Pining for the Fjords

Did you see all the cool stuff that was in Part 10 ?  For real, it's a good one. Another day, another glamour shot of the rig. At the Vermilion Cliffs. We woke up on our last morning of the trip at Zion River Resort , having slept well.  After eating breakfast and finishing our packing (we'd done some the day before), we hit the road right around 9am. Time to head home! Our last leg of the trip would take us 400 miles back home; although our initial plan was to do the slightly shorter route, through the Kaibab National Forest and around the bend at Marble Canyon, Chris mentioned that he'd prefer the more interstate-heavy option on the last day.  Although this was just a bit longer, distance-wise, it would probably end up taking the same amount of time.  Also, this route would take us right through Las Vegas, so we could scratch Nevada off our "taken Arlene there" BINGO card. That's the initial route on the right (highlighted) and the alternative route on the l...

How about checking out that sweet Part 9 action?  You know you'll dig it! But why couldn't it be prettier? After we finished up our hike on the Riverside Walk in Zion National Park , we hopped back aboard the shuttle bus and took it on the return trip down canyon, disembarking at the Grotto stop.  Before we started our hike, we found a convenient picnic table in the shade and enjoyed some snacks, which we'd brought in our packs with us. This "ad" was in the shuttle bus, and it cracked me up. Mmm, Lay's potato chips and Trader Joe's turkey jerkey! Cute little cabin over there In researching the different hiking routes available to us, we figured the Kayenta Trail looked like a good option for our second stroll of the day.  It was rated as moderate, had a decent but not insurmountable climb (150 feet), and ran for just one mile before it linked into the Pools trails, which also looked interesting.  It would also take us from the Grotto stop to the Zion Lodg...