Day 14 | August 26th

We set the alarm for 7am this morning so we had lots of time to make the 250 mile drive to Zion National Park with stops along the way.

This morning we saw a squirrel on the way to breakfast and our third deer on the way out of the village. Really wish I was able to get a photo of the deer but not to worry.

The first part of our drive was east around the rim of the Grand Canyon which gave us lots of opportunities to stop and take photos. It was hard to put into words the vastness and beauty of the canyon, totally amazing. And at our first stop we were lucky enough to see four condors gliding around the rim of the canyon. They are truly magnificent birds with wing spans of 3m.

After heading away from the canyon for about 60 miles we stopped at the Trading Post and Restaurant at Cameron, which is home to the Navajo. The trading post was huge with so much for sale and some of it made at the local reservation. There were also lots of roadside stalls along the drive where the locals were selling product as well.

Over the next 150 miles we stopped a couple of times for gas, water and snacks but most of the trip was uneventful. Oh, except we did get to drive over the dam at Lake Powell and the lake was beautiful. And we did see a herd of buffalo at a lodge just before entering the National Park.

When we arrived at the Zion National Park we had to pay the $25 entrance fee and then drive the winding road to Springdale where we were staying. We also had to drive through this amazingly long tunnel right through the sandstone mountains. Driving through the park with the tall mountains all around us was another amazing sight to see. Again, so hard to put into words and really the photos don't do it justice either.

We arrived at our Best Western hotel in Springdale around 6pm, but here it is mountain time so it was actually 7pm. As soon as we unpacked we went straight to the pool and Ashleigh swam for at least an hour while Scott and I checked our email etc as this was the first time we had wi-fi access (and it was free) for a few days.

As the sun was going down there were little bats flying around here as well.

After swimming we had dinner at the restaurant next door and then it was bedtime for all as we need to get up early again tomorrow so we can take a look at the park before heading back to Las Vegas.