January 15, 2017

Rockslide on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.


Photograph by Zion National Park.

That's approximately 200 tons of rocks that slid down on Friday evening.

We'd been thinking of Zion National Park as a good winter road trip destination. We are recalibrating.

108 comments:

chickelit said...

Allah's wrath on the Zionists!

Original Mike said...

Recalculating......

John henry said...

I've been to a bunch of national parks.

Zion is far and away the most beautiful.

Going to glacier National Park in June and reserve the right to change my mind

John Henry

traditionalguy said...

It's how God celebrates good leaders.

Etienne said...

I think they will find Jimmy Hoffa under those rocks. It's not over yet.

stever said...

In time the Rockies may crumble..

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

One valuable retirement project might be to take a course in statistics.

Murph said...

If you're going all the way to Utah to visit Zion, don't miss Capitol Reef N.P. & Grand Staircase-Escalante N.M. The scenery viewed on the drive on Hwy. 12 through Escalante and Hwy 24 through Capitol Reef is absolutely magnificent.

campy said...

Can we impeach Trump for this?

Anonymous said...

John said...
Going to glacier National Park in June


Bit cold then. I've been to Yellowstone on June 1 and there are still mounds of snow.

OTOH, June 1, in Yosemite is spectacular. The whole rim of the valley is a line of "Volunteer" waterfalls from the snowpack.

PS: The slide looks a bit puny. I just got back from Breckenridge and the CDOT had a whoopsie doing avalanche control and laid one out across both lanes of I-70. 150 yards long, 15ft deep. Left the ski condo, got to Denver 34 hours later (night in a motel while road was cleared)

harkin said...

Not a good winter visit - go in the early fall or late spring. Especially recommend coming in from the east thru the tunnel.

Fernandinande said...

That's 3305 pounds of rocks for each room at Zion Lodge.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

We did a sibling re-union in Escalante, UT last Sept. Much good scenery and hiking; plenty of it not crowded if you are willing to drive and walk a bit.

Bryce was packed, altho the weather was cold and wet. Got a fantastic picture with those iconic root-exposed trees in the foreground, hoodoos in the background, and low clouds-fog just coming in.

Getting there the first day from Kenab, we came round a curve at the 8K ft crest on UT 12 between Bryce and Escalante, dragging a travel trailer. Right side guard rail and a good chunk of pavement had caved off down the mountain. Looked like one of those Mexican road mountain shear-offs you can find on You-Tube.

Unknown said...

Prof. Althouse: Why does that rock slide cause any hesitation? Doesn't your Audi have all-wheel drive?

Seriously, though: rocks on highways are a real (if rare) danger. I remember in Colorado (late 90's) on I-70 a boulder crushed an SUV. Out of, literally, thin air. Boom, gone.

They try to stabilize the worst patches with wire netting but unless they stop the big ones from starting, I think momentum becomes impossible. A 20-30 ton boulder on a 30-40 degree slope is going to reach Death Star status in a few seconds...

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Owen said...
Seriously, though: rocks on highways are a real (if rare) danger.


To be fair, a huge rock did once land on a moving truck carrying my mother's parent's furniture. No one died, except an antique armoire.

Virgil Hilts said...

Ann, I suggest Zion in mid-April. It's just before the tourist season starts and the weather is cool but not cold. Much less crowded and warm enough that Meade can hike in shorts.

Curious George said...

"We'd been thinking of Zion National Park as a good winter road trip destination. We are recalibrating."

I'd worry more about the drive there and back than some rock slide.

Mark O said...

Ann, go in the fall.

Quayle said...

Ann, go, go you must. But here's the problem with winter at Zion. (I agree, pay the now-high toll to come in through the tunnel from US 89 from the east.) They don't let you drive your own car up into the main canyon any more. You have to take the National Parks shuttle. The shuttles take you to the trail heads.

Then, because top of the Zion mountains are pretty high, even in late March and April you get a lot of snow melting from up there. The water flows down through the Navajo sandstone and can make the hiking trails slippery where they traverse across the rock formations. (Same goes for Arches or any of those areas with Navajo sandstone.)

As you may know, the trails are not "kid-proofed"; you can get hurt there if you think you are not in the wilderness, or think you are protected by lawyer directed alterations and safety mechanisms. So you'll be able to hike more trails, or feel more secure hiking the trails, when the area has had a chance to dry out.

It if it now or never, then certainly go now.

madAsHell said...

