SOUTHERN UTAH, A LAND OF STARK BEAUTY: Part 2 - Zion Canyon

On our second day in glorious Utah, the weatherman promised another scorcher (107-109 degrees), so we packed snacks and eight more water bottles and hit the road for Zion Canyon, which covers 229 square miles, is 15 miles long, and up to one-half mile deep. In other words, it is BIG. Upper Zion Canyon, our destination, covers six miles and is only accessible by National Park Service Shuttle. No private vehicles are allowed on this six-mile stretch April through October, but we didn't mind using the shuttle.

 Almost at Zion Canyon. Click on photo to enlarge.

The free shuttle ran every 10 minutes, stopping at different trails to allow folks to get off and on. We did this a lot. Because we've traveled together often, Ron, Bob, and Nita know I'm a nutty photographer; they graciously put up with me and my camera.

 The visitor center and its numerous shuttles.

 Picture taken through window on the shuttle's roof. I took lots of these.

Thousands of years ago the canyons of Zion were created by the Virgin River and the spring rains that brought waterfalls cascading through the huge rocks. Flash floods are common, especially in the spring, and you are warned to check weather conditions before coming to Zion Canyon. Even distant storms can cause flash floods. Scientists believe that the Virgin River can still erode 1,000 feet of vertical bedrock.

I liked seeing the American flag at the visitor's center.

One of my favorite pictures. The white peaks

in the center remind me of white chocolate candy kisses.

Sister-in-law Nita and I bought these hats 

at Walmart in Washington. Hers is cute and 

stylish; mine is floppy and kind of ugly, but it 

protected my face and the back of my neck.

This squirrel begged unsuccessfully for food. Squirrels 

and other wildlife can become aggressive if you 

succumb to their charms.

Maidenhair ferns (above) grow in small pockets of moist dirt and cling to the rock faces, often appearing to grow out of the rock.

The above photo explains the swamp in the desert.

The pictures above and below show the swamp. In some swamp areas, tiny streams of water trickled from the rocks, even rocks hundreds of feet high.

Can you spot the buck standing right beside the trail?

The Virgin River, peaceful the day we visited, but it 

can turn into a roaring, dangerous river in minutes.

Weeping Rock.

  

We climbed a short, but steep trail with what is called "minor" drop-offs to reach Weeping Rock. Hah! I didn't consider them "minor" at all, but I have a fear of heights. The view at the top was worth it, however, and seeing the live rattlesnake about six inches off the trail made it more exciting.

This bird, possibly a black-headed grosbeak, posed long 

enough for me to snap a quick picture. Bless his heart.

Cottonwood, singleleaf ash, and boxelder live near the Virgin River.

Zion Canyon captured my heart, and I hated to leave. But we were all tired, hot, and hungry, so we caught the shuttle back to the Zion Visitor Center and our car, and drove the 42 miles back to our condo. What a great day!

SOUTHERN UTAH, A LAND OF STARK BEAUTY: Part 1

I've always wanted to travel to Utah, the land where movie-star cowboys made many of the shoot 'em up movies I watched as a child, so in June, hubby Ron and I flew west. Getting there wasn't easy. First, we boarded a puddle-jumper in Lynchburg, changed planes in Charlotte, flew to Phoenix where we waited on the plane for an hour before continuing our flight to Las Vegas. At the airport, we joined Ron's brother Bob and his wife Nita, rented a car and drove three hours to the condo in Washington, Utah. Remember to click on the pictures to enlarge.

We stopped in Mesquite, Nevada, which isn't far from the Arizona line, for a very late lunch. I rubber-necked my way through the maze of slot machines, crap tables, and other gambling games as we walked through the building to reach the restaurant. The food was bountiful and delicious and inexpensive. The establishments in Nevada don't make their money peddling food; they make the big bucks when people belly up to the gambling tables.

 I loved the wide open spaces, the changing topography, the mountains.

