Westward Ho! (Part 2) - The Narrows at Zion

Grand Canyon conquered, it was time for the Cook family to make their way northward, for the second stop of our Westward voyages - Zion, Utah! We were dragging our feet to leave a place as remarkable as Arizona's very own world wonder, but the destination awaiting us at the other end of the drive was more than worth the trip... as you're soon to find out.

First, driving up through Arizona all but confirmed that it might be the prettiest state I've ever been in -- every new mile on the highway, there was a new vista of purple and blue striped mountain formations in the distance; picture the scenery of any cowboy movie you've ever watched, and there it is on the plains of Arizona, staring you in the face.

After a quick rest stop at the breathtaking Glen Canyon (we figured it was kind of like the Grand Canyon's littler, lesser known cousin), it was onward to Zion!

Arizona Tourism Worker: "Hey mom, I got a new job! I'M WORKING AT THE glen CANYON!
"What was that, dear? Didn't catch that - the what canyon?
"AT THE glen CANYON!"
"It's kind hard to tell -- are you saying Grand Canyon?"

Our hotel for the Utah portion of the trip was the out-of-the-way town of La Verkin - and if you want to know what it's like, watch Napoleon Dynamite. No actually - that's where they filmed large portions of the indie super flick. We're not exactly rushing to get back there, but it did the job fine as our base camp for what lay nearby.

I want to be absolutely clear: for the most part, there was not a bad moment in our entire ten days away. We'd have been blessed and privileged to see half of our itinerary -- which makes what I'm about to say all the more impressive, hopefully. All four members of the Cook family unanimously agree:

Zion National Park was the highlight of this trip.

Although the other sections of Utah we drove through seemed totally arid, Zion is cut through by the Virgin River, and the water brings green along with it. Red rock mountains rise hundreds of feet in the air alongside both sides of the road through Zion, with trees spreading up the sides from their source in the river. The long valley is inaccessible to passenger cars, so we had to park and take a shuttle to the headlining attraction at Zion - the Narrows.

So that river I mentioned? The Narrows is a part of the trail through Zion where the cliffs converge to only the width of the water apart from one another. The Cook family hiked -- lol, hiked -- up our skirts and plunged into the river to follow along its twisting course, and you're hearing it here: it was one of the very best experiences of this writer's twenty-one years on Earth.

The water was more refreshing than I can describe in the desert heat, and we spent a good hour and a half wading upstream against the current without going in deeper than our knees. The river twisted every hundred yards or so, so there were new, even more beautiful sights around every new bend - honestly, I would have followed it all the way to the end, if I could have.

Rhapsodies in blue

We're heading thataway

Every now and then, walls of plants would descend off the cliff walls into the river, creating hanging gardens to walk through. If I'm allowed to say this without coming off weird, it all felt a bit mystical in sections; I don't know whether it was the Paiute Indian park ranger over the shuttle systems' speakers telling us all about "the spirits of this place" going straight to my head, or just a delayed-action effect of the intense Utah heat, but the Narrows really did have a special feel to them.

This sorta stuff makes a fella feel small - in the best way possible.

There'll be a return to Zion for me in the years to come, if I have anything to say about it, and I can't recommend a place for you to visit more wholeheartedly. NO must-see travel list is complete without a stop at Zion, and especially the Narrows, take it from me. Simply unforgettable!!

Next up: back to Zion for one of the Cook family's most memorable adventures to date. Want a clue? "Ride like the wind, Bullseye!"