24 Jun 21

It was cooler tonight, so we both slept pretty well. After another excellent breakfast in the Jacob Lake Restaurant, we got on the road just after 09:00. Within half an hour, we had dropped from the cool, alpine pine forest at 8000 ft, off of the Kaibab Plateau, down to the high Arizona/Utah desert around 5000 ft; temp went from 65 F to 80 F during that period. We drove along UT 9 to Zion National Park, and what a drive that is. The only trouble was that about half of America had the same idea, so it was well past noon when by the time we pulled into the visitor center. After several minutes of driving around looking for an empty spot (along with about 30 or 40 other cars) we gave up and drove into town. The Driftwood Hotel, where we were booked for the night, would not let us into our room, but they did let us park there. So, we took the free shuttle up to the park entry and then caught the park shuttle into the park. Did I mention earlier that it was crowded? We rode up to the end of the line (Temple of Sinowava, or something like that), and walked up the canyon to the end of the trail. From there on, you can walk another 2 or 3 miles, but it is a walk up the river, in the water. We took off our shoes and soaked our feet in the water for a few minutes, then walked back down to the shuttle stop and just came on back to the hotel. Not exactly a wilderness experience, although it is really cool. I recommend coming here between Labor Day and Memorial Day - not the other way around. We checked into the Driftwood Inn about 18:00 and, after a refreshing shower and a cocktail, walked over to the King’s Landing Bistro (part of the Driftwood Inn) for a most excellent dinner on the patio, where we enjoyed watching the setting sun play on the cliffs of the mountain to the east of us. Afterward, we sat on the patio of our room until well after dark, playing a bit of guitar and enjoying the cool of the evening.

Log = 79 miles; Sum = 1643 miles