Zion - The Promised Land

Provo, UT September 19 - 20, 2013

We drove out of Idaho and down through Utah to Provo for an overnight stop over on our way to Zion National Park.  We had no idea how large Salt Lake City is; the suburbs and traffic go on for miles and miles.  We made it to the Lakeside RV park which was near Utah lake in the small town of Provo which turns out is another suburb of Salt Lake City.  We were surprised by a neighbor with a newer version of Suni!  It was so fun.  We met the Shields from Tyler, TX who had just bought their 2014 Sanibel.  We toured each other's homes and noted the differences, which were minimal and mainly decorative.

Look.... twins!  We are the ones on the left.

Zion National Park  September 20 - 25, 2013

We drove the rest of the way to Springdale, UT the little town just outside the southern entrance gate to Zion.  Zion Canyon RV park is a fairly small park with mostly tent sites at the base of one of the beautiful red sandstone peaks right on the Virgin River.  We backed our huge home right next to a tent city.  It felt kind of weird to be sitting with our A/C blowing, watching TV while everyone else was sitting outside around a campfire.  There was very little grass areas for the dogs, but they had the river to play in.

The view from our front door.  This is what 2 million years of erosion looks like.  All these cool cliffs were carved out of the once flat Colorado Plateau by the Virgin River and its tributaries.

 

Great campground!

 

Love that water.

Zion is set up much differently from other NP's we have been to in that there is a required shuttle that takes you to the different viewpoints and trailheads, no cars allowed.  The Springdale shuttle picks us up right in front of our park and takes us to the visitor center where we pick up the Zion park shuttle.  There is an informational guide explaining everything you are seeing from the shuttle all of the way up the canyon.  We explored the visitor center and rode the shuttle all of the way to the end to get a feel for the park.  There are so many hikes available we had a hard time choosing which ones to attempt, but we decided on the two most famous hikes:  The Narrows and Angel's Landing. 

T-Shirt meant for Peg!

The Narrows starts with a one mile easy hike along the river which leads to a narrow canyon.  From there the "trail" is the flowing river.  So we plunged into the chilly water and hiked up the river.  At different times during the year this could require swimming, but now it is only about knee deep in most places.  The current is still pretty strong so it is slow going, but really fun.  We didn't make it all of the way to the end of the Narrows, but went for an hour and then turned around and hiked back.  We noticed a lot of people brought a change of shoes which is a really good idea - one we wish we had thought of. 

Hi mom!  This one's for you :) These guys would have freaked you out.  We saw them climbing up peoples backpacks, yes they were still wearing them, as they were sitting down to rest on benches and walls.

The start of the Narrows

The "Narrows" is a slot canyon produced by the Virgin river cutting its way through the hard and resistant Navajo Sandstone.  The red color is due to iron being present in the original sand before it was buried, compacted and cemented together by underground fluids that turned the sediment to stone.

Not too deep but beautiful

In addition to the shuttle there is the Zion - Mt Carmel Highway which goes through a man-made tunnel too small for Suni and barely big enough for the BAT. The tunnel has two lanes only 7 feet 10 inches wide.  In fact we had to toggle the mirrors in on the BAT to meet the width requirement, with mirrors in we are 7 feet 2 inches wide.  We were up close and personal with the tunnel walls!  The tunnel is over a mile long and has a few skylights along the way - really cool.  The tunnel then opens to the west side of the park which has a completely different look and feel.  The east side is all about the canyon and erosion by the river; the west side has been eroded by rain, wind and snow.  We contemplated making the 160 mile drive to the north rim of the Grand Canyon, but decided to head back and take a walking tour of Springdale instead.  Peg had a great time wandering through a rock shop.

Blasting started in 1927 and was completed in 1930.  At the time it was considered an engineering miracle.  She was built for the Ford Model T not the Ford F350!

Back during the age of dinosaurs, Jurassic period, Zion was covered by large sand dunes.  North America was only 10-30 degrees north of the equator (think license plate....Pangea).  The sand was deposited in an ancient sandy desert environment very similar to the Sahara Desert of today.  The lines in this "sand dune" show the direction that the Jurassic winds were blowing during deposition.

This is called a "checkerboard mesa".  The horizontal lines are called "crossbedding", they represent layers of wind-blown sand that built up into sand dunes.  The dunes were buried, and the sand grains glued together by calcite to form sandstone.  The vertical lines are less common.  They are shallow cracks that result from stress and erosion on the rock surface.  They are most commonly caused by expansion and contraction during seasonal temperature changes, wetting/drying etc...  The white color is due to a lack of iron in the sediment or what little iron that was present was unable to react with oxygen to produce the "rust" color.

