Utah - Zion National Park to Moab

So we eventually left Las Vegas (after the Premium outlets had been conquered) and we made our way from "Sin City" to a part of America often known as "God's Country".
Driving towards the area of Zion National Park, though aware that there were mountains around us, it was already dark and we really had no idea what surrounded us. It was only upon waking up the following morning that we actually were able to see the majestic natural beauty that surrounded us. There were mountains at every side of us; towering red and sienna mountains, reflecting the sun and every color that bounced off their surface.

Zion National Park was to be our first stop that day. It was Utah's first national park, and it is truly stunning. A shuttle took us through the canyons, and we were able to hike on a couple of trails. We walked to the Court of the Patriarchs, where we saw three mountains named for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. A majority of the other mountains and canyons were also named after Biblical figures and religious objects. On the one hand, you could attribute this to the Mormon settlers that found and named these places. On the other hand, every step of our journey through the state served as a constant reminder of God's presence and majesty, and it is difficult to think of anything else that is not somehow related to the sacred or religious realm.

We also hiked to the emerald pools, named for the glowing green algae found beneath the water's surface. The pools themselves were not as impressive as we'd imagined, but the surrounding scenery and the waterfall under which our trail took us was more than worth it. We also saw a deer having a little nosh in the trees. Danny aptly named him Bambi, before jumping back in horror (and in a bit of a girly demeanor) when the deer suddenly decided to dash across our trail. Clearly he saw some better eats across the way, but Danny misinterpreted the action to be an offensive attack and it took a few minutes to recover from the shock.

It was a truly beautiful park (a little bit too hot for some people's tastes) but well worth a visit - although Micol was a bit disappointed that there was no mention about why the name Zion was chosen or its Biblical origins.

From Zion National Park we drove towards Bryce Canyon. We didn't actually go into the park as it was getting a little bit late and we wanted to make it to Moab while it was still light, but we did drive along a wonderful road with tremendous red rocks and mountains all around us. The red was so striking in the sunlight, it was hard to keep an eye on the road and not stare at the beautiful scenes around us.

We arrived in Moab just as it was getting dark. We found an adorable little eatery, poetically named "Buck's Grill House," not to be judged by its name. We ate out on the patio underneath a breathtaking full moon and starry skies. Micol even drank a glass of wine, feeling quite naughty to be drinking such a sinful beverage in Mormon country - which of course made it that much sweeter. After dinner we went for a moonlight swim in the outdoor pool (where Danny challenged Micol to a number of races, which much to his surprise, she won every time), before collapsing, exhausted after a thoroughly wonderful day.

Stay Tuned...there are more fun adventures on the way!