I remember driving I-70 across Colorado in the 1980's. There was a grocery bag in the lane ahead, and I thought I would just run it over. At the last minute, I changed lanes, and drove past a rock as big as a grocery bag.

Wince said...

Look for a small hand-held sign that says "Help!"

My money is on a coyote under that rubble.

Quayle said...

Of course, not suggesting that it is imperative that you hike up to Angels Landing when you go. There are certainly other hikes less demanding.

Gospace said...

As long as you're not in that exact spot when the rockslide happens, you're golden. Figure the odds- you should be good to go.

toxdoc said...

We did Zion, Capitol Reef, Bryson and Escalatante in late March a few years back. Zion was wide open and you got several seasons as you changed elevation, Bryson was pretty much still snowed in but beautiful where you could go, Escalante and Capitol Reef were great. Going from Capitol Reef back to SLC was an adventure we left 50s, hadd rain, freezing rain, snow it was an adventure. I love going to Yellowstone in May/June but weather can limit your travels but if you want to see bear, goats,elk, sheep,wolves etc they are all easy to find

toxdoc said...

Bryce Canyon how did autocorrect change that

jimbino said...

Ann, rest assured: whether summer, spring, winter or fall, you will not have to rub tourist shoulders with any Amerikans of color--whether Black, Hispanic, or even Native Amerikan--in any of the West's national parks and forests, including Zion. After paying $10, you will qualify for the lifetime Senior Pass that will admit for free both you and all those in your car, and the pass lets you drive for free through the tunnels from Zion to the East, all the while enjoying the patrimony of minority fellow Amerikans who will never have that experience.

The last time I visited Zion, I counted zero faces of color among hundreds of winter guests, and you would enlighten your lily-white readers by reporting on your own census of those you see there and in our other racist public lands.

Trump would do Amerikans a great favor by selling off all those public lands recently reserved by Obama, who himself, along with his Black family, made up, at a cost of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, some of the few faces of color ever seen at the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad, among others.

toxdoc said...

Jimbino...that's kind of your shtick I know. Last time we were in Yellowstone the joke among the locals was there were only Chinese visiting and they were there to see all they'd been buying

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

A Ted speaker said everything in the universe is conscious to some degree.

Could the rocks be protesting Trumps election?

jimbino said...

Toxdoc,

I don't know whether you'll ever take Amerikan racism seriously until it affects you personally, though I refrain from uttering a curse.

Your comment adds fuel to the fire by noting that it is foreigners who greatly benefit, in Yellowstone and even far more in Yosemite, from the Amerikan patrimony we have stolen from our racial minorities over the past century.

Selling all those fabulously valuable public lands to the Chinese and refunding the stolen wealth of our Amerikans of color would be a great start for Trump.

Michael said...

A decade or so ago a boulder came through the sunroof of a car in Glenwood Canyon. Shit for luck.

Original Mike said...

"The last time I visited Zion, I counted zero faces of color among hundreds of winter guests, "<

You go to Zion and you look at the people?

Quayle said...

Jimbino. My ancestors were in the area of Zion in the 1850s. They were the first permanent "white" people in that area. They didn't take any land from the Native Americans. The Native Americans lived where they wanted and my ancestors lived where they wanted. And they got along. They never fought wars.

Oh, and let me pass along to you personally one little-known fact which my older ancestors told my old ancestors: the Native Americans didn't go near Zion canyon. They believed it held evil spirits.

Anonymous said...

Lol, I was wondering how long it would take rent-seeking "libertarian" jimbino to show up in this thread.

"Libertarian" jimbino doesn't think net-tax-payer Americans should have any say in how taxes are spent on public goods. He thinks they should just shut up and shell out for things the net tax-eaters want.

Your comment adds fuel to the fire by noting that it is foreigners who greatly benefit, in Yellowstone and even far more in Yosemite, from the Amerikan patrimony we have stolen from our racial minorities over the past century.

Lol. I distinctly recall our jimbo yammering on about how Americans shouldn't spend money on national parks, but fund things that "global minorities" want to come here to see and do (amusement parks like Disneyland). Guess he's had to retcon his "I hate whitey" arguments against national parks since even he can't keep up the bullshit pretense that only whites enjoy our beautiful national parks system, or that if there's any such thing as a "global minority", it's white people, including the many foreign whites (European and Latin American) who flock to our parks.

Craig said...

