My first run through Zion NP, UT.

Sunday, March 25th, 2007

How about a run through Zion National Park… they say the most visited Park in the USA, and I believe it…I feel like I have to stop expressing myself in the same fashion every time an area, a Natural Wonder moves me… I have however run out of words and the thought always that this is even more dramatic… more poignant… becomes wrong! I have to tell myself ‘its different, one cannot put a mind value on any of it!’. Maybe a scale??? Zion is a 10!!!

Zion is special… it is more raw and right in your face. You can touch it, you can walk it, and I have no clue what I am going to do with all these pictures! It was just a run through it… a simple round trip…

Clouds on the way, a bit of sunshine and heavy rains coming back! Normally a no problem situation, as we carry everything you can imagine and need on the road. Food, space blanket, 8 gallons of fuel, 12 liters of water, all the tools needed, extra clothing, my heated gear is in the saddlebags January or July… so what happened? Why did my rain pants called in missing?… somewhere stashed back at home base!

No clue… Not that I try to avoid much riding in the rain as I think it is needed for practice, but this was the first time in 6 months on the road that we got caught in a downpour! Of course we made it… and by now, with the sun up being the next day, all is dry again.

I met an interesting character while near Kanub… Alain from Switzerland. Having done my schooling there, we had a lot to talk about… mainly about HIS own adventure… if anyone here, no offense, thinks they are tough and adventurers… please rethink it!!! Traveling on a bicycle… he left Argentina… 16 months ago… on his way to Alaska… He will be on the road till the end of the year, then back home to get married and have a family as he said! Weighing about 150lbs, his gear matches his body weight and what he saves on gas… as I mentioned that his trip for sure is less costly than mine… he said, “what you spend on fuel, I spend it on food!!!…” A real comedian, can you tell by the picture?… Is it a Charlie Chaplin smile?.. good hearted person, up front with his feelings… “I thought about a motorcycle, but it is too fast… does not really give you a chance to see and feel it all…”. He covers 100 miles a day… I agree with him, sometimes I myself with a motorized rig, do not cover that much ground!

As I was leaving Zion on my way back, he was already almost at the entrance… in the pouring rain… pedaling all alone, absorbed in this thoughts… which I can just imagine their strength and depth. Very, very impressive… I think anyone writing a ride report should meet him… as I read some true… I will not comment any further than that…

I love tunnels… I love to hear the sound of the engine while riding through it… maybe honk the horn like a kid hoping that someone else will too!… over a mile tunnel going through Zion, a narrow one as built in the early 30’s. They only allow traffic one way at the time… smart move specially with the giants of the road… those 100 footer buses with 50 footer trailers… you have seen them.

My headlights… they work!

No joke… this was the end… or was it???

This is the EXIT of the tunnel…

Yes?… (a smilie here…). Not really, it is one of the openings from inside the tunnel which you can glance at while riding through it. It shows the mountain of rocks the tunnel has been built through… quite impressive for the thirties!

 

Many many stops… as I kept telling myself that in a day or two, since we are moving there tomorrow, I will have plenty of time for pictures… At one of the stops I decided to actually take a picture of the ones taking pictures of Spirit. You see what I go through?… And if by some time I start the engine to take off and they are not done… I am “told” to wait… What Fame “he” has… and he knows it too!… trust me.

We went to check out a camping spot I was told would be nice for us… Passed the Eastern entrance, passed Springdale, going west on the left between marker 24 and 25… We found it… checked it out… very nice, my kind of place right along the river. We are heading there tomorrow.

It will be home base for visiting the other Parks… there is a long list of it… For those  e mailing me much info, I do appreciate it ten folds!

And the skies, I almost want to quote “Jimmy Hendrix”… cried Mary!!! Dark and menacing and no rain pants… It is all a mind set, not that cold, will just be soaked from the waist down…

Such is life and there was no stopping on the way back… Spirit had his new rain coat however… I was happy about that and he is smart enough to keep his head behind the windshield. I just wish he would stop starring at me while we are under way… I still wonder why?… 90% of the time…

I have realized these past month that finding a nice, mind conductive campsite sometimes will take time. Often will not even happen. Sometimes we have to camp somewhere not quite of my liking just to find such a spot. Tomorrow will be fine, took a while…

You be well… enjoy…

Ara & Spirit

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3 Responses to “My first run through Zion NP, UT.”

  1. WALTER (OLD) IN MISS Says:

    COME BACK AND PICK ME UP, I’LL HOLD SPIRIT ON MY LAP AND THE THREE OF US CAN GO SEE THIS WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF OURS!!!!!! STILL ENJOYING THE BLOG, I’M WITH YOU ALL THE WAY…..

    WALTER L

  2. Peter Says:

    Hi Ara & Spirit,
    I’ve been enjoying your notes and pictures for several weeks now – thankyou!
    Regarding Alain, I will be on the look-out for him as he has to travel right past our house. We live 12kms west of Watson Lake Yukon, on the Alaska Hwy.

  3. Rita Says:

    had to comment on the picture of the of the picture takers……zoo like…….brought a smile to my face…ok, maybe it was a real out loud laugh!

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