On the way back from southern Utah, we stopped at one of Dave and Chris' favorite spots, the Mona rope swing (at Burriston Ponds).
At the end of the week, Charles and Mary Anne took a hike to the "Hot Pots," some hot pools along Fifth Water in Diamond Fork Canyon. Directions: http://www.utah.com/thingtodo26961.htm. It is a lovely spot, but apparently some visitors choose to engage in rather unsavory behavior, particularly on weekends. So, if you go, it's best to go during the day and make lots of noise as you approach to make sure you don't encounter any shocking scenes.
After spending a glorious day in Bryce Canyon National Park, Charles, Mary Anne, and David headed down the road to Zion National Park.
While Bryce Canyon is all about bright colors and intricate rock formations, Zion canyon is about massive hunks of sandstone and sheer rock cliffs. Zion is a true canyon cut by the running water of Virgin river and its tributaries while Bryce is actually an amphitheater formed by erosion from falling rain and snow and the freezing and thawing cycle that goes on 200 days of the year. The lowest elevations of Bryce are at the highest elevations of Zion so Bryce is about 10 degrees cooler, a big plus in July. Well, we were lucky that it was only in the 90's at Zion instead of the usual 100+.
We entered the park from the East encountering a brief delay at the gate, but luckily finding the traffic going one way in our direction through the tunnel. The eastern part of Zion is a land of sculpted sandstone--petrified sand dunes.
After passing through the mile long tunnel, you enter the main part of the park. No vehicle traffic is allowed on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, so we found a parking spot at the visitor's center and got on the shuttle bus. It takes about 45 minutes to ride to the end of the line--Temple of Sinawava--where we get off to hike the Riverside Trail (Easy).
Once the wedding stuff was over and Mom and Dad Henderson's house put back together, Charles, Mary Anne, and Dave decided to explore some National Parks.
