Not deterred, though, Nikki and I did take Smoke for her evening walk. She always leads...
Then, Zion! The park is so popular that only a small portion of it is accessible by private vehicle. Their bus system works well, though, and we enjoyed using it. At a usual loss for words, Zion is just amazing. This is a view of "The Court of the Patriarchs" - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Full of wildlife - this mule deer is well camouflaged, but still only a few feet from one of the popular trails.
The Virgin River cuts through the park, creating the great 2000 foot deep sheer canyons found here. It looks tame and gentle right now, but can be a raging monster during sudden violent rainstorms.
With an average rainfall of only about 10 inches per year, the canyon gets water any way it can. One other way is through weeping rocks. Centures of pressure has squeezed mud into shale layers and sand into thick sandstone layers. Water passes easily through the sandstone but not through the shale. Rain and snow pass through the sandstone but when they hit the shale layer, the water moves sideways to emerge from the cliff as a rock spring. This one "rains" continuously over a large area, creating a wonderful hanging garden of wet flowers and trees - but you get wet exploring it!
Beautiful red rock formations.
Not all mountains are red --- early explorers felt these white rocks would be perfect landing places for angels.
It was a most wonderful visit and trip with Nikki, but it was time for her to return home. She has two kittie babies that missed her terribly. We took her back to Las Vegas to catch a flight home, but I sure miss her!
We have a few more days at Zion, so there will be endless more pictures!
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