Exploring Zion National Park - Pt 2 - 2022/09/08

We had a fun hike to the Narrows, but now it's time to head back. 

It's beautiful here. 

Hiking along side the stream. 

These deer are so quiet we almost hiked right by without noticing. 

Back at the tram where we're getting picked up. It's 5:20pm and Theresa and I were talking about what to do next. We had planned to come back later this week to Zion, but after potential troubles with parking, the heat, and a 2 hour round trip, I think this might be the only visit while we're in the area. 

Instead of heading home, we hopped off a few stops early. We'd brought snacks, and had planned to eat when we got home, but if we're going to spend more time here, a proper meal would be appreciated. 

There's a really nice hotel here along with a grill. 

Prices are actually pretty decent for a place that has you captive. $7 for a kids burger and fries. $13.50 for an adult sized burger and fries. 

We took our meal outside to enjoy the ambiance. 

The burger was good and sweet potato fries were delicious! 

Time to get back to the Visitor's Center though. We're at Stop 5 at the Zion Lodge. We hopped on an "Express" shuttle at 6:35pm expecting to have plenty of time to get back to the Visitor's Center at stop number 1, especially considering stop number 2 is closed. 

Well... this "Express" (intentionally in quotes) stopped and sat at every single stop on the way back, including stop number 2! Are we going to make it back by 7pm before they close? 

Well it wouldn't have mattered anyway. The Rangers table and tent was packed up and long gone. D'oh! I really wish they would have given us those badges. We headed into the bookstore, which for some reason is open an hour later than the visitor's center (they said it was changing soon) and asked if anything could be done. 

We were so fortunate to run into a kind employee who checked with her manager and found a couple badges. She checked the kids' booklets to see if they completed the activities they needed to. 

And she's only seen it done before, but she still swore them in as Junior Rangers. Thank you!

Thank you Zion! 

We tossed a few things back in the truck (the parking lot has cleared out quite a bit) and walked through the RV and tent campsites here in Zion on the trail. 

It's so much better with the cooler weather. 

A fellow walker going the other direction actually stopped us and said "You have to let me take your picture. Look at the background!" I have to admit, she was right! It's a gorgeous vista!

The stream has made its way down. 

There were a half dozen photographers lined up on a bridge waiting for... something. Sunset? I held my camera above them and snapped a few photos above their heads. 

Looking over the bridge. 

Made it to the end of the trail for us. 

Where the cars stop and the shuttles are the only thing that can continue. 

Our hike back was cooler and it started to get dark! 

I think it's about time to swap out these shoes! New ones on the left. Same exact brand and color on the right, but they have a few more miles on them!