Today, we visited Zion National Park, easily the hottest stop on our trip so far. Temperatures reached around 105 degrees, so we kept in the shade as much as possible with only two short hikes in the "easy" category. The first hike took us along a ridge to a shallow pool filled by a small waterfall. Pretty interesting to have a waterfall in the middle of the desert! Our second hike was to the Weeping Rock, where we were glad to be sprinkled with the falling drops. This was easily our favorite place in Zion, since our water bottles were much less refreshing when the water inside reached about 90 degrees. For most of the short day, we rode the shuttle buses around from one end of the canyon to the other, though the nap under the shady tree was nice and cool too. It's only 6:40 and we're already back at our hotel, anxious for some rest and maybe a swim in one of the two pools. Overall, Zion was beautiful with more red and white canyons, a lovely river, and diverse habitats. It was much greener than most other places in the desert we've seen, further adding to its appeal.
Our animal sightings have been minimal but exciting (at least for Angie). Today at Zion, we saw a black-collared lizard, a ground squirrel, a male mule deer (with a decent rack), and lots of birds. Yesterday, a prairie dog (at least that's what it looked like) ran across the road. We also glimpsed more mule deer and multiple cute, little chipmunks (they made the long hike bearable) at Bryce. Buffaloes, cows, and horses are everywhere along the highways. We still hope to see an eagle or a large predator or something else unique, from a safe distance of course!
Tomorrow, we're off to Las Vegas, where Claire (Angie's roommate/bridesmaid) and Matt (friend from the Dutch House) live. We plan to see a show, relax, walk the Strip, and watch some pretty cool 4th of July fireworks. It should be a nice contrast to all the national parks. Still having lots of fun...
Angie and Kayle
Another funny story about the heat: when we got back to our car, it was incredibly hot inside (as usually happens when parked in the sun, especially with its black interior). Well, my lips were dry, even after drinking lots of water, so I reached to put on chapstick. When I took off the cap, however, molten chapstick went everywhere, but mostly in my lap. We had to wait for the AC to kick in so the chapstick would harden again before trying to clean it up. Sure enough, as it got cooler inside the car, the liquid solidified (looked a lot like wax) all over my legs and flaked off rather easily. Oops!!
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