Hiking Utah......Part 1

Zion National Park

Where does one start in trying to describe this beautiful park? Once again, words and photos cannot give it justice. We couldn't chose from the hundreds of photos we took, so here is a link with better photos than ours that will give you a good depiction. Zion National Park Images.  We will share a a few we snapped as we hiked. Let's start with the easier hikes,

Lower Emerald Pool

It was our intent to hike to the upper pool but the trail was closed due to a rock slide .

From the East Rim Trail you cas see the trail we ascended and the shuttle buses on the road. 

Captain and Roger on The Weeping Rock trail.

Hanging gardens on the Weeping Rock Trail

Angels Landing was our favorite and most challenging hike.

Looking back at the trail

A series of switch backs on the Angels Landing Trail , called Walter's Wiggles.

This was the hard part; yep, we climbed this holding on to the chain. After the first set of chains we took a break to consider if we wanted to go farther.

It was really crowded and were told it was even more crowded at the top. Being a bit older and less agile than most at this point, we decided we would be considerate and not impede those that could climb much faster.

After this strenuous 4.5 mile (and according to FitBit, 105 flights of stairs) we decided we deserved a Coffee Conviction Stout at the brewery just outside the campground.

The Wanderer was parked at Watchman Campground inside the park where each evening we sat and watched as the sun turned The Watchman from pink to orange

to a soft yellow as the sun set. We shared our space with chipmunks, squirrels and mule deer.

Our campsite.

Zion National Park is the 3rd most visited national park. With millions of visitors each year, private motorized vehicles are not allowed on the road through the park. We found the shuttles to be clean and very efficient.

Leaving Zion today, we will drive Hwy. 9 through the Mt. Carmel Tunnel. We had to purchase a permit for The Wanderer to go through the tunnel.  Not wanting surprises, we drove over to check out the procedure. We are expecting a beautiful drive to Bryce Canyon. 

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Nevada...as we saw it

while driving from Amador, California to Zion National Park in Utah.

Miles and miles of sage brush!

Tonopah

Not many towns, Tonopah is the largest one that we drove through and is where we stayed in the summer of 2017. This time we found a little oasis in the middle of nowhere that we could park for the night.

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge

Sunrise at Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge

After a peaceful night, we continued on toward Utah. The view changed significantly as we neared the Arizona border.

Currently we are camped, along with our friend Roger, in Zion National Park. 

WARNING!  It is beautiful and will be difficult to restrain from posting way too many photos as we explore the national parks in Utah. If you have been here or if you really are not interested, feel free to ignore.

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A Return to Wine Country

If you have read our blog for a few years, you know how enamored we are with El Dorado and Amador Counties in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas in California. For us, this is wine country.

Not only do we find the wines that please our palates, we love catching up with our friends, Bill, Wayne and Greg and their Excellent Adventure performances. We caught up with them on Friday night at Chateau Davell's  new tasting room.

Listening to good music, drinking good wine and watching the sunset, it just doesn’t get any better.

We followed Bill and Wayne’s Excellent Adventure over to Distant Cellars in Amador County on Saturday afternoon where we discovered Tribute, a very good red blend.

Groupies

And, of course we ended up at The Wine Smith on Saturday evening. (I guess you could say we are their fan club.)

When one is on an adventure, one doesn’t always know where they will be sleeping. We have stayed at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds once before where we parked on a hill overlooking the race track, which was okay and that was where we expected to be parked on this visit. We were surprised when we were directed to park near the event and fairground offices.

Friday we found ourselves in the midst of a classic car show and chili cook-off.

Saturday evening the sound of the car races was deafening (not a big deal as we spent the evening at The Wine Smith. All was quiet when we returned to The Wanderer.)

After a couple of wine tastings in Camino on Sunday, Bill and Zacharie treated us to a most delicious meal (and political discussion) at their lovely home. Tuesday evening we said good-bye to our good friends

and moved over to Amador County.

With each visit to Amador County we become more enchanted. You have heard us say before that we really like small towns. In the wine country of Amador there seems to be a small town about every 5-10 miles. The county population is 38,244; the county seat is Jackson with a population of 4,651. The largest city is Ione with 7,918. A number of the “cities” have populations less than 1000. Our favorite is the charming little town of Sutter Creek (population 2500.)

Parts of Amador County remind us of Tuscany, Italy with brown rolling hills dotted with green trees. With over 50 wineries in the approximately 600 square miles, it is a wine lovers paradise. (Especially if your palate leans toward dry reds like Zinfandel, Syrah and Barbera. ) Our longtime favorite is Borjon. Last year ABN discovered the sparkling wines from Le Mulet Rouge,

She came away with 2 raspberries and one peach.

This visit we found a new favorite, Renwood. Its tasting room and wines rival those of Napa, yet it is affordable.

The Wanderer was parked at 49er Village RV Resort in Plymouth (population 1,005). There we met Gold Star parents, Ron and Marty, from Bandera, TX, who are now full timing in their RV. Connecting with other Gold Star parents is good for our souls as it allows us to talk with understanding about our fallen heroes.

Today we left Amador County, heading east through the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains. Here are a few of the views along CA 88 and US 395.

And then there was this.

The next couple of days will be quite boring with sporadic cell service as we drive across the Nevada desert; destination Zion National Park in Utah where we will meet up our good friend Roger.

 (At this point, we do not want to talk about college football.)

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A View of Which We Never Tire

Lake Tahoe is one of our two favorite places for beautiful scenery. (The other is Glacier National Park.) We have made several day trips over the years, but this is the first (but hopefully not the last) time we have camped here. We really liked Fallen Leaf Campground, located a walking distance from Lake Tahoe.

Fallen Leaf Lake, a short distance from our campsite, was serene and seemed like the perfect place to sit and ponder. However, with gale force winds we didn’t linger there for very long.

The Wanderer was quite content tucked among the pines while we explored the area.

Wednesday the winds continued to be very strong so we elected to walk on the path and trail from the campground along south shore of Lake Tahoe.

Thursday was a much better weather day with sunshine, temps in the 60s and a decrease in wind. We drove to the north end of LakeTahoe and hiked the Tahoe Rim Trail

to Picnic Rock for a magnificent view of Lake Tahoe.

For us, this is just an enticement. So many trails and bike paths to explore, we hope to return and stay a little longer.

But now we must wander on down to Placerville and check in with our wine maker, musician friend, Bill.

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