Zion National Park

We left the Grand Canyon a little later than we wanted to, but we just had to get in a shower at the North Rim.  We were headed for Zion National Park for three days, and knew there were no showers at the campground.  Once we were all packed up, we headed out.  On our way out, we stopped at Jacob's Lake Lodge for gas and some of their famous cookies.  We picked up several kinds to sample.  They were all pretty good.  This one was called cookie in a cloud and had a marshmallow inside.

We took the Mount Carmel Highway into Zion National Park.  We got to pass through the Mount Carmel tunnel, which was pretty amazing.  It is a mile long tunnel carved into the side of the mountain.  Periodically, there are little "windows" in the tunnel that peer out into the park.

We got into Zion, and after a few wrong turns, finally found the Watchman Campground.  We have a gorgeous site.  It's shaded with a perfect view of Watchman Mountain.  Then we figured out the shuttle system and headed into the park to see a few of the sites.

We visited Weeping Rock, which is a little alcove in the side of the mountain where ground water seeps through the rock and "rains" down on visitors.  There is actually quite a bit of plant life that lives on the weeping rocks, and it is a really beautiful place to cool down.

We didn't get to see many sites, because we had to head out to Zion Adventure Company to pick up gear for our big hike the next day.  We are hiking The Narrows, which is a pretty big deal.  It is a slot canyon, and most of the hike is in the Virgin River.  You need rugged hiking shoes, neoprene socks, and sturdy walking sticks.  Luckily, we found a place to rent them... Justin says he has found what he wants to do when he retires.  This place was doing quite well with gear rentals.

So we are all outfitted and ready for our epic adventure tomorrow.    It's one of the biggest hikes we've ever taken on.  Let's just hope Tatum can get through it with minimal whining.  Wish us luck!