After our shift on Monday, Sheila, the restaurant manager, had a birthday party for Fred since we'll be off on the actual day. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' before enjoying her homemade peach-raspberry cobbler with ice cream. The kitchen staff's present was a take-out box of their signature bread pudding.
Clear skies and calm winds enticed us to return to the Moccasin Mountain Dinosaur Tracksite in the late afternoon. Even with GPS co-ordinates, some tracks were difficult to locate and to identify with certainty. Although we enjoyed the challenge, it felt good to cross that item off the to-do list.
Four-toed track of prosauropod
(20-25' long, four-legged, long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur)
Three-toed track of Grallator
(6-9' long, meat-eating dinosaur)
The wash is a downward-sloping u-shaped sandstone channel of sandstone that pushes wind in the upstream direction. As we walked to the Jeep, we heard a sustained roar growing louder and louder behind us. When we turned around, a dense cloud of sand was sweeping up the wash toward us. Fortunately, we were high enough on the sides not to be engulfed.
Moccasin Dinosaur Tracksite,
looking downstream toward Arizona
Tuesday, August 6
Deciding to hike in Zion was easy; deciding between Many Pools and Cockeye Falls was harder. Since Many Pools was the shorter trail, we had time to find the trailhead for Cockeye Falls first. The description mentioned Hidden Garden slot canyon, only 3/10 mile from the parking pull-out--too tantalizing to pass up! Hidden Garden isn't particularly narrow (until the absolute end), colorful or twisty but climbing over and around numerous rockfalls is just plain fun! Visitors earlier in the summer would have seen solomon's seal, coral bells, violets, Oregon grape, ferns, rock mat and Rocky Mountain plantain. Cockeye Trail remains on the to-do list but has been postponed until cooler weather.
Entrance to Hidden Garden is behind that tall Ponderosa Pine
End of Hidden Garden slot canyon
Retracing our way through the short tunnel then less than a mile east for Many Pools, we saw a juvenile or female bighorn sheep standing on a narrow shoulder at a sharp bend in the road. The creature was so still and uniformly gray, it could have been a life-sized scultpture! We stopped at the pull-over a few yards further on, got out of the car* and saw the rest of the herd, including the large ram-in-charge. (*You see a lot more if you leave your vehicle. The drive-thru works perfectly well at McDonald's but no one brings the sights and experiences to you in national parks.)
The Many Pools route ascends a slickrock wash in a wide sandstone canyon where desert 'tanks' have been carved into the soft stone by eons of rushing rainwater and snowmelt. From above, the dozens of pools, ranging in size from puddles to hot-tubs, must look like a connect-the-dots puzzle.
About ten minutes into the hike, a group of bighorn sheep ran up a small hill to our left. They watched us as closely as we watched them but they lost interest before we did. A frisky young male tried to mount several of his companions, who quickly sidled away from him. Two large males with impressive horns joined the herd and monitored junior's behavior. I was surprised that he continued his amorous pursuits in their presence and expected to see a mature male challenge him. Evidently, he wasn't a threat the elders took seriously and the group slowly moved down the canyon.
Hard rains during the past two weeks have completely filled some tanks with sand and deposited debris in the others. On a hot day like this, a pool of clear water to cool off hot tootsies would be welcome; greenish-brown water dotted with soggy leaves, pine cones, twigs and mud just wasn't appealing.
We had a shady lunch inside the alcove before scrambling above it to a series of long, narrow pools creating the thin, constant sheen of water on the left side of alcove's opening. Bushwacking beyond this point, reported to be difficult, leads to Deer Trap Mountain Trail. We turned around and returned the way we came.
The tree in the center was our turn-around point.
View up the Many Pools wash
We wanted to stop at Zion's visitor center but were unable to because both the regular parking lot and the overflow area were full; drivers cruised the aisles following people who looked like they might be leaving. Springdale, Zion's gateway town, was bursting with tourists as well.
A night in St. George allowed us some of life's little luxuries: a large, cool motel room with two comfy beds, a big shower and a TV that showed local news. For his birthday observance, Fred selected Don Pedro's, a favorite Mexican restaurant, and 'World War Z.' Neither the meal or the movie lived up to expectations but we enjoyed our night out on the town.
Wednesday, August 7
Past experience taught us to be on Anasazi Ridge, outside Santa Clara, before sun and heat made the long uphill trek uncomfortable and photographing the petroglyphs impossible. We stayed about two hours, until the sun rose high enough to cast glare on rock surfaces.
St. George's Red Hills from Anasazi Ridge
Petroglyph Panel
Another petroglyph panel
Intrepid petroglyph hunter
Another sort of rock art
Mother Nature sculpted this eagle
After dinner at home, we went into town for an outdoor concert by the Symphony of the Canyons. The weather was lovely and the music entertaining. Free ice cream and cookies! A nice change of pace and a bit of culture--perfect ending to our 'weekend.'
