We decided to go on a 3 day tour to the 3 canyons - Grand, Bryce and Zion. We'd seen a tour by Incredible Adventures that was almost half price (due to the fact that they would be filming the trip for a promotional video - which we are in)!
We set off a 7:45am. Its a small group - an Australian called Taran, a Romanian called Georgiana (who asked a lot of questions and was always in the gift shop!), a lovely family from Australia (Janelle, Lionel, Brendan and Hayden, who we'll visit when in Oz), Justin and Scott (who will be filming & taking photos) and our guide, Anderson, a Navajo Indian.
We stopped off at Wal-Mart to stock up on food then we headed into Utah to Zion National Park. We got on the shuttle bus and went to the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the route. We were joined by Jolie, who runs the company we were touring with. We did the Riverside Walk, that runs alongside the Virgin River. When the path ran out, we decided to carry on the walk in the river! The water was icy cold but relatively shallow. That is, until further along, when it eventually reached mid-thigh! By this point we couldn't feel our feet. We walked along The Narrows - a route that is surrounded by high mountains, in a multitude of colours. The views were breathtaking! Luckily, none of us fell in!
We only walked for about half an hour in the river before turning back. We then walked up to the Weeping Rock. Water is forced out of the sandstone rocks and appears like a light shower over the edge of the rock. It was beautiful to stand underneath it and look out over the park. By now, our trousers had dried and we could feel our feet again! We then headed to the Emerald Pools (which are green from the algae in them)!
That evening, we headed to "The Village of Many Nations" at the edge of Zion Park. This was going to be our home for the next few days as we were camping in a TiPi!! We unpacked the van and organised our bedding (there will be 7 of us sleeping in the big TiPi, which is 28 feet in diameter, and the family sleeping in a smaller TiPi next door). Then we had to organise dinner, which was home-made burgers. We made a bit of a mess with the initial burgers until Janelle showed us how to make them properly!! We had dinner round the campfire.
After dinner, Justin & Scott showed us how to make s'mores! You roast marshmallows over the fire. When they are soft, you put one on half a Grams cracker, put a piece of Hershey's chocolate on it and the other half of the Grams cracker and voila! You have your s'mores! They were very delicious!
The next day we rose at 6:30am - it was a tad cold outside (its a good thing that I had a hat and glovers with me)! After breakfast, we made our way to the Grand Canyon. We walked along to Bright Angel Point on the North Rim. The views from here were spectacular! The path at times was quite narrow. At the point, there was a pile of rocks, which we climbed up to get an even better view. It was a little daunting as there was nothing either side to prevent us from going over the edge! Justin & Scott spent half the time perched on the edge of cliffs, aiming to get the perfect shot! Everywhere you looked you saw the canyon - there was nothing else in sight!
Then we went to the North Kaibab Trail and we walked down for about 20 minutes. The trees are turning into their Autumn colours and the place was alive with vibrant reds and oranges! The walk back up proved to be quite steep!!
After lunch, we drove to Cape Royal and walked to Angel's Window, which jutted out over the canyon. At Cape Royal, we posed for photos on the very edge of the cliff. A few months ago, a couple of Australians did handstands on this cliff (much to the shock of everyone watching as there is a 10,000 ft drop off the edge)!
That night, we went to a show at the Village of Many Nations - it was about the Mountain Men who came to America to catch beavers and sell their fur to the British. It was run by Buzzard Eater (who has been a Mountain Man for 30 years) and Little Buffalo (who played the America Flute). They told us stories of the Mountain Men and their encounters with the Native Indians. They also showed us some of the sign language that was developed between the many Indian nations and the Mountain Men.
That night we lit a campfire in the TiPi, which was great as outside, the temperature had dropped to below 10 degrees! We had some s'mores and Anderson told us stories about the Navajo Indians and their history.
The next day, we had to pack up as we would not be returning to the TiPi. We headed off to Bryce Canyon, which is apparently the best of the 3! Bryce is made up of Hoodoos (pillars of rock that are left by erosion). The main area is the Bryce Amphitheatre, which has 4 lookout points. We were dropped off at Bryce Point and made our way to Inspiration Point (that has 3 levels) and then to Sunset Point. The views were outstanding. The Hoodoos kept changing colours as we walked along the rim of the Amphitheatre. We kept looking for faces or creatures in them!
After lunch, we descended into Bryce at Sunset Point, along the Navajo Loop Trail. We dropped about 500 feet down (which was relatively easy). We passed Thor's Hammer (which looks like a marshmallow on a stick, so we re-named it Thor's s'more)! Taran decided to copy the Australians at the Grand Canyon and do a handstand! Luckily, it was away from a cliff edge and against a wall (assisted by Georgiana!)
We walked along the bottom, which was so green. We joined the Queens Garden Trail so that we could head back up. Lionel was pointing out some great shapes in the rocks - his best suggestion was the demented bulldog, sitting on a horse. I couldn't quite see it!
The way back up began quite easily, but towards the end, the path began to zip zag and we climbed quite quickly. We rested several times on the last stretch until we finally reached the top! We were all a little exhausted but it had definitely been worth it. The scenery was fascinating and you felt so small compared to the giant structures all around us!
