Las Vegas, NV to Zion Canyon, UT (about 170 miles)
We are heading out of Las Vegas toward Utah and lo & behold we drive right past the world famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop as seen on the History Channel’s smash hit show, “Pawn Stars”. It’s 10 a.m. and the line to enter wraps around the corner because they are filming today. I have Don pull off directly across the street so I can take this shot of the action. Vegas in the day light is kind of like Bourbon St. the morning after a Saints win. It doesn’t look nearly as cool as it does in the dark.
What does look really cool in the day time is the landscape heading out to Zion. For those of you with young boys, think Radiator Springs from the Disney movie “Cars”.
Since we have to make 2 pit stops on the way, the drive takes longer than expected and then we also hit numerous road construction tie ups. We don’t arrive at the park until mid afternoon. The good news is that the lodging we are staying at is literally right outside the gate to the park. The Cable Mountain Lodge is a rustic setting with very nice rooms. The river flows right behind it and across the river is a campground. Tonight, the campfires are lit and seeing them while smelling that woodsmoke evokes the spirit of Autumn. The locals and visitors alike seem to share a passion for the outdoors and everyone looks like they could be in a Cliff Bar advertisement. Many of the tourists are Europeans from mountainous regions, lots of German, Austrian, Swiss and Netherlands natives here. This is a nice contrast to the glitz and glam of Vegas and much more my speed.
Zion Canyon was formed by the Virgin River from red and tan Navajo Sandstone. Native peoples had inhabited this valley for 8,000 years. Mormon farmers settled the region in 1847 naming it Zion. In 1909 President Taft decided to make it a public sanctuary then President Woodrow Wilson redesignated it Zion National Park. The canyon is only accessible by the park’s free shuttle system or you can drive in if you are a guest staying at Zion Lodge inside the park. There is a large network of hiking trails and to really appreciate the place you need to get on some of them. We set out to do the Emerald Pools trail to discover that it was closed so we wound up following the horse trails.
We then went down to the river walk, which is a paved trail that takes you down the canyon into the area where the canyon walls converge.
( I am having a Zen moment)
We built up an appetite in the Canyon so after the sunset we headed into Springdale looking for some good eats. Oscar’s Cafe is one of those off the beaten path eclectic places that I love to try. Our hostess informed us that there was, indeed, an Oscar. The original owner’s middle name was Oscar. He started the establishment and then it transferred hands. Our waiter and the hostess had been there for 17 yrs. The outside has a decent sized patio seating area that has a lot of mosaic work that was done by the owner’s daughter.
I was informed that the burgers were awesome, however, since adopting my new found vegetarian/pescatarian diet I passed on the meat and had a fresh, tasty salad and some fish tacos.
Also, I can’t resist a place that will prominently display politically incorrect statuary.
The enormous slab of the signature carrot cake they brought us complimentary for our anniversary dessert was the highlight of the meal for me.
(Don & friend)The jet lag is improving and tonight I am getting to bed at 1:30 a.m. east coast time instead of the 5;30 a.m. My hydration status is better today, too. (no, it’s not just from wine-I drank a lot of water pre and post canyon you cynics) Tomorrow, we are attempting to squeeze in a side trip to Monument Valley. Let’s see how that works out.
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