Emerald Pools Trail

My hips are starting to get stiff from all the exercise we’ve been doing. This morning I lost my balance trying to get my leg over the crossbar of my bike and toppled right over. Thankfully, nothing was injured but my dignity! 

Today we rode our bikes up to the Zion Lodge to hike the Emerald Pools Trail.

The views along the walk to the Lower Emerald Pool were beautiful.

Below is a photo taken at the Lower Emerald Pool. The waterfall was difficult to see unless you took the photo directly into the sun. I lucked out with this one.

The trail went on from the Lower Emerald Pool to the Middle and Upper Emerald pools. However, Greg decided at this point that it would not be a good idea for him to continue.

Between the six miles of walking the day before, the 16 miles of biking, and a poor night’s sleep, he decided to err on the side of caution. I decided that I should do the same. (We need to have enough strength and energy left to do Bryce Canyon!)

Before heading back to the campground, we stopped by the Zion Lodge for a snack and a moment of rest in the beautiful lobby.

Once back at the campground, Greg took a nap while I scrolled Blue Sky. Then Greg fixed a leak in our sink (we hope).

Then it was time for our next adventure.

The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway

No camping trip would be complete without Greg trying to terrify a few years off my life.

This time, that attempt involved a drive along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway.

The Zion-Mount Carmel Highway is another one of those mountain roads with steep drop-offs and serpentine turns. And no shoulders! It also includes a mile-long narrow tunnel.

Luckily for me, I was so busy taking pictures through the windshield that I didn’t have a lot of time to fear tumbling over the edge of a cliff.

Some of my favorites:

The colors and shapes, oh, my! I was in heaven.

The Night Sky

Once it got dark, we drove the car over to the visitor center and walked to a new campground that is still under construction so that Greg could see if he could get any good pictures of the Milky Way with his new camera.

While he worked on that, I lay on my back in the dirt and admired the starry sky. Sometimes it’s nice to remember how small and insignificant we are to the universe.

Tomorrow we head to Bryce Canyon National Park.