Off again after a week in the Bay Area but only an overnight for me after babysitting Ela. It was a mad rush to pack food and necessities for trailering but Friday came and we were off. Driving south through Gilroy, it was quite smoky and the lush green hills of Pacheco Pass in March are now dry and brown.What astounds me when driving through the country, is the amount of variety in snack foods and drinks for sale. These gas station stores have a dizzying array of stuff. At one store, drinks occupied 3 entire walls of refrigerators!
6 hrs later we arrive in Barstow. The next day, our routing to Zion takes us through Vegas. It has been close to 30 years since we have been here and we are amazed at how much it has grown with its ritzy hotels and concert venues. The landscape after Vegas becomes more interesting with rugged high sandstone cliffs.
We arrive at Zion Canyon Campground late in the afternoon and decide to get a lay of the land before tomorrow. We learn that the main road from the visitors center is closed to traffic and all guests must take the shuttle which only runs from 7am to 7 pm.All the trails branch off from the main road which is 8 mi long. Therefore it will be difficult to carry my camera and tripod all day while hiking. I will have to go with just an iPhone. It also makes it impossible to get sunset photos beyond a mile or less of the visitors center. I applaud the park for implementing such an efficient shuttle system but for photographers, travel is better after October. We are fortunate there was no lottery system as in past years.
The sun was setting as we walked up the road from the visitors center and I captured an iconic Zion shot.
The Zion Canyon Campground is quite nice, only a 5 min walk to the visitors center. It is quiet and the sir let’s have plenty of trees to provide shade from the hot sun. So late in sept and still so hot!!