On the way back, we stopped at the Navajo Lake before arriving back in Vegas. This trip was the best thing that we have done so far - we had so much fun and it was so peaceful and beautiful out there (you couldn't see or hear cars and were away from all forms of technology)!
We set off a 7:45am. Its a small group - an Australian called Taran, a Romanian called Georgiana (who asked a lot of questions and was always in the gift shop!), a lovely family from Australia (Janelle, Lionel, Brendan and Hayden, who we'll visit when in Oz), Justin and Scott (who will be filming & taking photos) and our guide, Anderson, a Navajo Indian.
We stopped off at Wal-Mart to stock up on food then we headed into Utah to Zion National Park. We got on the shuttle bus and went to the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the route. We were joined by Jolie, who runs the company we were touring with. We did the Riverside Walk, that runs alongside the Virgin River. When the path ran out, we decided to carry on the walk in the river! The water was icy cold but relatively shallow. That is, until further along, when it eventually reached mid-thigh! By this point we couldn't feel our feet. We walked along The Narrows - a route that is surrounded by high mountains, in a multitude of colours. The views were breathtaking! Luckily, none of us fell in!We only walked for about half an hour in the river before turning back. We then walked up to the Weeping Rock. Water is forced out of the sandstone rocks and appears like a light shower over the edge of the rock. It was beautiful to stand underneath it and look out over the park. By now, our trousers had dried and we could feel our feet again! We then headed to the Emerald Pools (which are green from the algae in them)!
That evening, we headed to "The Village of Many Nations" at the edge of Zion Park. This was going to be our home for the next few days as we were camping in a TiPi!! We unpacked the van and organised our bedding (there will be 7 of us sleeping in the big TiPi, which is 28 feet in diameter, and the family sleeping in a smaller TiPi next door). Then we had to organise dinner, which was home-made burgers. We made a bit of a mess with the initial burgers until Janelle showed us how to make them properly!! We had dinner round the campfire.After dinner, Justin & Scott showed us how to make s'mores! You roast marshmallows over the fire. When they are soft, you put one on half a Grams cracker, put a piece of Hershey's chocolate on it and the other half of the Grams cracker and voila! You have your s'mores! They were very delicious!
The next day we rose at 6:30am - it was a tad cold outside (its a good thing that I had a hat and glovers with me)! After breakfast, we made our way to the Grand Canyon. We walked along to Bright Angel Point on the North Rim. The views from here were spectacular! The path at times was quite narrow. At the point, there was a pile of rocks, which we climbed up to get an even better view. It was a little daunting as there was nothing either side to prevent us from going over the edge! Justin & Scott spent half the time perched on the edge of cliffs, aiming to get the perfect shot! Everywhere you looked you saw the canyon - there was nothing else in sight!Then we went to the North Kaibab Trail and we walked down for about 20 minutes. The trees are turning into their Autumn colours and the place was alive with vibrant reds and oranges! The walk back up proved to be quite steep!!
After lunch, we drove to Cape Royal and walked to Angel's Window, which jutted out over the canyon. At Cape Royal, we posed for photos on the very edge of the cliff. A few months ago, a couple of Australians did handstands on this cliff (much to the shock of everyone watching as there is a 10,000 ft drop off the edge)!
That night, we went to a show at the Village of Many Nations - it was about the Mountain Men who came to America to catch beavers and sell their fur to the British. It was run by Buzzard Eater (who has been a Mountain Man for 30 years) and Little Buffalo (who played the America Flute). They told us stories of the Mountain Men and their encounters with the Native Indians. They also showed us some of the sign language that was developed between the many Indian nations and the Mountain Men.
That night we lit a campfire in the TiPi, which was great as outside, the temperature had dropped to below 10 degrees! We had some s'mores and Anderson told us stories about the Navajo Indians and their history.
The next day, we had to pack up as we would not be returning to the TiPi. We headed off to Bryce Canyon, which is apparently the best of the 3! Bryce is made up of Hoodoos (pillars of rock that are left by erosion). The main area is the Bryce Amphitheatre, which has 4 lookout points. We were dropped off at Bryce Point and made our way to Inspiration Point (that has 3 levels) and then to Sunset Point. The views were outstanding. The Hoodoos kept changing colours as we walked along the rim of the Amphitheatre. We kept looking for faces or creatures in them!After lunch, we descended into Bryce at Sunset Point, along the Navajo Loop Trail. We dropped about 500 feet down (which was relatively easy). We passed Thor's Hammer (which looks like a marshmallow on a stick, so we re-named it Thor's s'more)! Taran decided to copy the Australians at the Grand Canyon and do a handstand! Luckily, it was away from a cliff edge and against a wall (assisted by Georgiana!)
We walked along the bottom, which was so green. We joined the Queens Garden Trail so that we could head back up. Lionel was pointing out some great shapes in the rocks - his best suggestion was the demented bulldog, sitting on a horse. I couldn't quite see it!
The way back up began quite easily, but towards the end, the path began to zip zag and we climbed quite quickly. We rested several times on the last stretch until we finally reached the top! We were all a little exhausted but it had definitely been worth it. The scenery was fascinating and you felt so small compared to the giant structures all around us!
On the way back, we stopped at the Navajo Lake before arriving back in Vegas. This trip was the best thing that we have done so far - we had so much fun and it was so peaceful and beautiful out there (you couldn't see or hear cars and were away from all forms of technology)!
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