Zion and Valley of Fire

The motel in Cedar City was so nice. I felt so pampered and the staff were great. The Abbey Inn in Cedar City Utah.

It is located off I15 just off exit 59. It has lots of food places surrounding. It is in the heart of the Canyonlands and everything is conveniently close So after breakfast the first day I headed for Cedar Breaks and Kolob canyon which I reported on yesterday. When I got back I went to the IHop right next door for dinner and was pleasantly surprised in that my dinner was paid for by complete strangers. WOW. The next morning after a lovely breakfast again I packed up and headed out. I decided to go through Zion proper and get new pictures. It was very crowded but I went through the 1.1 mile tunnel both ways and then carried on to Valley of Fire in Nevada. Here are some of the phenominal photos I took.

 

 

The sheer cliff faces in Zion are such a contrast to the sandstone of Cedarbreaks and Bryce. It is overpowering to view these magnificent edifaces and see the awe inspiring forces of nature. My favorite is the checkerboard mesa. It looks like someone took a square and a black marker and marked off the mountain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally left this incredible place and headed to another incredible place. Again the same only different. Bright red rock. That is why it is called The Valley of Fire and is Nevada's First State Park. Here the red rocks are pockmarked with holes. Holes everywhere. One can see many faces and shapes like a giant sculptor has tried to portray something and then thrown away his failures in a heap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was an overview of Rainbow Vista. Sorry there is so much road and I tried to cut it out but with my limited ability this is the result but it gives an idea of how vast this place is. I almost missed much of this place but turned around and went back to the visitors center. A must.. as questions are answered and another road is taken to this beautiful place. The reason this spot is different from the rest is that it used to be the bottom of a sea and as one takes one of the many trails through the soft red sand, one can visualize just that.

 

 

 

And after reaching the end of the park I headed to Las Vegas and my friends place. I drove right by their home. That cannot be it! It is a beautiful mansion with this incredible yard with a vanishing edge swimming pool, It's own mine. And eventually it will have model trains throughout the back yard. It is so beautiful. Pictures in the next episode.