Hello faithful readers. Perry and I got home a week ago, after our Perry adventure. We still have more Perry places to visit, and hope to get to both Perry, OR and Perry, CA later this summer. After that we will have work a bit to bounce around the Northeast to Perry, NY and Perry, Maine. And I know there are more Perry Counties. And more shops and hotels bearing the name.
After we left the Rocky Mountains behind and saw our final Perry on this journey, Perry, UT, we spent a few days exploring Southern Utah, visiting both Snow Canyon State Park, and Zion National Park.
Our visit to Snow Canyon had been recommended by the owner of Epic One Adventures, who said that in any other part of the country it would be a National Park, but due to its proximity to Zion the sandstone cliffs were dwarfed and seem almost petty in comparison. But seeing the State Park before we entered Zion allowed us to appreciate it for its singular beauty.
The following morning we had our last bright and early pickup from our final R.V. site and an entertaining and informative day with Jameson, our guide from Epic One Adventures. Jameson took us up a trail to see water seeping and flowing from above at Emerald Pools and then we climbed further to see where it came from. The entire hike we could see people climbing Angels Landing, which has been called the scariest hike in America.
We drove around Zion, marveling at the many people hiking in wetsuits toward slot canyons that you must swim (in icy water, no less), in order to navigate to the end.
We also hiked The Narrows, which ends in a slot canyon which is navigated wearing wader pants and water shoes. You can actually continue 12 miles through The Narrows, following that stream, sometimes in and sometimes out of the water.
Jameson regaled us with stories of his work with outdoor adventure classes, people struggling with addiction and of particular interest, his having been mentored by one of the contestants on the History Channel’s show, “Alone”. On one part of the hike we walked close to some deer that were very acclimated to humans, this buck has velvet on his antlers.
Before we bade a fond farewell to Jameson, he took us outside of the National Park to a ghost town nearby. Grafton was established by Mormons instructed by Joseph Smith to live there and grown cotton. There was plenty of water for growing crops, but there was no good drinking water, the nearby Indians were relentless and a number of other disasters befell the residents as evidenced by the cemetery there. Some families lost all their children to disease, two little girls died in a swing accident.
The sandstone looks awesome! You must have enjoyed all the natural beauty of Zion too! There is nothing like the simple pleasures of life.
Spectacular scenery!