15.08. Zion National Park

We have to leave the campsite in Springdale at 11:00 am, we park our RV at the paid parking lot across the street. The daily rate for RVs is $40 and must be deposited in a box. We scrape together our last $39 in cash (hopefully no one will notice) and get on the bus to the Zion National Park, as private vehicles are not allowed to drive to the scenic spots. The poor bus driver has to speak into a microphone the whole time to entertain the tourists. We get off at the "Zion Ranch" to take the trail to the Emerald Pools. The Emerald Pools are three ponds fed by small waterfalls. Unfortunately, we notice that the bridge over the Virgin River is closed (the bus driver probably mentioned that, but we stopped listening at some point).

The bridge appears to be intact, but we decide (like some other hikers) to cross the river on foot. The current here is quite strong, and some people struggle on the slippery rocks. For us and the kids, it's a lot of fun in the heat. Flo carries Samuel on his back, and we're across in no time. Sophie has the brilliant idea of throwing her shoes onto the riverbank. One rolls back into the river. Felix almost heroically jumps after it and manages to retrieve the shoe. Unfortunately, the sock becomes a victim of the raging rapids.

Why the bridge is closed for an obvious triviality and inexperienced tourists are forced into the riverbed is a mystery to us, like many other things in this country. The main thing is that the bridge operators don't face a multi-million dollar lawsuit for a misplaced slate. We repeat: "Land of unlimited impossibilities."

After the wet adventure, we hike for about an hour to the Emerald Pools and then down to the Virgin River. Since it's so hot, we look for a quiet spot where we can cool off. Felix and Flo even lie down in the river, it's cold but pleasant!

At around 5:00 pm, we're back at our RV and start the approximately 3-hour drive to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, where we have reserved a campsite for the next two nights directly in the Grand Canyon National Park. We have to drive through the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway in the national park, where we get caught in a heavy summer storm during the steep uphill climb.

The drive to the Grand Canyon takes us through a suddenly very green landscape with lots of meadows and forests. On the edge, we see bighorn sheep, deer, and other wildlife. The climate here is very pleasant, as the North Rim is at an altitude of about 2,500 meters.

In the evening, we light a bonfire in the provided fire ring and look forward to exploring the Grand Canyon tomorrow.