Every year, Dan has to spend a few long, exhausting weeks working the NAB Convention in Las Vegas. This year, I arrived as the convention was ending. I had a massage, shopped at Nordstrom and enjoyed the pool the Trump International. Clearly, my life is rough. I was relaxed and well rested, when we set off for Zion National Park early on Friday morning, the beginning of our mini-vacation to Utah with Niklas, Dan's coworker and friend from Germany. Dan and Niklas were shattered and I was ready to go!

From Las Vegas, It takes less than three hours to drive to Zion National Park, which includes a brief dip into the state of Arizona.

As we approached Zion, the rocks took on a reddish hue.

We were staying at the Zion Lodge, the only hotel located within the park. We had to stop at the visitors center to pick up our red permit, which would allow our car to enter the park. Parking inside Zion is very limited. For anyone who is staying elsewhere, there is a free shuttle that makes a loop around the nearby town and into the park, stopping at all of the major trailheads.

Dan and I stayed in the Zion Lodge a few years ago and thought that it was very nice. We had the same experience this trip. The rooms are basic, but cute. They have little balconies and the bathroom has tiles with local animals on them. Here is a panorama of the communal room. I took some of my blog cards and hid them in the puzzle boxes. I've had a lot of people connect with me via blog cards that they have found. I like to hide them!

I saw this sign and I knew that they were speaking directly to me!

When Dan and I were last in Zion, we did a mega hike to Observation Point. We had intended to do the same hike this trip, but we arrived late in the day and we really we not up to a major hike. Honestly, I was relieved! We did the much easier, shorter and very beautiful hike from the Temple of Sinawava to the start of The Narrows.

No kidding, this trail is easy. I think even wheelchairs could probably handle most of the trail. It's flat, wide and not too rocky. We arrived just a few hours prior to sunset and the light made for some gorgeous photo ops.

Pretty rocks in the Virgin River.

The path was shady and the weather cool. Actually cold, I was walking fast to keep warm!

Chipmunks and squirrels were everywhere. It was spring and they were frisky!

Of course, we didn't feed them, but they were so friendly, that they came right up to us. I love taking pictures of signs and this was the winner.

More pictures to come in part two of my Zion National Park trip report!

Visiting Cars Land this past weekend, gave me the urge to write a few blog posts about the epic Utah road trip that Dan and I took last April. Disney really nailed it, because we kept saying how much the landscape in Cars Land, looked like the drive on our trip.

I've always wanted to go to all fifty states, although, I used to say that I wanted to travel to all fifty, minus one, Utah. It's a post for another time, but I have distant relatives in Utah that have created a lot of family drama and animosity. Luckily, as much as we traversed the state, we never came close to them, their area being near Salt Lake City. Nearly everything that I saw and experienced in Utah was amazing and beautiful., not excluding it's citizens.

Prior to hitting the road for Utah, we spent a week in Las Vegas at the Palazzo, so that Dan could work. I sunbathed by the pool and had Pina coladas, while Dan slaved away. We were in two different places starting out the road trip and Dan was a trooper, as I couldn't even help out with the driving. My motivation to learn to drive a stick shift will kick in if I get cast on The Amazing Race, I promise!

We had planned our trip to be three nights in Zion, followed by two nights in Bryce. However, how could we call it an adventure, if we didn't completely change our plans on a whim? More on that later, right now, we are still sticking to the plan...

We stopped in Saint George, the last big town before Zion, to buy a new camera at Best Buy and to get supplies at Walmart. This was my third time in a Walmart and my first time in one that had a gun section. It was all very fascinating to me, as that's just not something we have in Los Angeles. Not just the guns, but we don't even have a BIG-BAD-EVIL-WALMART anywhere near where I live. Admittedly, the prices were amazing and we stocked up on a bunch of snacks, some flashlights and the Milton Bradley classic, Battleship.

If I had realized how close Zion is to Vegas and how truly amazing a place it is, I would have visited years ago. It's only a few hours from the strip. If you're reading this and have not been, GO. Dan had been before and knew the drill. He booked us a room at the official Zion Lodge. The lodge is not only beautiful, but it was the benefit of a great location. It is just a few steps from the shuttles that take you into the park and to the hiking spots. This is like staying on property at Disneyland.

Our bathroom had cute animal tiles.

A pretty tree in front of the main lodge.

The guest room building. Our room was on the second floor and had a balcony with rocking chairs.

The grass area in front of the main lodge.

The view from the main lodge.

A free range turkey that ruled the grass area in front of the lodge.

The river adjacent to the main drive.

