Ok, so.....
As many of you know by now, I have an illness- I say it like that because I am not really sure what I have. We have gone through food poisoning, heat exhaustion, and now we have decided that it is a stomach virus picked up somewhere in Zion National Park.
So two night ago I started having some pain and discomfort in my stomach right after we ate dinner. As the night went on, it started to get worse and worse. Anyway, I was in extreme turmoil for most of the night that night and I only got 1 1/2 hours of sleep and a lot of exercise going back and forth to the bathroom.
After that night, we were headed to Bryce Canyon. Well, that didn't work out because I was falling asleep in the car and half dehydrated from the previous night's adventure. So we moved on past Bryce and spent the night in a small Utah town. I am so disappointed that we couldn't go to Bryce, but I don't see how I could have enjoyed it at all!
I am telling y'all, that was the worst I have ever felt. I am still very weak from the experience, but I can say that I am getting better. Thank heavens I am getting better. I keep drinking fluids and eating small amounts, and resting.
I could go into more details about this illness, but seeing how Josh reacts to my frankness, I probably shouldn't tell all of you! (you will thank me for it)
Anywho,
Zion National Park is my favorite park so far!!! It is so competent and the most environmentally friendly park been been at yet. Basically, you park your car at the visitor's center or your campground and a shuttle takes you throughout the entire park! This is amazing, considering how much gas we have wasted trying to find things in other parks (Yellowstone).
I never knew ho beautiful Zion was, but I guess it was called Zion for a reason. Besides the awesome, propane fueled transportation shuttle in the park, they also have limited plastic bottle usage. They only sell bottled water at a few places, but if you have a reusable bottle, like a Nalgene, then you can have FREE Zion spring water! And it tastes delicious! There are filling stations throughout the park.
So, on our first day there we decided to hike the Narrows. This trail, or should I say waterway, is almost completely within the Virgin River and is about 5 miles one way. We started off the trek at about 11am, and ended up in the Narrows at about 2.
So hiking in a river is a TON of fun, and besides that the river keeps you cool when you are out in 98 degree heat. But, there is one thing about this hike that could concern many people- you sometimes have to hike in water that is chest-deep to over your head deep, with a strong-ish current running by you. Everyone in the river that day- and there were hundreds- said that it was so cold, but I actually loved the cool water and didn't mind wading chest-deep in it.
The best thing about the hike is getting to see the Narrows themselves. This is where Zion Canyon comes together, and the two sides of the canyon almost touch. My pictures do not do it justice, and there are not a lot pics, because I was hiking in water with an expensive camera- it was in a dry bag most of the way!
The smooth sandstone walls really are awe-inspiring when you get to see them on the scale of real-life! So many soft curves and colors! On a side note, this trip has really peaked my interest in Geology! Seeing the American landscape change has been an incredible experience all by itself.
Ok- Second and last day in Zion-
We went around to all of the other sights to see in the park, and we hiked the Angel's Landing Trail. This is a tough trail with a 3,000 ft elevation change going up to a portion that you have to hold on to a chain to keep from falling. Just so you know, I didn't go all the way- I some of that chain part, but I got scared and came back! Is it just me, or do I not want to fall 3,000 feet to the jagged rocks below?
So after that, we rode the shuttle to the other areas of the park and finally came back to camp very tired. And then the unpleasantness happened......
So there is my past couple of days....
We are in Moab, UT right now, and we are going to Arches tomorrow- or should I say Josh is going tomorrow if Eric doesn't feel well enough. So you will be getting pictures from Arches, but they might come from Josh.
Here are in the Picasa link: HERE
Facebook also has pics up!
Prayers for a very speedy recovery are welcome!!
EBS
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