Sister-in-law Nita in front of our condo, which had 

three bedrooms, two and a half baths, an 

attached garage, and a view of the resort's pond.

 

 A view of the great room from the hall.

We stretched our legs and visited the resort's pond. I took tons of pictures of the ducks that live there, visited the pond at least once a day.

  

 I named the male mallard (foreground) Curly because 
of the curl in his tail feathers. Of course, I had to name 
his mate Curlette. Also in the picture are four 
of their 17 ducklings.

 Close-ups of two of the babies.

I loved watching Curly dive. Note his curly tail.

The next day, we packed eight bottles of cold water in a cooler and headed out to Snow Canyon State Park, not far from Washington and St. George. The outdoor temperature sizzled at 107 degrees. 

We passed these life-size bronze statues on the way 
to Snow Canyon. I snapped this picture from the
 back seat of the moving car.

Petrified dunes in Snow Canyon State Park. I  

waved to the folks on top; they didn't wave back.

Lava beds from long-ago volcanic eruptions contrasted 

with the red and white rocks and the green plants.

Petrified dunes in the back, lava in the front.

 Deep sand dunes at the foot of the petrified rocks.

 Ron, Bob and Nita outside IN-N-OUT.

We lunched at IN-N-OUT fast food restaurant. I was so impressed with the cleanliness, the food, and the employees who were actually smiling at each other and the customers that when I returned to Virginia I called IN-N-OUT's corporate headquarters and told them what a great place it was. They told me a plaque would be made up and sent to this IN-N-OUT. If you are in Washington, Utah, and want a quick but nice lunch experience, I recommend this place.

Inside IN-N-Out.

The day before we left Utah, we stopped in IN-N-OUT again for a milk shake. Yum.

We went to bed exhausted, but happy. Snow Canyon State Park was great, and I knew that the next day would be fun, too. Would Zion National Park be as nice as Snow Canyon?

HEAVEN KNOWS

I heard her seconds before I saw her sitting in her parked minivan, windows down, head turned as she faced the two small children cowering in the back seat.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. "SHUT THE *^&*#@* UP! STOP THAT *&()^#@!"

I stood on the sidewalk outside my doctor's office and watched. Was she going to hit those children? Should I intervene? If I did, would she later take it out on those kids? I went inside the medical center, signed in, reported what I'd seen, and took a seat in the waiting room.

Usually when I go to the doctor I take a book and read while waiting my turn. Today I didn't even pull my book from my purse. How could I read after witnessing such verbal abuse? Granted, children can infuriate us adults, make our tempers boil, but I couldn't envision anything making an adult woman go so ballistic.

I thought about the woman, wondered how she was raised, what caused her to act that way, wondered if she resorted to physically abusing the children at home. Unless something changed, those two children would likely grow up to abuse their children. And then I thought about all the anger and hatred and abuse that occurs in many homes, and I almost cried.

The nurse called my name and I hurried to the exam room. I learned later as I was leaving that an employee had hurried outside to see what was going on, but that the car had already left. Lord, please be with those children and that woman. Heaven knows, they need all the help they can get.

"BIG RED" CAME FIRST

"Big Red" came first, followed two days later by "Lady Bird." Excited--no, actually I was giddy--I grabbed my camera and rushed outside. I'd almost given up hope, afraid that the violent storms we and the rest of the country had recently experienced had altered their course, or worse, had wiped out the hummingbirds migrating north. I usually hang my feeder the first of April; a hummer almost always appears the same day or the day after. This year they were two weeks late.

  

 "Big Red"

 "Big Red" posing for the camera with his right 

wing  behind his back. Note his big red band.

"Lady Bird"

 "Lady Bird and "Big Red"

For a week or so, I re-filled the one feeder every three days. Where were the rest of my hummers? Had predators gotten them? Had the turbulent weather killed them?

"Big Red" and "Lady Bird"

 Then there were four!

Then five!

