Day 6 – Zion Park & Tunnels with Windows

Instead of the light at the end of the tunnel, I saw the light in the SIDE of the tunnel. That was certainly a first for me. I had never seen “windows” in a tunnel before.

At Zion National Park, the 1.1 mile tunnel, which was built in 1930, ran through the side of a cliff. At every curve in the tunnel, there was a huge arch that opened in the side of the tunnel – measuring about 20 feet across and 14 feet high. This provided daylight that shined on the curve to help motorists see.

When we arrived on the other side of the tunnel and looked up the side of a sheer cliff, we could see one of the open archways.

By the way, this tunnel charges a $15 fee for RVs. Also, if the RV is more than 11 feet tall, you must drive through the middle of the tunnel – which turns the tunnel into a one-way route. This means that vehicles must stop at the tunnel opening and wait for traffic coming the other way.

Keep this in mind, as I tell the rest of this story.

We had already selected the trail we wanted to hike. We asked a Park Ranger, and he said the parking lot for the trailhead was just before the tunnel. OK. We slowed down as we approached the tunnel.

We saw the parking lot. There were only 12 parking spots. TWEVLE! Of course, they were all full. Now we were trapped in the tunnel line. We asked a Park Ranger if we could turn around. Nope!

Soooo, we had to go all the way through the tunnel, . . . turn around (not easy to do with a 28-foot RV, a 200-foot drop off, and a bunch of oblivious, camera-happy tourists wandering aimlessly), . . . sit in line again, . . . go back through the tunnel, . . . and drive 4 miles past the trailhead before there was a pull off.

At the pull off, Ross was backing up to turn around. The little 3-foot trailer we have attached to the back bumper scraped the ground. Ethan was playing lookout at the back window and saw a metal bracket and screws on the ground. Oops!

We actually found the bracket and screws. Ross crawled on the ground and secured everything. A Good Samaritan even stopped and offered to help. (Yes, there are still nice people in the world. This particular gentleman was from Georgia.)

After all that, we headed back toward the trailhead. There was no way we were going to make the same mistake again. (I don’t think Ross’ blood pressure could have stood it!) So, we stopped at a pull off about a mile from the trailhead and walked the rest of the way. There’s nothing like walking a mile before you even begin your hike.

All that nonsense took most of the day. By the time we drove to the end of the park (which meant a THIRD trip through the tunnel), we were worn out. Well, poor Ross was exhausted. The rest of us were just a bit fatigued.

It was a relief to arrive at the KOA St. George/Hurricane campground. Before we left home, I had reserved a cabin. I was afraid that we would be tired of sleeping in the RV (and tired of each other) by the time we’d been on the road for a week.

My only regret was that we didn’t arrive earlier in the evening. The cabin was adorable. I know that’s a cutesy word, but it’s the best descriptor I can think of. From the outside, the cabin appeared small. But, inside there were two bedrooms, a family room/kitchen, and a bathroom. Ethan and Autumn loved the bunk beds. We all loved the full-sized shower/tub.

Autumn also discovered that the flat screen hanging on the wall in the bedroom had a “fireplace” on it. Too cool! (Or, should I say, too hot?)

I went to sleep hoping NOT to dream about tunnels or lights (either at the end or the sides)!

Westward Ho!