The Narrows was probably the favorite nature trail I've taken. I went in June and it was a beautiful, cool hike in the river bed with 1,000+ foot high shear cliffs on either side. I highly recommend it, especially if you can make it up to the Wall Street portion of the trail. You would have to go in the dry season and consider flash flood risk. Proper foot gear and walking sticks are available for rental. It takes decent balance because you are walking on rounded rocks, and a willingness to get wet, but it is not difficult when the water is low.

Original Mike said...

"Lol. I distinctly recall our jimbo yammering on about how Americans shouldn't spend money on national parks, ..."

Amerikans, Anglelyne, Amerikans.

Sprezzatura said...

Moab seems like a good place.

Meade can bike. You can actually rent fairly nice bikes, so no need to bring one along.

Alex said...

AReasonableMan said...
One valuable retirement project might be to take a course in statistics.


You're just an insult a minute type of guy? Do you wake up every day and figure "how can I judge somebody today!".

Sprezzatura said...

If you don't mind ditching the hotel, doing some of the Green River w/ a kayak is fun.

Though I don't know how that works in winter, we go when it's nice.

DKWalser said...

Try Bryce Canyon instead. Bryce is spectacular throughout the year, but it's best when there is some snow. The contrast between the deep greens of the junipers and the golds, oranges, and reds of the rock formations is more dramatic when everything is outlined in white.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Alex said...
Do you wake up every day and figure "how can I judge somebody today!".


I have to admit that I am judging you now.

Sprezzatura said...

You need to pack out your shit on the river.

The longer your trip, the more you'll want to think about the containment vessel for the pouches. The only effective option (I know of) is 4" ABS/PVC w/ a cap on one end and a threaded plug on the other. Load up the threads w/ pipe dope, and even hand tightening is enough to fully contain.

You're welcome.

Sprezzatura said...

Two people, for a week on the water should get by w/ a 14" pipe, and plenty of extra capacity.

Not sure how this sorta thing changes for folks in the golden years.

tcrosse said...

It's time the National Park Service took down those "No Colored Allowed" signs. The National Hockey League took theirs down years ago.

Anonymous said...

jimbino: ...all the while enjoying the patrimony of minority fellow Amerikans who will never have that experience.

Who gives a fuck if "minorities" (by which you mean blacks and non-white Hispanics) don't enjoy national parks? They get billions in transfer payments every year, and I don't get any say in that disbursement of my patrimony. And my white ancestors (none of whom were rent-seeking faux-libertarian assholes like you) contributed every goddamn bit as much to building this nation as any "minority".

Paco Wové said...

Hmmm. I see the NWS has predicted a high risk of troll storms today, with some chance of sockpuppet accumulation.

jimbino said...

Ann, a good winter destination is Arizona, especially Tucson, which has nearby attractions like Organ Pipe National Monument, Mexico, and the ski-area in the mountains to the NE. You are likely to see many more faces of color on that trip in a day than in a year at Country Club Zion.

Anonymous said...

DKWalser: Try Bryce Canyon instead. Bryce is spectacular throughout the year...

Second that. On my last visit I was a bit put out that there wouldn't be a moonless night for star-gazing, but watching the full moon rise over the hoodoos, as we sat on the rim of the canyon as night fell, soon S me TFU.

Canyonlands is also wonderful and probably the least crowded of the NPs in that area. Arches is great, too. Never had the chance to visit, but I hope someday to follow Murph's recommendations re Capitol Reef and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

Anonymous said...

jimbino: You are likely to see many more faces of color on that trip in a day than in a year at Country Club Zion.

Yeah, as if you'd ever been out on a serious trail at Zion.

(Jimbino thinks his stays at the Ahwahnee or comparable NP accommodations throughout the land should be subsidized, him being a "person of color" and all.)

Christy said...

Daddy had an elaborate shaggy dog tale he'd share when we'd do our Sunday afternoon drive in the Smokys. It was all about a missing Cherokee brave and all those "Watch for Falling Rock" signs.

I was driving the JFX in Baltimore City when a small boulder from a pedestrian overpass came through my ragtop and missed my head by thaaaat much. Just saying, wildlife and falling rocks can be found in blue states too.

Drill SGT, I love Summit County. Learned to do moguls on American in Breckenridge.

jimbino said...

It would do a lot of good to award all those Mexicans building a border fence with nice gates on our Amerikan soil a free pass to our national parks and forests.

richard mcenroe said...

Something...woke.

Sprezzatura said...

