The Promised Land

Which is what "Zion" means, of course.

After waiting about 20 minutes to get through the famous 1-mile long tunnel on Rt 9 (which is now restricted to one way at a time in deference to the number of RVs in the park, which occupy more than one lane of the tunnel), we checked into our suite at Flannigan's Inn. Quite nice. The wife picked a great room again.

We walked i to town for lunch, then I rented a bike and rode up the Canyon. Another change since we were last here: the Canyon Drive is now closed to cars, and you must take a shuttle up the Canyon. Which is great if you're on a bike; the road is now an 8 mile bike path with an occasional shuttle bus. Although this dramatically reduces the risk to bikers, it doesn't completely eliminate it. I was glad to see the Geico Gekko watching for problems.

Gordon the Gekko, May 2012

One of the signature sights in the Park is the Watchman - a 6,545' rock overlooking the canyon.

The Watchman, May 2012

Dinner was great at the Spotted Dog, which is about 100' from our cabin. We took a walk after dinner, and this sunset view from the sidewalk was terrific. You don't even need to go into the Park itself to be amazed.

Evening in Springdale, May 2012

While it was warm today, it promises to be hot tomorrow. The forecast posted in the reception area at the hotel says 89F, although AccuWeather is promising only 80F. We'll head up there in the morning and probably spend at least half the day shuttle-hopping and walking.