Our wheels for the trip..before Thunder got road muck all over her!

The road to Zion.

The road with shadows.

The first evening, we arrived a little late and went to the lodge to have dinner. I had a salmon dish that was utterly amazing. I don't remember what kind we drank, but Utah has some awesome local beer. The lodge is a special place to eat. We sat on the patio, under stars and it was so completely quiet and dark. Perfect for this city girl.

After dinner, we had a magical moment walking to our car. Dan reached out to stop me, because just feet in front of me, were deer. We were completely surrounded by deer grazing. They barely acknowledged us as we quietly observed them. Magic. We went back to the room, played Battleship and decided to forgo setting the alarm.

We woke up around eleven and opted to do some hiking. Dan did a great job at getting us prepared with a backpack full of water and some energy bars.We threw on our hiking attire and some sunblock, Dan bought a hiking stick in the gift shop and we hopped on the bus. The idea was to do a simple hike, especially since we got a late start and leave the bigger hike for our second day.

This was the first place that we threw the plan out the window. Dan, having done it before, convinced me to hike to Observation Point, the big hike. Had I know what I was in for, I would have psyched myself out. This is not a hike for the unfit or unprepared. We were unfit and moderately prepared. It's also not a good idea to set out during the heat of the day, especially on a hot, April day. There was a reason why we kept passing by people on the way down from their hikes, early birds, smart people.

The hike to Observation Point is listed as difficult hike and it's over eight miles round trip. Eight miles, when half of it is uphill, is a very long eight miles. The hike was clearly cleverly carved out by the same people who design Disney ride queues. It has so many switchbacks, that you always feel like you must be close to the end, but never are. It's maddening.

Luckily, the hike is filed with so many stunning views, that even though you are sweaty and miserable, you never regret the hike. It's worth the effort.

A cute little chipmunk on the hike,

Dan on the trail.

I love when it looks like the trail narrows because of the rocks. There was so much variation.

A pretty part of the trail. Any part of the trail that had shade, was extra pretty.

One of my favorite pictures. It looks like a postcard.

One part of the trail had a mini cave with a stream.

Geology is cool.

close-up...pretty shades of yellow.

This was on the way down, when I was beyond exhausted and still had miles to go.

looking up on the trail.

Another cool trail picture, with Dan and his stick. That stick came in handy!

Beautiful flowers.

Another favorite picture.

We found a bit of motivation to plow forward, when we met a couple on the trail who were far less fit and less prepared than us, so we wanted to keep ahead of them. We left them in the dust!

The view at Observation Point.

The marker at Observation Point.

Dan and I at the top of observation point.

Observation Point

Another view from Observation Point.

The hike took about six hours and we hardly saw anyone on the way down. Let me reiterate an important point, smart hikers, hike in the morning. We probably drank about fifteen bottles of water between us and had blisters and chaffing. Although we did it, but we should have been more fit and done it early, after having something for breakfast. The walk back to the shuttle bus was more of a limp. After showering, we headed into town for dinner.

There are no words to accurately describe how hungry we were when we sat down to eat at the Zion Pizza and Noodle Co. For once, our eyes were not bigger than our stomaches. Having only eaten half a power bar, coupled with a mega hike, we were ready to eat anything and everything. We ordered a pizza, each.

Dan perusing the menu.

I nearly ate an entire pizza by myself.

To put this in perspective, I can normally eat two-three slices tops and after the hike, I ate all but one slice chased down by half a pitcher of local beer. Then, we went across the street for ice cream cones and I didn't even feel sick from too much food. I can't remember the last time that I felt so ravenous. On July 4th, I plan to do a long hike and head straight to Coney Island for Nathan's Hot Dog contest, where my newfound strategy will lead me to victory. Sorry Joey Chestnut, but you've had a good run!

Since we had done the biggest hike, we decided to alter our vacation plans and head to Bryce in the morning, a day early. Zion was amazing and really could be a several day stop, depending on which hikes you do. The great thing is that the park is totally accessible for visitors that cannot handle the hikes. They have a free shuttle/tour route that takes visitors to the best locations and gives narration. We saw a lot of senior citizens, some with very young grandchildren and they were enjoying the National Park too, without going on intense hikes. I am relieved that on my next visit, I can forgo the hard hike and do some tamer ones!

This is a really great destination for families and the lodge has guided nature talks and programs for kids. I grew up with a family that was much more into hotels, room service and Hawaii than National Parks, I wish that we had done something like Zion when I was younger.

Zion Canyon National Park (Part One)- April 2015

Zion National Park - April 2012