4 Corners Trip (USA)

by Gary Wilson

Day 4 - April 8th 2007

Up and packed the next morning we headed for our final destination Zion National Park which I think is the second most picturesque place in Utah. Zion Park with its Massive canyon walls, which ascend toward a brilliant blue sky. These unique sandstone cliffs range in color from cream, to pink, to red. They could be described as sand castles crowning desert canyons.

Entering the park from the east side we first encountered the magnificent geological wonders of Checkerboard Mesa with its hoodoos and twisted rock sculptures, edged to the rim of the highway. After exiting the Mt. Carmel Tunnel, the Great Arch and Beehives come into view. We road the switch backs of the canyons, taking turns photographing each other as we road by like royalty.

Just outside the parks west exit is the town of Virgin Utah, I had to laugh at a sign we passed, it said “Virgin Used Book Store”. (An oxymoron?)

Late in the afternoon came the one town I was in no hurry to get to, Hurricane Utah and time to part ways and say goodbye to Olav. There was some sadness that this could be our first and last time we would ever ride together, or at least for some time if not years. After a few more snap shots and a handshake Olav road off and headed south back to New Mexico, and I headed north to Salt lake City.

And once again I found myself leaving for home way too early.