Road Trip and Cherry Pie!

Sunday June 12, 2011
Kanab RV Corral
Kanab Utah

 

We were on the road to check out Zion National Park
as a day trip from Kanab
since we could not get a reservation
in their Watchman campground which has electricity.
Thought we should check out their no-electricity,
first come, first served South campground
to see if it might be a possibility.

It would need to have a lot of shade
given the forecast high temperatures.

 

The drive over is about 41 miles.
17 miles north of Kanab on Route 89,
we picked up route 9 and went another 24 to the park.
We were headed for the Visitor Information Center
which happened to be at the far end of the park.

But we start seeing fantastic vistas at every turn
long before that.  And no time to stop now. 
So despite the eye-popping scenery,
we drove on toward the Visitor Center
and were there just after 8 AM.

First a check at the Watchman Campground
to see if they had any last minute cancellations.
The woman said to come back about noon
and she might be able to help.
I drove over to the Visitor Center parking lot
which was TOTALLY FULL at this early hour.
Fortunately they knew I was coming
and there was one front row space open.
Smiles.

Then I hear from the passenger seat,
OMG!! Stop it!! What are you doing??
No, no, don’t do that!!
This is the sort of conversation Sherry has
with her new smart phone.
She was using the phone to check
the campground reservation system
for a cancellation and she had found six nights
were suddenly available in a site that
could accommodate Winnona and
has electricity beginning tomorrow!!
Echo OMG!!

After a lot of harsh talk to the phone,
she was able to complete the transaction
and nail the reservation for us.
WHOOPIE!!
We were elated as you might imagine
and went on to the Visitor Center to start planning.

The Visitor Center like everything else
in this park is down in the canyon floor
surrounded by stunning peaks in every direction.

 

After getting our Zion Park newspaper
that has all the information you need,
we boarded an LP gas powered shuttle bus
similar to those we saw in the Grand Canyon
and went up to the Human History Museum
to see the orientation film.
This was great for getting us started
and telling the story of this place.

We came in shortly after the start of the film
so we stayed to watch the beginning
and I liked it so well I talked Sherry into staying
to watch it a second time.  :-)

We took the shuttle back to the visitor center
and explored the short trail options in that area .
We soon discovered the South Entrance
to the park with another stunning back drop.
The cool thing here is you can walk into this National Park
from Springdale, UT using this short bridge
across the Virgin River,
the river that carved this masterpiece of wonder.

 

 

Sherry was wanting to stay longer and maybe do a hike,
but I was thinking we had better get back
to get packed and ready for our return tomorrow
without overdoing the day and wearing ourselves out.
Besides, we had not stopped once coming in
and there were some really cool overlooks
I wanted to have time to look over.
So Sherry agreed that was a good idea
and off we went.

First fine vista.

 

Next one has a name, somebody’s temple.
You see the Mormons got here first
and made up new names for everything
including the name for the park, Zion.
Perhaps they did not know the names given
to these same places by the Native peoples.

As a result pretty much everything here has a biblical name.

 

Stop for a bite of lunch

with another fine view.

 

Then back on the road
and the first view of this very fine arch.

 

 

Now fine red cliffs.
See that hole in the wall there toward the bottom?
That is a window into a tunnel!
They used these holes in constructing this tunnel
in the 1920s to make it easier for people to get from  Zion 
to Bryce and the north Rim of the Grand Canyon.
When they finished the tunnel
they left the openings as windows,
and until vehicles got too large,
you could pull over and peer out at the vistas they presented.

No stopping in the tunnel these days though.
This tunnel is 1.1 mile long and 13’1” tall in the center
so they have to manage traffic for RVs and tour buses
to go through. This entails a $15 fee
and they stop the oncoming traffic to let you pass,
then resume two-way until the next oversize vehicle.
They have it well orchestrated and delay is minor.

 

Better view of the arch.

 

 

This is the entrance to the shorter of the two tunnels.
This one has no windows and is wide and tall enough
to handle two-way traffic.

 

Beyond the second tunnel there are more fine sights
including a lot of shifted sandstone
and what they term slickrock.

 

 

 

I love the mustard layer in this one.

Love the wave in the sandstone here
and all the green things that have made their home
and spent their lives on this stone face.
How do they do that??

 

This one is known as the checkerboard
for its clearly etched rectangle pattern.
How did that happen??

From a distance with his neighbor.

 

Just outside the East entrance to the park
we noticed these bison out doing their thing
in this beautiful pasture.
.

 

Back at the ranch, so to speak since we are in the west now,
it was time for me to BAKE A CHERRY PIE.
I had noticed a red cherry tree when we were running yesterday
that looked just like our cherry tree at home,
but this tree was loaded and the cherries were ripe.

After more than 30 years of faithful service,
our tree died this past winter
and collapsed to the ground in March
before we left
(I’ll spare you that picture).
It was sad to see as I had planted this tree in 1979
and had been making pies from its cherries for nearly 30 years.

So this sight on our run got my attention.

 

Later I went back and gotpermission from the owner
to pick a pies worth, which I did yesterday.

 

So, after picking, the next step is pitting.
I have a great gadget at home, but that was one of MANY things
that did not make the cut for inclusion in the Brave.
I can pit fine by hand, just not as fast.

 

 

Then the crust,
lots of practice makes this easy as,
well, PIE.

 

Then the filling, which of course must be tasted. ;)

In the shell …

Top with some butter and the upper crust …

Seal the lid …

Poke some vents …

Bake for 35 minutes.

Can you guess what we are having for breakfast tomorrow?