Wednesday, 6 October 2010

Day 26: Zion National Park

The narrow road in the Zion Canyon.

We came to Park from the East taking the US. 9 highway. All the roads in the Park are colored pink probably to merge with the surrounding landscape. But to me it looks somehow funny, like a winding stretch of the bubble gum. At the Park entrance we paid a fee and spotted a police warning: a shotgun armed and dangerous man was at the run at the Park. The authorities were looking for him. There was a picture of the suspect: a face of the normal guy. I asked the lady at the counter about the police warning. She said there was nothing to worry about. The warning was one year old so probably the guy is dead by now - she said with a smile. I smiled her back and moved on. The Zion National Park is in fact a big valley guarded by the high rock formations from the either side. As you travel deeper and deeper into the valley the walls come closer and closer. As soon as we disembarked from the bus shuttle we engaged in our usual business: getting the acquaintance with the park. First we hiked around the Court of The Patriarchs ( below ). These white and red sandstone rock formations are named for three towering figures of the Old Testament and stand over Birch Creek Canyon and the Virgin River.