Reveille was at 5:00AM and we left the hotel at 7:00AM after our mediocre breakfast and watered down coffee! I was concerned that the park’s parking lot would be full by the time we arrived but we all heaved a sigh of relief when we found several spots tucked in the back of the parking lot.
The group from left to right: Lou Sumabat, Tony Sumabat, TriniPebenito, Patchie Morales, Edie Retardo, Bobot Antonio, Bess Ayson, Gasie Ayson, and Danny Morales
We didn’t wait very long to board the shuttle which was surprising as it was a Saturday. However, when we came back a few hours later, the parking lot was full and vehicles going around looking for vacant spots to no avail. A handsome young American guy who was waiting for people to leave approached us and started conversing with us in fluent Tagalog! We were all amazed at how well he spoke our language that even his accent was very minimal. Of course, we gave him and his buddies our spot!
The shuttle dropped us off at Stop 9 Temple of Sinawava where everyone had to get off anyway. As planned, we did the easy Riverside Walk (2.2 miles) and completed the hike in less than 90 minutes. I have underestimated some of my travel companions and I am really proud of them for walking the entire trail. We saw dozens of hikers crossing the brownish Virgin River barefoot with their hiking poles to keep them steady from falling. I surmised they were going to The Narrows which was the most strenuous hike as it takes you to an elevation of 334 feet and normally takes up to eight hours to complete.
It was a perfect day for a slow easy hike. The temperature was pleasant and sunny. We “oohed and aahed” at the amazing rock formations which was made more beautiful as the sun created the perfect shadows in some spots. We saw a deer feeding up a slope and some squirrels scampering nearby waiting for scraps of food to be tossed to them (which was prohibited).
By the time we decided to leave Zion, it was way past lunch time. A consensus was reached to continue on to Bryce Canyon National Park and forego lunch. Along the way, packets of snacks and fruits were pulled from our bags and cooler to help ease our hunger. Similarly, the Scenic Byway 12 drive was fantastic! This time the rock formations were different from that of Zion’s. Here the rocks seemed to be carefully stacked on top of each other just waiting for a gust of wind to blow them down. There were more arch formation too which we hope to see more when we get to Moab/Arches National Park in a few days.
There was not enough hours in a day to really appreciate the full beauty of these awesome national parks! But since we had time constraints we did the best we could to memorialize these amazing places! With Bobot’s skillful driving, we drove through the serpentine roads to Salt Lake City where we will be staying for two days. After a few hours on the road, we all agreed that we had to stop for an overdue lunch at a gas station with a Subway fast-food restaurant. As we got back on the road, we experienced on and off rain (again a welcome sight to alleviate some of the drought stricken areas).
Tired, hungry, and in need of a hot shower we dragged our feet to our hotel in Radisson Downtown Salt Lake City. After checking in, we all went to our rooms with what little energy we had left. FYI: our group’s youngest is 62 and the oldest is 77 years old.
The threat of flash flooding is real!
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