Day 53
An early visit to Zion NP where we spent most of the day. We hiked at least 5 miles of trails one mile of which the park considered moderate but I would consider strenuous, especially since the day time high reached 103 after starting the morning in the 60's. We saw waterfalls, river rapids and incredibly tall cliffs. One trail was along side of the Virgin River which created the canyon where Zion is located. After we worked up a sweat which doesn’t take long in these temps, we found a couple rocks to sit on next to the river and soaked our feet. After about a minute my feet were almost numb from the cold water. The water actually cooled our bodies down. Poor planning left us to dry off with a few napkins pilfered from lunch at the Zion Lodge. Supper at Meme’s Café in Springdale just west of the park. Back to the campground to discover that both a/c’s were still running and a cool coach. Yay!
Day 52
Wake up temp was 70 and both a/c’s working. Hours spent on the phone trying to locate a replacement tire. Of course, it had to be a Sunday. Finally found Morton’s Truck Stop about 15 miles north who had the tire and also was open Sunday to install it. We head to Morton’s with Rosemary driving the car. Upon our arrival, good news. The crack is determined to be cosmetic and the tire is in good shape. Yippee! Next exit we stopped at Pilot for diesel and noticed the check engine light is on. The engine completely shut down on its own. Called Freightliner 24/7 and after stumping the chump initially, we are talked through a manual exhaust regeneration. Thankful for computer diagnostics, we high tailed it out of Vegas near 3 pm and headed east to Utah and the Zion National Park. Along the way we lost both a/c’s but not the auto a/c. Still made for a hot ride. We had a reservation at Zion RV Campground which is just east of Zion NP. We did not realize that the only road to the campground is through the NP. When we arrived at the NP, we are told we must detach the car as we are too long make all the switchback turns. We also are required to have an escort through the tunnel built in 1927 to 1930 since the center height of the tunnel is 13'2" but the edges are 11'4". Our height is 12'6" not counting the 2 spring antennas which are about 13'4". First obstacle was convincing Rosemary to drive the car. I promised to go slow so she can maneuver the switchbacks easily. We proceeded at 15 mph, not making any friends of those behind us. There were a couple pullovers on the 3.6 mile drive to the tunnel at which 5-6 cars passed us each time. When we got to the tunnel, opposing traffic was stopped and I proceeded down the middle of the “two” lane road. The tunnel was dark and a mile long. I was not allowed to stop so the photos I took while driving may not be in focus. Shortly after the tunnel we were able to attach the car and proceeded through the park making a few stops for photos. By this time the canyon was in mostly shade and the temp was declining. Got checked into the campground about 7:30 pm after a long and trying day. No wifi, no cell signal at all.
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