It's a shame DJT isn't in office yet.

Mini-Donald could get on his D8 and save the day.

harkin said...

Bryce is ok if you want experience nature from your car or a scenic lookout.

If you want to get on trails and explore Zion is a million times better, Escalante too.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Moab.
Sedona.

Unknown said...

Christy and Drill SGT: What about A Basin? I enjoyed that one.

Sprezzatura said...

How come no more Althouse meetups?

How about somewhere in Utah. If one's scheduled I may be able to swing private flights in a jet. Sure, it's not as cool as DJT w/ his chopper at the fair.

But, we all suffer in our own way.

Original Mike said...

Mason Crosby is the man!

steve uhr said...

Eight done, two more

Big Mike said...

Congratulations to you Packer fans out there. Any chance you'd trade Mason Crosby to the Redskins? Nevermind. We'd just screw him up like the team has screwed up every other player we've acquired.

Original Mike said...

"Any chance you'd trade Mason Crosby to the Redskins?"

We'll take the Capital and the Washington Monument. They'll look great on Lombardi Avenue.

JaimeRoberto said...

Go in the spring or fall. Winter would be too cold in the Narrows and too icy on the trail up to Angel's Landing. That's one place you don't want to slip.

Mark said...

We'll take the Capital and the Washington Monument. They'll look great on Lombardi Avenue

And since some have already shit in the punch bowl and interjected partisan politics into this post on a national park, that is all you would be able to do with the Washington Monument -- look at it.

Thanks to the federal government turning it into one big CF, it is going to take two years to replace the elevator in order to go up to the top. Two years, that is, according to the Obama Administration way of doing things. No one should be surprised, however, if obnoxious loudmouth Trump says, "screw that," and demands it get fixed in the six months it should take.

Original Mike said...

"it is going to take two years to replace the elevator in order to go up to the top."

Green Bay would have it fixed in a week.

Sprezzatura said...

Mark,

Are you sure that's enough time for the NSA to finish up?

Two years for an elevator, you didn't fall for that. Right?

Mark said...

We can't even look at it all the time, at least sometimes at night, since now the spotlights on it have been failing.

See, this is why we can't have nice things. Someone will just come along and wreck it.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Was in Zion last July and it was amazing though a bit hot. The Narrows is an iconic American hike. Rent the water boots and stick, you won't regret it. Keep walking till you leave the Asian tourists behind and be sure to check out any little side slots. Really, it's incredible. The drive between Zion and Bryce is a must as is Queen's Garden in Bryce. Since race somehow became a subject here, there were scads of Asians and an unusual number of Mexican tourists. Saw one overweight Black family. The Dad was asking at the gate if there was a discount because he was retired Army. If you drive on to Vegas take the time to stop in at The Valley of Fire State Park. So much natural beauty in the Southwest but it's so damn hot in the summer. Once the youngest graduates, we'll take our Southwest vacations in March or October.

Original Mike said...

My Dad and I climbed the stairs. Are those closed too?

Murph said...

Heck, I got vertigo just looking UP at Angels Landing. No way in hell was I going up there....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CIN-N5cNwk

MaxedOutMama said...

You definitely wouldn't want to be below that when the earth started to move!

ndspinelli said...

Winter is the best time to visit all the canyon parks in Southern Utah. I camped out[well in my van] in February in Bryce. All the parks are great but Bryce is my favorite. It is the fav of photographers, different sunlight giving you incredibly different shots of the same canyon. There's no need to skip any of the 4 National Parks in southern Utah, they're all fairly close.

L Day said...

I've spent a lifetime enjoying our national parks. I've climbed multi-day vertical to overhanging routes on the walls of Yosemite, lead beginning climbers to the summit of Denali, built igloos in Alaska and slept in snow caves in order to shelter from 100 mph winds. Just my luck that the first year I guided in Alaska we had the coldest spring in 50 years. As a result I spent a somewhat miserable 45 below zero night in my tent at 14,000 feet during our successful ascent. For years I lived in Estes Park, CO and taught climbing year round in Rocky Mountain National Park. I really loved climbing frozen waterfalls, though my partner and I once had a 600' tall waterfall fall down below us just as we finished climbing it. For whatever reason, I never met very many black climbers, a few, but not many. Nothing racist about it. Mostly it's a cultural thing. As a group blacks don't see the appeal of that kind of risky behavior. A crazy white guy I might be, but I'm now almost 66 and still loving the outdoor lifestyle. I retired from serious climbing in my late 30s in order to get a "real job" find a wife and raise a family. Today I spend a lot of time in the Absaroka/Beartooth Wilderness and Yellowstone National park, backpacking, fly fishing and taking photographs. If I don't drown or get killed by a grizzly bear I'm likely to die of old age. Don't miss Zion, it's spectacular at any time of year, but reasonably early in the spring is probably best. John Henry, make sure you see Glacier. It's incredible. But early June can still be winter. I'd recommend late June at the earliest. Especially this year. We're having a real winter here in Montana too.

Murph said...

...about those Utah highways in winter.... Granted, this is up north near Spanish Fork, but good googly-moogly:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/13/us/tractor-trailer-clips-snowplow-utah-canyon/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool

madAsHell said...

This doesn't happen in summer. Go enjoy Utah.

OldManRick said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
OldManRick said...

Go to Moab. Hike the trails in Arches and Canyonlands National Park. Don't miss the hike to Corona Arch (https://utah.com/hiking/arches-national-park/bowtie-corona-arches) - second only in size to Rainbow Bridge in the USA. Capitol Reef and Escalate are excellent too, but be ready for rutted dirt roads.

Another good trip (but really only one time - not much hiking) is Monument Valley. If you do go there get a guided tour of the "back" country. Great Arches south of the valley proper and in Mystery Valley are only available if you take a Navajo guided tour.

Great site for Slot Canyons if you're into to that - http://www.americansouthwest.net/slot_canyons/map.html
I love Little Wild Horse as a stop between Moab and Capitol Reef.

William said...

I hate being half buried under a pile of rocks. What's even worse is when the coyotes and other critters start nibbling on the exposed parts of your body. Sometimes you commune with nature and sometimes nature communes with you.

Ambrose said...

Is that a coyote wearing an Acme Jetpack under the rubble? Beep-beep!

Big Mike said...

@Original Mike, deal , provided you take all the Democrat Congress-critters along with the Capitol building.

Quaestor said...

We are recalibrating.

Odd way to put things, but it is sorta fashionable to apply technospeak terms to persons, as in "Blondie! I can't text Mr. Dithers, I'm offline!" In fact Dagwood is not offline, his device is.

An early example is exchange from "Alien" (1979). Ashe prefers techospeak, when his crewmates tend to avoid it. Of course in context Ashe's dialect is presaging something. However, Althouse is not one of those evil robots... I hope.

Original Mike said...

@Big Mike - Nah. Squatters will have to vacate.

Guildofcannonballs said...

"I don't know me
I don't like me."

"Walk the Streets of
Bakersfield."

My interpretation.

This is a link that is better than you, than yours, and than that guy over there's too.

I ain't kidding neither.

RBE said...

JOHN, go to Glacier later in the summer because the going to the sun road may not be open across the park in June. My husband, children and I have enjoyed staying at the tiny cabins at Swift Current Lodge. Many Glacier is cool, too. Nice trails start out from there and it is a great place to watch the bears eating berries from the parking lot with a scope. I don't sleep in a tent there...too many BEARS. "Other Worldly" beauty everywhere at Glacier.

Simon Kenton said...

Larry Day:

" For years I lived in Estes Park, CO and taught climbing year round in Rocky Mountain National Park."

You know Jim Detterline? I had worked with him in Dinosaur, a long time ago, before his decades in Rocky. Went to his funeral a couple months back; solo climbing accident. What a good man he was. Goofy smile, bright as a whip, and there was no money and no force that could get him to do or put up with what he thought wrong. Felt lucky to have known him.

jimbino said...

Larry Day: I never met very many black climbers, a few, but not many. Nothing racist about it. Mostly it's a cultural thing.

Does it bother you at all that you are enjoying the stolen patrimony of those black climbers, who are absent because they are struggling to pay for the family rent, as well as food and schooling for their kids?

A "mostly cultural thing" is an excuse that could cover a multitude of sins.

Big Mike said...

Shit. No deal, Original Mike. Take the whole package or nothing.

Big Mike said...

@jimbino, many of those white rock-climbers come from improvished backgrounds themselves. Had you met a bunch of them before pontificating, you'd have saved yourself some serious embarrassment.

If Lefties can be embarrassed, that is.

Original Mike said...

Mason will be happy to hear that.

Original Mike said...

Maybe Chris Boswell's available.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"Does it bother you at all that you are enjoying the stolen patrimony of those black climbers, who are absent because they are struggling to pay for the family rent, as well as food and schooling for their kids?"

Is it possible you actually had a straight face when you typed that?

Guildofcannonballs said...

"In fact Dagwood is not offline, his device is."

Out fact, you copy shittily.

Anthony Freeman deserves better than your likes muckin'.

Every second you take at Althouse others earn by blood sweat and tears and they, not us, determine reality in the future, next-secondwise.

Don't make me do what I done did to the Emcee who knew...

"Fly with new blast, get gas
Kid Rock some folks thought I'd flew right past
Faded fast, ran outta gas
Here I come again, all back in that ass

No questions, I tell no lies
Rely Kid Rock is on the rise
Like a sky scraper
I'm back like smack, and so are the vapors

And the papers, cause I'm gonna rhyme
Right, jump right back up into the lime light
And I'm rackin my brain where the pain was
No I got more soul than the train does

Mid western funkin, car pumpin from the amps in the trunkin
Ya can't stop this boy, this time
I'm the real macoy
And you know My name is Rock

You know My name is Rock [Repeat: x 7]

So hey punk, feel the funk
Feel the wrath of the rock
Non stop, I got a glock in my pants
I don't dance, I sit around

I don't sip 40's, I pound
I been around too long, commin too strong
Kid Rock got it goin on
See me, see you, see through, emcee's who knew

Fly like the wind, I hang like a hinge
Been gone like rhymes on a drinkin binge
So don't cringe at the sight of Rock
Ya want to fight the rock, ya gotta fight this glock

And you can say my beats are fake
But it don't mean shit when your gettin paid
Hip-Hop, the jam don't stop

You know My name is Rock [Repeat: x 7]

I'm the D to the O, P to the D
O to the straight up G see
I been around like Jesus layin tracks
But I had to come back, I had to come back

Back from the dead, enough said
Still trippin like Fred
Be red, ya got a head full of holes
I got a head full of bowls

I'm the K-I straight from the D, punk
From the home of the be funk
Ain't no frontin here, I won't disapear
I'll be around next year

I'm the Jiffymack
In the rack, writin off for some ify crack
Last year, this year it's all the same
But you know my name is Rock

You know My name is Rock [Repeat: x 8]

K-I-D's the name" - Kid Rock

Guildofcannonballs said...

Redefine ROcK slide yo.

YOU KNOW MY NAME IS ROCK.

jimbino said...

Big Mike thinks:

@jimbino, many of those white rock-climbers come from improvished backgrounds themselves. Had you met a bunch of them before pontificating, you'd have saved yourself some serious embarrassment.

The question you haven't answered is: why should impoverished white rock-climbers be subsidized in their rock climbing by impoverished Black, Brown and Red non-rock-climbers? Maybe because White golfers at Trump golf courses the world over are subsidized by the non-White non-golfers? Or because in the USSA it's accepted that our poor minorities are taxed to subsidize their rich and poor White countrymen's attending public universities?

Big Mike said...

For the same reason that Catholic nuns are required to subsidize abortions for well to do women too foolish to be careful, I imagine. That is, some group of elite folks with sufficient political clout got together the votes to make it so. Bitch at Democrat politicians, not at people who work for a living.

Guildofcannonballs said...

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/282003575624-0-1/s-l1000.jpg

David Baker said...


High up, the Wasatch Range is haunted, especially between Bear Lake and Logan, Utah. You'll think your eyes are playing tricks, seeing ghosts crossing the narrow, natural rock bridges above the equally narrow roadway. Against the starry sky, they look like Indian war parties, moving as silent as snow at midnight.

Bring food and water to last a week. Sleeping bags wouldn't hurt either. Plus a few Coleman items, just in case the Wasatch does what it often does, even in the middle of summer. When out of nowhere, the braves of Sitting Bull and Grey Wolf move mountains and create great, raging rivers.

Fair notice to the incidental tourist.

Jon Ericson said...

Anybody need a job?

jaydub said...

"Ann, rest assured: whether summer, spring, winter or fall, you will not have to rub tourist shoulders with any Amerikans of color--whether Black, Hispanic, or even Native Amerikan--in any of the West's national parks and forests, including Zion."

But Purgatory Correctional Facility in nearby Hurricane, Utah is only a 45 minute drive from Zion. People of color make up around 93% of its population, so there's that.

traditionalguy said...

You load 200 tons and what do you get. Another day older and another road trip by Ann and Meade. It needs a catchy tune.

John henry said...

Drill Sgt,

I was in Yellowstone first week of last June. There was still snow on the ground in places and huge mounds in the Old Faithful parking lot.

But the temperature was nice, probably mid to high 70s. We spent a lot of time outside the car walking around. I never felt uncomfortable in a short sleeved shirt.

Even in the evening, it was not bad, though I might have wanted a light jacket if I had spent a lot of time outside.

Ann, I forgot to mention: If you go to Zion be sure to take a side trip to Kolab Canyon. It is part of Zion NP but I don't think you can get from the main part of the park to it. Maybe with a 4WD jeep but not even sure of that.

It is a bit out of the way up the interstate but well worth the detour. One of the prettiest and most spectacular parts of the park.

Someone else mentioned the senior park pass. Not much good about getting older but this is one of the things that helps ease the pain. $10 one time and you get lifetime free admission. Not just for yourselves, my wife and I visited 4 National Parks last summer and she always got in on my pass.

John Henry

I'm Full of Soup said...

John- I just got my senior pass at Zion this past November. It is a great deal.

Anonymous said...

exiledonmainstreet: Is it possible you actually had a straight face when you typed that?

Yes. He's been grinding this axe for years (literally), and not just on this blog.

This strange obsession is just his way of manifesting his peculiar character defects: jimbino, while nursing psychotic levels of ressentiment against whites, is a rent-seeking faux-libertarian who's too lazy to do his own yard work and thinks the public should subsidize his use of servants.

Why has his racism latched onto the enjoyment of parks and outdoor physical activities? I dunno. Maybe the thought of all that strenuous physical activity triggers him. (I was going to write "the sight of", rather than "thought of", but I doubt jimbo has ever gotten farther into a park than a scenic oversight or a parking lot.)

Anonymous said...

AJLynch: John- I just got my senior pass at Zion this past November. It is a great deal.

Damn, I have to wait a few more years before I can despoil the patrimony of American minorities with a senior pass.

ndspinelli said...

If you are into history, Butch Cassidy grew up in the canyon lands, in Circleville, UT. The famous Robber's Roost is in the canyons nearby. You can see for yourself when you get there why the Pinkerton's would say, "Fuck it..we're not chasing him through this terrain." It was Butch's go to hideout.

cold pizza said...

My spouse took up running back when I was AD military. She'd run with my unit in the morning and then keep jogging when I'd go off to work. When I retired, she kept running. Now she runs the "Top of Zion" Ragnar (among others): 195 miles through Capitol Reef NP, Bryce Canyon NP, & Zion NP, Grand Staircase Escalante NM & Cedar Breaks NM, Anasazi SP, Escalante Petrified SP, & Kodachrome SP, Hwy 12, Hwy 89, & Hwy 14. Red Canyon & Dixie National Forest. She also runs the Squaw Peak 50 (Backtrails on Wasatch Range) and a few others. She has a marathon or Ragnar scheduled every month of the year and ran over 2016 miles in 2016. Right now the snow on the mountains is spectacular. -CP

Etienne said...

One thing people should know, is if you are retired, or a student, you can volunteer at the national parks.

In exchange for housing, volunteers work at least 20 hours a week. Some Parks ask for more, others allow splitting those hours between a couple sharing facilities. Volunteers are expected to attend training sessions to learn about the area they’ll be working in.


I don't own an RV, but I hear some parks give you a free RV hookup for your volunteering.

I believe they are interested in long term volunteers. I only know about it from a friend who goes to a different park every year to volunteer.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Does it bother you at all that you are enjoying the stolen patrimony of those black climbers, who are absent because they are struggling to pay for the family rent, as well as food and schooling for their kids?

Nope. Not one little bit, because the other people, of many colors, who plow the roads, bring the supplies to the park, muck out the ditches, rescue the retarded climbers who are not prepared for the outdoors, print the park guides and provide all the amenities for your poor put upon black and hypothetical climbers..... are also struggling to pay rent etc etc etc.

Everyone has a cross to bear. Cry some more.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Angelyne- yeah I did not even realize when getting my senior pass it was actually a twofer for a white privileged guy like me! Sweet!

Tank said...

John said...

I've been to a bunch of national parks.

Zion is far and away the most beautiful.

Going to glacier National Park in June and reserve the right to change my mind

John Henry


Me too, we should have an Althouse meetup there LOL.