Another tunnel, but this one shows the chisel marks.

Zion is know as an example of the finest "fossilized" wind-deposited sand dunes in the world.

We saved our last day to attempt the hike to Angel's Landing.  This is a 5.4 mile hike with a 1500 feet change in elevation with the last 1/2 mile along a steep, narrow ridge to the summit.  It clearly states that this hike is not for anyone fearful of heights.  We were concerned about that last 1/2 mile which is really more of a climb than a hike with chains in some areas to hold onto, but the first two miles are no piece of cake either.  There is one section called Walters Wiggles which are very steep switchbacks - oh my.  Once past the switchbacks there is a little plateau called Scout Lookout which has great views of the canyon and is the spot where most people stop.  Peg decides she wants to go ahead which for those of you who don't know is a huge feat since she is deathly afraid of heights.  We start up the climb hanging onto the chain and waiting on tiny ledges for the people coming back down to pass us by so we can continue our journey upward.  After the first set of chains there is a steep incline to hike over with a severe drop off and no chain to hold onto - Peg decides to wait it out here along with a number of other people.  One girl was heard saying "who would even design a trail like this".  I forged ahead determined to get to the top.  It was the longest half mile of my life.  I used Virginia's mantra the whole time "one hand for the boat" or in this case one hand for the rock or chain at all times.  The view from the top was truly amazing; almost as amazing as my sense of accomplishment.  I am still sore three days later.  The climb down was no picnic either.  We made it back down to Scouts Landing to find our backpack had been invaded by a chipmunk looking for our snack.... chewed through the pack and my favorite sweatshirt to get to an apple!  Pesky little fellow - so much for not feeding the wildlife.

See the trail on the right!

 

This isn't even the hard part.

 

New definition of switchback.

The first set of chains.  Peg stopped on the other side of this uphill climb.

The amazing view of the valley

Me at the top!  It was windy

Just a sampling of the trail

Must be getting close to Texas.  Have not seen one of these in a year and a half!

I was way up there! That is the top of Angel's Landing.

Pesky little chipmunk

 

 

Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter Amanda turning 22.

 

 

Coming soon.... Bryce Canyon and Arches NP.

If it were a bear....

Victor, ID  Sept 14 - 19, 2013

We made the relatively short drive from Island Park to Victor a small town across the Teton Pass from Jackson, WY and the Grand Teton National Park.  The Teton Valley RV park was a nice quiet park with large comfortable sites.  The managers of the park were very friendly and even had a black cat running around so we felt right at home.

We used our first day to check out Jackson, book our white-water rafting trip and peruse the visitor centers.  The 12 mile drive over the pass is absolutely gorgeous.  We learned that Jackson Hole is the name of the Snake River Valley adjacent to the Tetons and contains the city of Jackson as well as a large part of the NP.  Jackson is a great city with lots of fun shops, restaurants and history.  We booked our rafting trip for the last day of our stay as that was the only opening they had.  They only run the trip if they have a minimum of six people and the weather was a little cool so not very many people want to get soaked on the river.  The visitor centers were great as usual and pointed out the best places to see wildlife and of course explained the geology of the area.

Elk antler arch.  These are collected by the boy scouts every year from the Elk Refuge.

We chose the hidden falls / inspiration point hike above Jenny Lake which included a shuttle boat ride across the lake.  I decided to take a back road to Jenny Lake in the hopes of catching some wildlife and we were finally rewarded with a bear!  He was so cute right on the side of the road munching on a tree.  It was a beautiful drive through the woods.  We arrived at Jenny Lake ready for our shuttle boat only to find that the parking lot was full.  We still can't believe how crowded everything is.  After circling a couple of times we had parking success.  A couple coming off the boat said they saw a moose family on the hike!  The boat captain told us we didn't have much time until the last shuttle, but we could always hike the 2 miles back to the parking lot if we missed the last boat.  We took off on the hike up to hidden falls and then continued to inspiration point and met with another couple that said yes they had seen the moose family a few miles further in.  Now on a mission we hiked as fast as possible asking everyone coming down the trail to confirm the moose sighting.  We finally realized that the moose must have moved on.  Disappointed we headed back to the boat dock.  Fortunately even without the moose, the hike was fabulous - great views, great weather.  We drove the same road back to the pass and were rewarded with another bear sighting!  So exciting.

