Trip 2005 - Zion National Park

It was almost time to get back to the camp site to pack up, so that we could be in Vegas on time to pick the kids up from the airport. We took more time than we possibly should have, but we couldn't resist because there was so much to see and do. We were there for maybe 5 hours, and we had only seen about 5% of the park. I could explore this area for an entire week, but we had so little time, and so much more to do before this trip was done.

The best thing about Zion National Park was that everything was created naturally, either from weathering or water. There wasn't a single bit of evidence that this was man-made, except for this clever looking Flintstones bench that was trying to hide amongst other natural rocks. How dare it upset the balance of nature?

I call this the "hero shot." It's been in my mind for quite some time, although I don't think I've used it until now. It it used to make the person pictured appear as big or bigger than the object they are in front of, like the Sears Tower in Chicago or this huge rock cliff. Because the person is essentially larger than life, they can overcome all obstacles to survive and emerge victorious, much like a hero would in a story or real life.

We rode the tram back to the Visitor Center to grab a bite to eat. It was a semi-classy joint, and most people were in casual but professional attire. We showed up in shorts and tank tops, all sweaty and tired from walking around. Thankfully there was an area where you could order drinks and appetizers, where you could have an informal sitdown. The 3 of us (my Dad Mike, Kathy and I) ate the standard appetizers (chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, french fries) before we had to leave. It was a 2 hour drive back to Vegas, and it was rapidly approaching 8:00 pm. Clearly we would be late picking the kids up from the airport. But it was ok, because I witnessed a deer attempting to use a payphone. I think he tried using 1-800-callATT, but then realized that he would lower himself to the level of Carrot Top, then decided to just act like a deer and eat some freakin' grass instead.

Home

The Godsplash has taught me that sliding on things is good. Whether it be movie banners, sand and now rock. Sliding is the ultimate way to get from point A to point B. Unfortunately, rock is a little harder than water and sand, and I ended up ripping my new shorts (those ones that I am wearing in the picture.) Actually, I shredded the back pocket because the rock surface just grinded it right off.