Zion

after Helper we drove to Zion Lodge in Zion National Park.



in the morning we had breakfast at the lodge. why have one cup of coffee when you can have two?




i got some fancy new $9 sunglasses at the lodge gift shop since mine broke





i think Zion is one of the underrated parks in the National Park System. it's such a beautiful place. i'd been there once before and thought it was incredible, and going there a 2nd time confirmed how great it is.

one of the cool things about the park is that they restrict people from driving cars inside and instead have these (propane-fueled) shuttles that take you wherever you want to go. it's a great way to cut down on pollution and traffic, and i actually prefer not driving so i loved it.

we decided to go on this crazy hike called "The Narrows". basically, instead of hiking on a trail you're hiking up a river, through the river, the whole time - walking on slippery rocks and up waterfalls etc.. it was a extra difficult for us since we weren't prepared with fancy water shoes like most people, but just wore flip flops (kiki went barefoot). my feet are still killing me..

here's a river action shot



this is a good example of what it looked like in some parts of the hike..



if you look close enough you can see me in the background



kiki end of trail




MUSIC

we have a rule while driving: whoever is driving gets to pick the music. (that's why i try to drive most of the time). usually this works out since we mostly have similar taste in music. but there are those times when one of us doesn't want to hear what the other person is playing. like, for instance, when kiki plays Gus Gus.

that's when ear plugs come in handy



at one point in the trip i purchased the Black Sabbath box, to kiki's dismay