Final Chapter : Discovering Zion National Park by Gerry Barnes It is an 82-mile drive north to Kanab, Utah where we checked into the Four Seasons Motor Inn (36 N 300 W: 435-644-2635) for the next three days ($228.15). The Four Seasons is certainly no five-star establishment but it's clean, friendly and very close to the Pink Sahara, Moqui Cave, Navajo Lake and Zion National Park. Zion was really the best part of the trip for me. Although the Grand Canyon was awe-inspiring, I had seen its wonders on a thousand television programs and they'd prepared me to be impressed. Not so with Zion. The overwhelming beauty of this place came as a complete surprise and within an hour, I knew that if I had to choose between the Canyon and Zion, I'd pick Zion. Zion Canyon Scenic Drive A one-year National Park pass can be had for $50.00 and there's no better bargain in the USA. Indeed, Zion alone is well worth the price. Since private cars are no longer allowed in the Park, an excellent (free) shuttle bus system escorts visitors along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and bus drivers gladly point out the most spectacular sights along the six-mile/90 minute (round trip) excursion - including a rock formation called the Great White Throne that will definitely take your breath away. I made a game attempt to hike up to the three Emerald Pools and I actually made it to the first pool before hunger drove me back down to the Zion Lodge for some chicken-and-rice. Mark and Nathan continued on to the upper pools then joined me later back at the restaurant. The Narrows After lunch, we took the shuttle bus to the Narrows - a winding slot canyon cut through the rocks that was unquestionably the high point of my entire trip. Walking through the Narrows is really like stepping back into prehistory. The Virgin River flows through this deep sandstone canyon and sometimes the water is up to your ankles, sometimes up to your waist. The walls of the canyon loom thousands of feet above you on every side (making it blessedly cool and comfortable). Tiny transparent fish dart playfully about your legs while high above, huge birds that look strangely like pterodactyls glide back and forth. It is preternaturally quiet, and as you wade your way along the ancient stone passageways, an amazing array of trees and wildflowers greets you from the canyon walls and from sandbars. "Truthfully, I felt like Indiana Jones and I could have stayed in the Narrows forever." I was astonished to realize that hours had passed in what seemed like mere moments. But as the sun descended and the canyon grew increasingly dark, we knew that we would have to turn back. It was with the greatest reluctance that we returned to the waiting shuttle. That night I dreamed of finding King Solomon's Mines deep within the recesses of the Narrows (must have been the meatball marinara sandwich from Subway) and I promised myself that I would absolutely return again someday. Fishing Utah: Navajo Lake and Panguitch Lake But the following day - Thursday - was Nathan's day. An avid fisherman, he was eagerly anticipating our trip to Duck Creek Village, a vacation resort that's an hour's drive north of Kanab. We were actually heading to Navajo Lake, about four miles away from Duck Creek. Not only does Navajo Lake have "the most beautiful sunsets in the West", it is also full of trout. These come in the rainbow, brook, German brown and cutthroat varieties, and after stopping in Cedar City to buy bait and lures, we proceeded directly to the lake for hours of fun and a catch of exactly ... nothing. Oh, the fish were there, all right. We could see them laughing at us from behind the rocks. But they weren't biting. And after several hours of this cat-and-mouse (fish?) game, it became painfully obvious that we were being toyed with. Gathering our tackle up, we huffed off to Panguitch Lake where, again, we caught absolutely nothing. Correction: I caught one of the worst sunburns of my life. Despite the careful application of SPF 50 (!) sun block, my pale white Iris-American legs turned fire engine red and swelled up to twice their normal size. "Agonizing" doesn't begin to describe the next 24 hours. I was immobile. Of course, not being able to move threw a huge monkey wrench into our "final day" plans to visit Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. But, ironically, it worked out for the best. While I stayed behind at the Four Seasons, soaking my legs in a bathtub full of ice-cold water, Mark and Nathan returned to Zion where they took on the fearsome Angels Landing trail. Angels Landing Trail There is a reason this trail is called Angels Landing: its peak is in the clouds. It is a hot, strenuous four-hour hike that features narrow passages, hairpin turns and long, long drop-offs. Like the Grand Canyon mule ride, it is definitely not for the faint-hearted. Indeed, the last half-mile of this trail finds hikers pulling themselves up a long metal chain to its summit. By the time my two compatriots returned to the inn from this trek, they were both exhausted. Still, we had time for one last side-trip. Moqui Cave: Dinosaur Tracks, Native American Art Moqui Cave (435-644-8525) is home to the largest collection of dinosaur tracks in southern Utah. Located five miles north of Kanab on Highway 89, it is one of the coolest places in the desert (never over 70 degrees no matter how hot it gets outside). The Cave depicts the lives and architectural achievements of the area's Native Americans during the Great Pueblo Period (AD 700-1200). It features displays of Native American artifacts and a collection of fluorescent rocks and minerals from around the world. It also has a gift shop that is one of the best in the southwest. (This is where I purchased the shiny magnetic rocks for Nathan that he later used to wreck the monitor on his father's home computer.) Moqui Cave is endlessly interesting and definitely worth a look. It was closing in on 8:00 PM when we loaded up our SUV, checked out of the Four Seasons Inn and started the long, hot trek back to LA. There was plenty of time for reflection on the journey home and one of the things that Mark and I both noted was how quickly the week seemed to pass. I am convinced that vacationers break down into two basic types: those with itineraries and those who fly by the seat of their pants. The potential drawback to being among those in the first group is that you are generally so busy racing from activity to activity that it's often not until the vacation has ended that you realize just how much you accomplished and how much fun you had. (Not that this is necessarily a bad thing.) The drawback to the second is that you frequently accomplish little and see next-to-nothing at all. Between the two alternatives, I'll settle for the first. I'm a strong believer in detailed itineraries - even if they're not scrupulously followed. In the final analysis, this trip through the American West was everything that anyone could have wished for (yes - even despite the sunburn!). The Grand Canyon and Zion may not hold the mystique of, say, a Katmandu or a Bora Bora, but if the measure of a trip's success is the degree of fun experienced on that trip, then this one will definitely be hard to beat.