Black bear carbo loading for hibernation

Hidden Falls

Jenny Lake as seen from the hike up

What makes the Teton Range within Grand Teton National Park so spectacular to look at is that there are no foothills to obstruct their view.  This is due to how they formed.  They formed with a "quick" thrust upward along the Teton Fault Line.  Generally mountains form during a very long compressional process between plates that gives rise to lots of buckling (foothills) of land surrounding the highest peaks.  In this case, 10 million years ago two blocks of Earth's crust moved in opposite directions from each other.  One skyward to make the Teton Range, one downward to make Jackson Hole Valley.  They moved along a crack or fault line that separated the two blocks.  Movement along the Teton Fault generated massive earthquakes causing the mountains to rise and the valley floor to drop.

                                   
                                                     Straight up, no foothills in sight!


                                                                               

A section of the Teton Range. 

The peak in the middle furthest back is the Grand Teton at 13,770 feet.  The peak furthest left is the Middle Teton at 12,804 feet.  The third Teton called the South Teton at 12,514 feet is not in this picture but would be to the left of the Middle Teton.  The peak with all the glaciers at the top of it is Mt. Owen at 12,928 feet.  The peak furthest right is Teewinot Mt.  The big snow mass at middle right is the Teton Glacier.  

This is Mt. Moran.  See the black stripe on its face?  Look at the pic below for a close up.

 

This is a strip (dike) of an igneous rock called Diabase.  It is 150 feet wide and you would see it extend 6.5 miles westward if you were looking down from top of the mountain.  The black dike was once molten magma that squeezed into a crack when the rocks were deep underground, and has since been uplifted by the movement along the Teton Fault.

Another view of the Grand Teton (peak on the left) and the Teton Glacier

Erosion sculpted the Teton Range landscape.  Starting 2 million years ago, massive glaciers up to 3,500 feet thick flowed from Yellowstone.  Ice sheets filled the valley, alpine glaciers sculpted the jagged Teton skyline seen above.

 

The day before our rafting date the weather was not too great so we decided to drive the rest of the park.  There were some great views of the Tetons, their glaciers and Jackson Lake.  We took another side road up to Signal Mountain which was very narrow with lots of traffic, but we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the valley and a soaring show by a couple of bald eagles.  We took the back road home, but instead of bears we were hit with a hail storm!  Not Texas hail thank goodness, but marble size hail all the same.  We were able to get under some Lodgepole Pine trees to avoid hail damage.  We made it back to Victor safe and sound and they hadn't even had any rain let alone hail.

As glaciers "flowed" they moved huge amounts of earth or glacial debris called moraines.  These moraines were left behind after the glaciers receded and acted like dams allowing the formation of lakes like Jackson Lake above.  Jenny Lake too!

Jackson Hole Valley

The next morning the surrounding mountains were covered with snow!  Unfortunately our raft trip was cancelled due to lack of participation!  We were so bummed!  It was only 50 degrees out so probably not a bad thing, but we had really been looking forward to it.

I should explain the title.... this is the Italian version of the saying "If it were a snake...."  We say it all of the time and think it is very funny.

Coming soon.... UTAH!  Quick stop in Provo and then on to Zion, Bryce and Arches NP

Hot Spot

Yellowstone NP, Sept 7 - 14, 2013

The drive from Challis to Island Park, ID was easy and scenic.  We chose Valley View RV Park which is thirteen miles from the west entrance to Yellowstone NP, but the drive is from Idaho thru Montana and into Wyoming to get to the park.  The RV park is great and we are in a site on the back row right next to an open field and only one neighbor.  There is beautiful views of the hills and Henry Lake. 

We are very excited about our visit to Yellowstone and had no idea how big the park is.  We spent every day driving a different section, stopping at all of the visitor centers and exhibits.  It is a fascinating place.  We used our first day to drive thru the areas known for wildlife.  We did see a beautiful boy elk with huge antlers and his harem of six females and quite a few bison.  There were also several beautiful bald eagles and osprey.  We are disappointed because we really want to see a bear or moose.  We drive every crazy off-shoot gravel pathway trying to discover some hidden spot, but to no avail.  The park is still pretty crowded and every time there is an animal within 100 yards of the road the traffic stops completely and there are fifty people crowded around taking pictures. 

He didn't even flinch when Calcite barked at him

Two bison butting heads amid Y.S. many active hydrothermal vents.  No, those are not clouds but steam coming out of fissures in the ground.

The largest ravens we have ever seen.  They are bigger than Zoe!

Bald Eagle head.  It is the white "ping pong" ball almost center.

 

Skip to the pictures if you don't want to read about the geology of YS and its hydrothermal features.

