Zion Part 1: A Grand Entrance
“These are the Temples of God, built without the use of human hands. A man can worship God among these great cathedrals as well as in any man-made church—this is Zion.”
I’ve written this before: experts say that awe is critical to our well-being. So I have made it a priority to seek periodic doses of awe. Zion National Park in southern Utah has been on my wish list for a long time, and it did not disappoint.
Since we were driving from Page, Arizona, we entered the park from the east. The road wound back and forth between huge, unusually shaped rock formations. We drove through a very dark, very long, very narrow tunnel. As we emerged into the light, we found ourselves surrounded by immense cliffs and mountains. We wanted to admire them, but we (well, Steve) had to pay attention to driving: the road zig-zagged down a series of long, steep switchbacks with no guard rails. There was nothing on the side of the road but empty air; the canyon floor was more than 1,000 feet below us. I was thankful that Steve was driving, and not me.
Finally, we reached the bottom of Zion Canyon. With great relief, we pulled over to get a proper look at our surroundings. In every direction, huge reddish-brown cliffs towered over us. The enormous scale of the place was so dramatic that it was mind-blowing. How can I describe it? Zion Canyon is 15 miles long, with sheer cliffs rising 2,000 feet or more on each side. Imagine if you walked the entire length of Broadway in New York City, and the buildings on both sides of the street were at least as tall as the Empire State Building - many of them twice as tall. That’s the scale of Zion Canyon. How’s that for a healthy dose of awe?
The Lodge and the Waterfall
At this time of year, only park shuttle buses and Zion Lodge guests can drive into the canyon. We felt like VIPs as we entered our key code and drove to the lodge. (Reservations are scarce, but I got lucky - there was a cancellation!)
It was early evening, and the tall cliffs cast long shadows on Zion Lodge. In front of the Lodge, eight mule deer grazed peacefully on the grass, unbothered by the people walking by. At the center of the lawn was a majestic cottonwood tree, and its seeds floated down like large fluffy snowflakes. Since we had some time before dinner, we hiked the Grotto Trail. we thought it odd when the wide, well-groomed trail ended abruptly, but we continued on an overgrown path and were eventually rewarded by a picturesque little waterfall. We thought it was the Grotto; we realized later that what we had found was an unnamed waterfall at the end of an unofficial trail. We also realized later that the mule deer visited the Lodge every evening. Speaking of dinner, the prickly pear margaritas at the Lodge really hit the spot.
TO BE CONTINUED…
