an engineering marvel. We went through 2 tunnels and one of them had S-curves in it and went on for over a mile. It had amazing large open windows along the right side sporadically. The traffic goes through there in one way bursts as large and wide vehicles cannot fit through as 2-way traffic. It was spectacular and for us the rest of the park was kind of blah. They don’t allow you to drive personal cars on the scenic drive up and down Zion Canyon during most of the busiest parts of the year. They also have very little parking. So, you are supposed to get yourself to a shuttle stop and let them drive you around. They use propane buses pulling another bus-sized vehicle with the same seating setup. Visibility is limited. It is about an 80-minute roundtrip from the Visitor’s Center.

We drove the part where private cars are allowed to the Visitor’s Center to try to sign up for a Ride with a Ranger at 9am tomorrow. There was no parking, so Clay let me out and I got behind about 30 other people at the Information desk. Beside it was the Zion Lodge desk and the 2 guys there were working the line trying to get anyone to come over to their side of the desk behind their vacancy sign and ask for rooms. I was just about fuming by then. We had tried several times months ago to get a room for even one night at the park lodge and their booking website always said they had no availability for even one of our nights. I just have to say now that everything here was poorly done compared to the other parks we’ve just come from. The scenery is disappointing compared to Arches or Bryce and the crowds are unbelievable. Why would anyone come here and be herded like cattle, when the other parks are so superior? Maybe it is just me but I can’t find anything good to say. (On further reflection, the red road pavement is nice.) Zion is just not for us. Maybe if we were rock climbers we’d be in heaven. But as it is we don’t like it. Even the information in the paper handout, which is nameless, is not organized and presented clearly. To boot, the newsprint smears! Unlike The Hoodoo from Bryce that they asked you to carry at all times and I did and it never smeared and it was useful and not just incomplete and confusing. Anyway, end of rant for now. I finally got my turn at the desk to be told that we could be the first 2 on the waitlist for the Ride with a Ranger at 9am tomorrow. She told me to be at the flagpole outside at 8:45am and that we could probably go. So that is the plan for tomorrow. Clay found a parking place while he drove around waiting for me. We visited the shop and went out to drive to the history museum and see the 22-minute Zion film. I thought there would be better parking there because they did not have a sign on the road saying parking full like the visitor’s center did. I was wrong. We drove around and around and finally drove back to the visitor’s center and found a spot after only about one circuit.

So, we got our lunch out of the car and ate it in the shade. Clay poured about half his bottle of Diet Coke on my lap, legs and feet. He just bent over and poured it out on me. I don’t think either of us can explain how exactly that happened. We went back to the car and I changed into a clean and dry pair of jeans while we fended off the circling cars. Then we went out and took the 2^nd shuttle that came and went with space on it. We watched the film and read the signs around the building and took in the landscapes before boarding the next shuttle. We were so overwhelmed by the noise and people and glaring sun and blowing wind, etc. that we just stayed on for the full round trip and decided to call it a day. Staying on for the round trip is a euphemism. We actually had to get off and walk to the bus at the front of the line to continue the full round trip.

We left the park and drove less than a mile to the Quality Inn. There is only one main street through Springdale and it goes right into the park. The town of Springdale and the National Park ask that people parallel park at the curbs of the road in Springdale and take Springdale’s free shuttle to the edge of the park, walk through and pay to enter the park and then take the park shuttle from the Visitor’s Center. Really. And I assure you that all of that is more complicated than it actually sounds. Springdale is basically like a giant parking lot for Zion National Park. I don’t know what it is like. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I don’t understand it. I don’t like it. I am tired and cranky. I should just go to bed now.

We got checked in to the Quality Inn and were told to park where we had already parked in one of the 8 spaces right outside the lobby. Really? 8 parking places for a Quality Inn motel? She put us in 228, the first room at the top of the stairs. Again! Top floor in a building with no elevator. There is a spectacular view from the 2^nd story outdoor walkway, but there are no windows out that way. Our view from 228 is of the breakfast restaurant’s roof, vent fan and evaporative cooler. If you look out to the sides past all that there would be more stellar landscapes, cliffs, etc. It is a good-sized and attractive room with tragic drapes. It has a king bed and a sofa, a table and 2 chairs. TV, fridge, microwave, coffee maker, iron and board. The bathroom is large with a single sink and shower over tub. No nightlight. Sensing a pattern? It is all clean and good except for those drapes. The sun must just be brutal here. Though the other thing I don’t like is the 5 small square bed pillows they have marching across the head of the bed. I mean come on, pillows should be rectangular and how are 2 people supposed to share 5 pillows anyway. The mattress is really comfortable! We paid $264 for 2 nights and it included parking, breakfast and free Wi-Fi.



You have to go to the front desk with your ice bucket to request ice from whoever is at the desk. There is a campground behind and attached to this Quality Inn. Clay overheard some women checking in and having the shower tokens explained to them. The desk clerk gave them each a 6-minute token and told them to plan wisely before getting in the shower. She told them the timer runs whether the water is turned on or not, so get organized first. What the heck? Now Clay is worried that our shower will cut off after 6 minutes! (It didn’t. I should have been selling showers here! I told Clay if I’d been with those camping women, I would have asked for a room and rented out my shower to the others.)

We commiserated and researched all afternoon trying to figure out what we’d like to try to do tomorrow. Based on getting on the 2 hour Ride with a Ranger tour in the morning, we made a plan. We’ll see. Our plans haven’t meant much so far here. Clay also researched where to have dinner and buy lunch groceries. There is 1 grocery store here. You can imagine the prices without competition.

We walked down the main street away from the park. There were hundreds or maybe thousands of whirligigs for sale! Is it always this windy here? I am assuming yes because otherwise there is no explanation for the plethora of whirligigs.

We went into a restaurant called Wildcat Willies, it had at least 3 signs outside about its world famous bumbleberry pie, so we went in. (We had never heard of bumbleberry and had to look it up later. It turns out I've been making a cobbler for years that could probably wear the bumbleberry name.) We were seated with menus and both noticed there was no bumbleberry pie for dessert. When the waitress came and asked for our drink order, I asked her about the missing pie. She said they don’t serve bumbleberry pie, but if we want some we can go out to the adjoining gift shop and get one. NO. We got up and left instead. What is wrong with this place?

We walked across the street to Oscar’s Café that Clay had read about on Trip Advisor. Famous fish tacos, which are not on the menu. So, it was Mexican-inspired food. Clay ate all his pork chile verde enchiladas so either he was really hungry or liked it. I did not like mine. I ordered the black bean burrito with grilled chicken breast in it. The waitress and I had a long conversation about how the menu said the burrito started with black beans and rice and salsa and I did not want any salsa in there. She said they would leave it out then. She said I might not like the smothering chile verde sauce and I agreed and she offered to bring it in a bowl on the side. I agreed. Then when I got it and cut it open, it was filled with what looked like onions, chiles and tomatoes. I was picking them out when Clay pointed out to her that it looked to him like there was salsa inside my burrito. She said no, that is the bell peppers and onions we use to marinate the chicken breast. Really? After all that conversation about not wanting salsa etc., she didn’t think I would be bothered by peppers and onions in there! And I paid extra to have that grilled chicken added. I could have just had it with the beans and rice and it would have been perfect. Still not having a good day.  

We haven’t even been away for a week and we are already miserable. We really are too old for this. I am hoping it is just Zion that we don’t like and it will be better when we leave. We’ll see.

Photos