 

 

This area has the most hydrothermal features anywhere in the world.  Yellowstone (YS) is what it is due to volcanism.  YS itself is a volcano.  Beneath the ground in YS is a huge body of molten rock, magma, which remains from earlier volcanic activity.  About 2 million years ago it all started with a huge volcanic eruption from the "hotspot" lurking below.  The second eruption occurred 1.3 m.y.a.

but the one that shaped the park we examine today happened 640,000 years ago.  This one spewed 240 cubic miles of debris.  Due to the weight of this volcanic lava, ash, molten projectiles hardening into boulders, the central part of what is now the park collapsed under the weight.  It formed a 30-45 mile caldera, or basin.  The magmatic heat from that hotspot powered those eruptions and still powers the park's geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, and mud-pots. 

The magma hotspot heats water percolating down from the surface along fractures and faults.  This superheated water rises back toward the surface, collecting into larger channels that form the plumbing pipes for each hydrothermal feature found in the park.

Geysers form if the plumbing channel contains a constriction.  Between eruptions, temperatures in the superheated, pressurized water beneath the constriction build up, creating steam.  The steam pushes water out of the constriction, water pressure deep in the system drops immediately, and the geyser erupts.

Hot Springs are features with no plumbing constriction.  Superheated water cools slightly as it reaches the surface, and is replaced by hotter water from deeper sources.  Now a convection pattern is in place where hot water rises, cools and sinks.  There is no constriction or steam, so no eruption.

Fumaroles are steam vents and are YS hottest surface feature.  Their underground channels penetrate the hot rock below but are "dry".  What little water does exist in the plumbing converts instantly to steam and escapes at the surface.

Mud-pots form when acid decomposes surrounding rock into clay.  The clay mixes with water to form mud of varying consistency (depending on the amount of water) and color (depending on what acid is present and type of rock it is dissolving).  The most common gas present is hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell), microorganisms use this gas to convert HS into sulfuric acid, which breaks down the rhyolite into a yellowish mud.

  There is steam everywhere as we drive through the park, it is quite prehistoric looking.  The steam makes taking photos difficult and they don't really capture the magnificent beauty.

The color of the hot springs depend on temperature and bacteria present.  The blue color is due to short wavelengths of sunlight  being refracted and all other wavelengths of light being absorbed.

Mud-pots - bubbling melted rock.  You can see Peg's explanation above if you need more :)

Prism spring known for the amazing colors.  Yellow color is due to water containing sulfur and water temp is 181 deg F.  Dark brown, rust, and red colors are due to iron-oxide deposits in water temp below 140 deg F.  Emerald green are due to algae containing chlorophyll and found in water below 133 deg F.

Sapphire pool

The colors are amazing.  In the white area there are no photosynthetic organisms, only nonphotosynthetic bacteria.

Smaller geyser

Dragon's mouth spring

Opal Hot Spring

Mammoth Hot Springs.  Hot water with dissolved carbon dioxide makes a solution of weak carbonic acid.  The acidic solution rises through the limestone, dissolving the calcium carbonate in the rock.  At the surface, the calcium carbonate is deposited in the form of travertine, a thin shell of limestone forming the terraces in the above pic.

  

The park is laid out beautifully with boardwalks all around all of the features.  So for the remaining drives we left the dogs home and explored all of the different areas of the park.  The area around Old Faithful is a whole village with a beautiful hotel, several shops and a grand-stand area for viewing the erupting geyser.  We parked and walked toward the crowds just in time to see the grand display.  The visitor center was fabulous and explained all of the features really well.

Old Faithful - not the biggest just the most reliable.  It erupts every 40-126 minutes, ejecting 3,700 gallons of 204 deg F water every 1.5 minutes

In addition to all of the geysers and hot springs, Yellowstone has its own grand canyon, the beautiful Yellowstone Lake and lots of rivers and falls
. 

Yellowstone Lake is North America's largest high altitude lake.  It has 141 miles of shoreline and is 20 miles long by 14 miles wide.  Its deepest spot is 410 feet at an average depth of 140 feet.  August surface temp is 60 deg F, bottom temp never gets above 42 deg F.  Too cold for me!

 

Upper Falls.  The YS river carved out the Grand Canyon of YS.  Softer rock eroded, yielding to the power of water.

The grand canyon of Yellowstone formed in the rock and sediments from 160,000-140,000 years ago.  The multi-hued rocks of the canyon result from the hydrothermally altered rhyolite (igneous/volcanic rock) and sediments.

 

Gibbons Falls

 

But I am having the time of my life!  I tried to tell Bair "back off the science" but as you can see, she didn't listen!

 

 

Coming soon.... Grand Teton NP