rvsue and her canine crew

Onward to Zion!

So I drive my sad little self out of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and turn the Perfect Tow Vehicle and my thoughts toward Zion.  I show my Senior Pass at the entrance and I’m ushered through.  No extra charge for the tunnel!

I don’t take any photos because the web has plenty and they’re way better than anything I would take.  Suffice it to say, Zion is incredible, fantastic, beautiful, and awe-inspiring plus any other positive adjectives you might want to add relating to visual gorgeosity (I made that one up.).  The tunnels are fun and, well, dark.

All the way through Zion, down steep and tight hairpin turns, the thought of that dang, leaky tire is rumbling around in the back of my mind.

I do enjoy the ride through Zion and wonder why it doesn’t get the hype that the Grand Canyon gets.  I may be committing blasphemy in some circles when I say Zion wowed me more than the Canyon.  But then, I didn’t see the Canyon from the air.  But then, you don’t have to see Zion from the air.  The debate goes on . . . .

I love approaching a new campsite for the first time!

Friends Chuck and Geri located a pretty site next to a creek just past the town of Virgin.  Through text messages and broken-up cell calls, we arrange for Chuck to wait for me at the turn off of Highway 9.  He’s there as planned and soon we’re at the new campsite.  It’s beautiful with a lovely view and a happy, little creek.

Chuck and Geri’s “Hound Herd”, old pals of the crew from last fall in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, rush up to a furry reunion with Bridget and Spike.  The photo in the slideshow doesn’t quite capture each of the five canines sniffing every other dog’s front and back ends.  (There’s a sixth-grade math problem for you!)

Reunion over, Spike trots down to the creek and in he goes!

It’s not long before I’m in the creek, too.  The water is just the right temperature, cool at first and then simply refreshing.  Bridget surprises me.  She’s so excited she runs across the creek, prancing to make splashes, and then runs back to the other bank!  Back and forth she goes!  Of course, it’s a complete surprise so there’s no time to find my camera.

We’ve been at Zion Creekside Camp (my name for it) for six days.

What have we been doing?  Playing in the creek, exploring around the camp, taking photos, relaxing to the sound of flowing water, catching up on the blog, replying to comments, writing and answering emails, washing clothes, sweeping sand out of the BLT, pumping up the leaky tire, and pretty much doing nothing!

“Why the heck don’t you get that tire fixed?”  That’s what you’re thinking, right?

I had to wait for Memorial Day Weekend to get over with.

This morning, Tuesday, I checked the tire and the gauge read 17 psi. I’ve been putting some air in it every morning.   I pump it up again to 45 psi (a little extra air for insurance!) and the crew and I take off for Hurricane.  The plan is to get the tire repaired and then go on to Wal-Mart.

We stop at Porter Auto Repair (NAPA). 

A cool, concrete floor and two fans keep Bridget and Spike happy while we wait.  A nail is discovered in the tire.  It had worked its way toward the sidewall which causes the repair to be tricky (It takes two tries.).  I have the tire repaired, the tires rotated and balanced, and a new air filter put in.  The bill comes to $46.00 labor, $14.68 parts, $1.82 shop supplies (tire patching), and $3.91 sales tax, for a total cost of $66.41.  Gee, it’s good to have that taken care of!

Further up the road we find Wal-Mart.

I load up on items according to my diet which, by the way, is coming along swimmingly (a term I like to use when camping next to water).  I think I’ve dropped a pants’ size because I have to hitch up my size 14s occasionally as I walk. This gives me a gait similar to old Grampa Cratchett or Crumpett, whatever it was.

You know, that show where hillbillies come into a bunch of money and the daughter, who acts like a complete idiot, wears pigtails which is never cute when you’re way beyond pigtail-age. Beverly Hillbillies!  What was that actor’s name?  It’s on the tip of my tongue.  Anyway.   I’m looking forward to digging out some size 12s from the storage boxes in the PTV.

Now that you’ve waded through all this jabber and didn’t cheat by skimming to the orange headings, you deserve a slideshow!

(If you cheated, skip the slideshow and go over to Al’s at The Bayfield Bunch and see some decent photos, or go ahead and watch my slideshow and feel the guilt.)

Kudos to those of you who read every word!

Zion Creekside Camp

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rvsue