To get to Zion, we had to drive around the Canyon. Starting at the south rim (touristy part), we then drove over mountains and around the north rim (less touristy). Although we didn't stop there, there were very pretty views from here also and the drive was very scenic. Although the distance between south rim Grand Canyon village and the north rim Grand Canyon Lodge is only 10 miles, it takes a massive 220miles to drive around it, which is the only option.

In total, a 7 hour drive to Zion National Park, which should have taken 6. Nearing the 'end' of the drive, the sat nav tries to take us down a dirt road. Not feeling the need to wreck the rental car and suspecting the one if the most visited National Parks in America is not accessed in this way, we just kept driving to the nearest town and some civilisation. On route here, we have another car related near death experience: apparently in Utah it's ok to over on the peak of a hill, blind to oncoming traffic, I.e. Me!! I heart pounding, break slamming few seconds I don't care to experience again. At the next town, we go to an 'information centre.' Which is in a museum/ charity shop with quite an old lady in it, who didn't understand a word Kenny said. Manage to get directions from her, to which Kenny says,
"Great, I remember that. I'll get us there."
This is also the point where I see a clock and realise we moves time zones as into Utah, it's now 5.30pm on a Friday evening instead of 4.30 and we have to try find a campsite! Oops. Stop via the farmers market to get some food for the next few days and fuel, then off we head, Kenny having forgotten the directions in the process.
Half an hour later, we arrive in Zion to find at the entrance; all campsites are full. Our only option is to drive to the other side of the park on the east (13 miles) to camp there but then have to drive the 13 mile to get into the park daily as the shuttle bus doesn't go from that direction!! Not impressed by this answer we go to Watchman campsite anyways; this can be reserved 6 months in advance so we've no chance. South campground is first come first served, so we go in and talk to the host. Nope, all full. So I ask if it would be ok to share; he said they don't advertise it but that would be fine. So I found an Austrian couple, Renata and Benny, and had a great wee night with them, campfire, munchies and marshmallows. We also split the cost, so was only $8 a night, bargain!!
The next day, we hiked Angels landing. It was on the bucket list and how it's ticked off :) So it's a beautiful steep hike, including 'Walters wiggles', a series a sharp switchbacks; like the hiking version of the crookedly street in the world. It was the brainchild of one of the first park managers there, who wanted to make Angels landing hiking possible to everyone. So when I say everyone, I mean those who don't have a fear of heights. So we make it Boyscout lookout, and I say, 'we'll that wasn't too hard.' Only to have a randomer shout, 'you aren't there yet!'
Ooo. The part that I thought was another mountain, is actually attached to the one we're on. Well I'd thought it was easy enough upto that point, definitely no Mount Rundel, so it's onwards and upwards, steeply. From this point on, our only way up is to hold onto chains and at parts scramble on all fours to get to the top. At one part, we stood on a metre wide stone with a few thousand ft drop on each side. Proud feeling to get to the top, especially in the heat, but even at that height, the squirrels still tried to steal your lunch.
Made it down in good time, so Kenny suggests we continue hiking, so we walk around the lower, middle and upper emerald pools. I don't really know what their colour they think emerald is, but my opinion slightly differs; after you've saw Emerald Lake in the Rockies, you standards are slightly raised. It was no Rockies. So down we go to the shuttle to get back to the campsite in time to go on a Rangers tour of the park. Unfortunately on walking back into the campsite, we discover that somehow we've lost the $15 we got change for to pay for the campsite. Noo!! So Kenny tells me he's going back to the visitor centre to see if it had been handed in. This was at 5.15pm. So half an hour later, I'm really wondering where he's got to, the visitor centre was only 5mins away. With the tour starting at 6pm, I walk over to the visitor centre thinking I'll bump into him. Nope, nowhere to be found. Less than impressed that I've now missed my tour, I head back to the campsite with a face like thunder, and continue to walk. Kenny RUNS back to the campsite at 6.30pm, "Right, you ready to go?"
"My tour was half an hour ago..."
"Aww I thought it was at 7!"
So not only did he make me miss the mountain lion talk at the Grand Canyon, because he was too busy 'borrowing' wood, he made me miss this one too. Turns out he'd gone back to the place we'd bought our coffee that morning to check if we'd dropped it there, but we hadn't. Although he did manage to see a rattlesnake so all was not lost. So instead, we went on the shuttle for an hour, for sunset and saw some wild turkeys and deer. It started to thunder and lighting with risk flash floods. Looks like it was gona be another interesting night in a tent. As the Austrians had done us a good deed letting us share their site, we told the host if anyone was stuck, we'd share our site tonight. So at about 8.30pm,
we got a new camp mate. He had drove from eastern america, his car had broken down half way so he just bought a brand new BMW. Also had all his stuff packed in the car as he was moving to Seattle. To top it off, he had a tent but couldn't be bothered setting it up so he just slept in his sleeping bag on the hard ground. Overall, it meant we broke even with the campsite price; ended up paying $32 which we would have paid had we had the sites to ourselves; but it's always nice to make friends. He even left us a wee note in the morning to say thank you :)
So the next morning, after I huffed and puffed the night before, I went on ranger tour, while Kenny packed up the car; interesting wee morning being a good 40 years younger than the rest of the people on the tour. We learnt about the history of the park, the founders and settlers, their staple diet of corn and how they ground the kernals in sandstone bowls resulting in sanding away their teeth. The most common cause of death at the old age of 30-40 years was abscesses in their mouths. Stopped at a few places that the shuttle doesn't, including 'menu falls' with its 4,000 year old water. Also showed us a part of the road which has literally been ripped up by the Virgin River during flash floods, twice in the last 10/15 years, stranding people staying at Zion Lodge. Then into the last shuttle stop, to look closely at one of the walls; about 20-30 meters from the ground they had a corn store; literally like a stone pot dug into the walk with a lid on top, camouflaged so that it coyly be stolen. From here we also saw the reminants of a crane ontop of one of these mountains, which was used to remove the hardwood trees from the top, as the floor trees, cottonwoods, were soft wood and no use for building. Interestingly, before they tested humans on it (to bring them down for the weekend instead of a gruelling 9 hour hike), they tested a doggie. Although it survived, it never went back up the mountain.
Tour over, we were ready to leave but not without a visit to the east entrance, through which 4,000 men over a two year period, dug the tunnel we passed through, from each end to meet in the middle. More pretty rock formations and arches as well, but we were National Parked out for the day so off we headed for Vegas. As was the rule, Kenny could drive in the National Parks, and we let him go a bit further this time, that was until he got to a junction and tried to kill us by going on he other side of the road. Enough driving for Kenny for one day!!