Hiking and Driving toward LA

We originally planned to spend two nights in Zion National Park, arriving the first night, spending the day in the park and leaving the next morning.  That just didn't happen. We spent one night about 125 miles north of the park, and only one night in Springdale, the town near the south entrance. It turned out that this was the better way to do it. We entered the park at the east entrance, through the tunnel, and parked by the Visitors Center and hiked until sunset. This allowed us to divide our hiking over two days with a great rest between. Just the right rhythm for us. 

Friday evening was a treat. We checked into our room at dusk and went to The Spotted Dog Cafe for dinner. When we arrived there was a half hour wait for a table,  But since it was the hotel restaurant, we could wait in our room for a call. Dinner was just what we needed.  We both had meatloaf made with a blend of venison, elk and beef.  

After dinner we put on our swimsuits and the fluffy hotel towels and found our way to the circular hot tub. We relaxed under the stars until we felt like sleeping. And sleep came quickly. 

The next morning we slept in and started the day gradually. After the breakfast buffet we packed the car and headed back to the park.  Had it been summer there would not have been a single parking place at 11 am, but on October 31 there were just enough spots for latecomers.  We boarded the shuttle bus and rode to the last stop, the Temple of Sinawava.

We were going to hike two trails before leaving the park.   But we kept stopping to explore, and by the time we had finished the hike our time was nearly gone.  

We rode the shuttle to our car and ate our last picnic of this leg of the trip.

We got on the road shortly after three for a drive to LA. We will definitely return to Zion.