Today, we continued our travels with the Claars to Zion National Park. We followed I-15 to Hurricane, UT passing flowering fruit trees, an ostrich farm and the town of Springville at the West Entrance to Zion. Again, towering spectacular red rock formations. Elevation was over 5800 and by the end of day, we had crossed the Continental Divide and seen elevations over 7200'. I wish I had bigger eyes or maybe more eyes to see everything! After our Zion tour, the Claars turned North to Bryce Canyon while we headed for Holbrook, AZ.
Driving South near Kanab, there was a road closure for 3 hours every morning. The highway was being widened and a culvert installed. Thankfully, it had just opened for single lane traffic when we arrived so we didn't have to wait long on our way to Flagstaff, AZ. In Page, AZ, we noticed a small detour sign that our GPS missed. From the web, we learned that in February 2013, there had been a damaging landslide on Route 89 S. We were re-routed for 44 miles along Temp 89 through the Navajo Reservation. In Cameron, AZ, we stopped at the Trading Post for a break before the 7200' summit and down into Flagstaff to catch I-40 (Purple Heart Trail) for Holbrook, AZ. Again, I took a bazillion shots and still they don't capture the majestic beauty that we saw. The sky never really cleared to set off the red with blue but we were happy to have a chance to visit the park.
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| Zion Entrance sign |
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| Springville, Utah |
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| Along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive |
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| We could actually see more since the trees didn't have leaves. |
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| Small cabin near the Grotto |
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| Rest stop at the Weeping Rock |
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| This one fell off the pillar above at some point. |
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| Mule deer feeding at the Temple of Sinawava |
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| After climbing up along this windy road, we came to a 1.1 mile tunnel through the rock. The tunnel was successfully completed in 1930, unlike the tunnel in Seattle that has stalled after only a few months of digging. |
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| The tunnel is quite claustrophobic. No lighting and hardly 11' high. Many RVs can't make the drive or they must plan with the Ranger to have an escort down the middle of both lanes. There are openings along the tunnel to provide light which you can see in this picture as we looked up from the road. |
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| We passed through a second, much shorter tunnel than the first. |
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| This rock formation was called "Checkerboard". |
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| An old volcano in the distance. |
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| The Claars ahead of us before they turned North |
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| Crossing the Colorado River near Lake Powel |
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| Looking back at the bridge over the Colorado |
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| Funny formations on the desert |
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| Trying to capture the sunset in the mirror. |
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