My lone feeder on the deck stayed busy, needed filling once or twice a day. What did I do? I added a second feeder.

 

 "Big Red" at the first feeder.

Thrilled about my hummers, I realized I was refilling feeders each day. What to do? I hung a third feeder, this one on the front porch. 

 "Little Red"

Meet "Little Red."  If you click on the picture to enlarge, you  will see the tiny red dot on his throat. He's a male, a young one. I've gotten to know my hummers, and they know me, will come when I call them in a high-pitched voice."Little Red" has marks on his neck other than the red dot; he's the only one I have who has these markings.

  Can you find the seven hummers?

For over three weeks, 20 or more hummingbirds have lived at my feeders. I can't get a picture of all of them; they fly and flit too fast, and my camera can't catch them. If I could put all three feeders beside each other, then maybe I could get a blurry picture of hummingbird activity.

I refill my #1 deck feeder four or five times a day. Number 2 deck feeder is refilled four times each day, and front-porch feeder two to three times.

 Tools for my hummingbird food: 8-cup measuring 

cup, large pot; small pitcher for extra, funnel,

measuring cup for pouring into feeders, and feeders.

Each night I fill three feeders with sugar water and line them up on the kitchen counter ready to hang outside by 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. (I bring all feeders in every night so racoons won't destroy them.) Each night before I go to bed I measure eight cups of water in the Pyrex measuring bowl pictured above, boil it in the large pot, pour two cups of sugar in the boiling water, stir, and let cool overnight. So far I've gone through four five-pound bags of sugar. Tonight I'll open my fifth five-pound bag. Can you tell I enjoy my hummers?

Hummers

"Big Red" came first, followed two days later by "Lady Bird." Excited--no, I was actually giddy--I grabbed my camera and rushed outside. I'd almost given up hope, afraid that the violent storms we and the rest of the country had recently experienced had altered their course, or worse, had wiped out the hummingbirds migrating north. I usually hang my feeder the first of April; a hummer almost always appears the same day or the day after. This year they were two weeks late.

  

 "Big Red"

 "Big Red" posing for the camera. Wish his right 

wing hadn't been behind his back. Oh, well, 

at least he came. Note his big band of red.

Lady Bird"

 "Lady Bird and "Big Red"

For a week or so, I re-filled the one feeder every three days. Where were the rest of my hummers?

"Big Red" and "Lady Bird"

 Then there were four!

 Then there were five!

 My lone feeder on the deck stayed busy, needed filling once or twice a day! What did I do? I added a second feeder.

 

 "Big Red" at the first feeder.

Thrilled about my hummers, I soon noticed that I was refilling feeders each day. What to do? I hung a third feeder, this one on the front porch. 

 "Little Red"

Meet "Little Red."  If you click on the picture to enlarge, you  will see the tiny red dot on his throat. He's a male, a young one. It's interesting, but I've gotten to know my hummers. "Little Red" has marks on his neck other than the red dot; he's the only one I have who has the other markings.

  Can you find the seven hummers?

For over three weeks, 20 or more hummingbirds have lived at my feeders. Sorry I can't get a picture of all of them, but they fly and flit too fast, and my camera can't catch them. If I could put all three feeders beside each other, then maybe I could get a blurry picture of hummingbird activity.

I refill my #1 deck feeder four or 5 times a day. Number 2 deck feeder is refilled four times each day, and front-porch feeder two to three times.

 Tools for my hummingbird food: 8-cup measuring 

cup, large pot; small pitcher for extra, funnel,

measuring cup for pouring into feeders, and feeders.

Each night I fill three feeders with sugar water and line them up on the kitchen counter so they will be ready to hang by 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. Also at night I measure eight cups of water in the Pyrex measuring bowl pictured above, boil it in the large pot, pour two cups of sugar in the boiling water, stir, and let cool overnight. So far I've gone through four five-pound bags of sugar. Tomorrow I'll open my fifth five-pound bag.