Sept 29 - St George, UT and Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park

   We got up EARLY and left for the Subaru dealer, so we could be there at 7am.  Ugh.  Got there and was told the express oil change would take a couple of hours.  So we walked to the nearby Cracker Barrel and had breakfast.  In the parking lot, on the way out, there was a Classic Car Club that meets for breakfast each week with their classic cars parked in the lot.  Some really nice ones--although its hard to consider that the cars of my youth are now considered classic!

   Our outing for the morning was to drive north to the northern section of Zion National Park, to Kolob Canyons.  This section has a winding, uphill, 5 mile scenic drive with pullouts and trail heads.  It ends at the Kolob Canyons Viewpoint and Timber Creek Overlook Trail.  We hiked the mile round trip trail, which climbed up to the rim and then out to this amazing overlook. However, the temperature was 49 degrees and the wind was really blowing.  We actually put on our fall jackets, hats and gloves.  Thank goodness we hand them in the car (not enough room in the RV).  It's interesting going from too hot to rather cold so quickly.  The trail ended at a peak, with vistas on both sides of the peak.  On one side, we are looking across the deep canyon to the mountain peaks, which are about 8000 feet tall.  The other side looks out over a valley, toward another distant mountain range.  We sat for awhile on one of the rocks and just enjoyed the view.  Back at the parking area, there was a unique sign at the bathrooms that said "Watch out for rattle snakes.  There have been some spotted in the bathrooms."  You can imagine, we opened the doors rather carefully.  

   Next stop--Hurricane Library again.  It's hard not having any cell or internet coverage at the RV.  Updated the blog.  Then, I found Natural Grocers, a market with organic and healthy food.  Going to check it out.  

   On our way back to the RV, we passed by the Quail Creek State Park, with a big reservoir.  So we stopped at the day use overlook.  Lots of geological info posted on the signs, about the fold, the uplifts, the erosion, and the age of the mountains surrounding the basin forming the reservoir.  It also explained how the first dam was poorly designed and eroded away, allowing the dam to fail and flood the area.  Oops.

Classic car photos:

Kolob Canyon scenic drive photos:

Timber Creek Overlook Trail photos:

Quail Creek State Park photos:

Hurricane, UT Campsite view of mountains photo: