We love to get away together for Valentine’s Day. This year I booked a room at the Zion Lodge inside Zion National Park. Zion is just up the road from our home of the last 10 years, and we’ve loved visiting it over the years. One of my favorite days was a couple of years ago when I hiked Angels’ Landing with my oldest. She proclaimed that she hated every switchback, but the view from the top was amazing.
North View from the top of Angels Landing
We’ve seen so many amazing sights there over the years, including some very close encounters with Desert Bighorn Sheep
This trip was fantastic, and had several firsts. This was the first time we’ve spent the night in the park, and staying in the lodge inside the park reminded us of a trip we took *cough* years ago when we were 18 and stayed in the lodge in Yosemite. We’re so lucky to have each other!
Yosemite, Summer 1999
This was the first time we saw the park shrouded in fog. It was so surreal to see the tops of the towering cliffs hidden in the clouds, and beautiful in a whole new way. If we do ever start this Foreign Service adventure, and head off around the world, I will truly miss the canyons of the American West. They are truly magical.
-
- Entering the Park
-
- Entering the Park
-
- Cliffs shrouded in mist
-
- Our humble abode
-
- Many years in love
-
- I love muddy western rivers
-
- Fog and waterfalls? Shangri-la?
-
- Environmentally conscious hotel doesn’t use small toiletry packages
-
- Angels Landing seen from the north (reverse of the view from the top pictured above)
-
- The sun came out the next morning.
On a tour several years ago one of the Park Rangers told us that “Zion” is hebrew for a place of sanctuary. It is a well named place, and we love spending time there. Happy Valentine’s Day!