Day 7 Moving From Zion to the Grand Canyon

We had a really neat campsite at Zion.  Brad got up early to take photos behind the Visitor's Center because that's what Gary Crabbe said to do and he wrote the photography book that Brad used as a guide.  It has been a running joke..."We have to go.  That's what Gary said to do!"  I birded the campground and took the tent down.  To see birding photos for the day click on the tab on the right  - "Day 7 Birds".

Then we met up with the shuttle and went to a really neat place to hike. It was a strenuous hike on a hot day, but it was worth it as it was really pretty and we hiked up high to a place where the water dripped over the edge to make a pool. 

We showered at a dumpy public shower place outside of Zion.  Then we drove to the Grand Canyon stopping along the way for the "World's Greatest Shake". I believe they were right! Mmm...

We checked into a small, rustic cabin at the north rim.  We explored the area and the lodge overlook. Then we went on a rim hike through a wooded area with lots of great vistas, but it was dangerous with drop-offs everywhere.   I saw Pygmy Nuthatches, which is a life bird for me. Then we went back to the cabin to eat supper and look over tomorrow's plans.

This is the campground in the morning light.  I thought that also was an interesting tent set-up!

Here is a view of Zion I took from the high trail.

These cactus flowers were sure pretty!

 

Hiking at Zion NP in the morning.  It was a really neat hike!

Here is our cabin at the north part of the Grand Canyon.  It looked like 
a Lincoln Log cabin!  It was nice inside.

This is the inside of the cabin. The main part was rustic, 
but the bathroom was modern.

I loved the dining room of the Grand Canyon Lodge.  The windows 
have a view of the canyon.

After we got settled we went on a hike.  Brad is being crazy here.

I did not see the humor in this.  He scared me!

We enjoyed taking photos of the Grand Canyon!

Day 7 Birds

I stayed in the campground to go birding early this morning.  I've noticed that there seems to be a higher concentration of birds in campgrounds and at visitor centers. There were Western Bluebirds there and I finally got to see a beautiful male Black-chinned Hummingbird.  Wow!  It was awesome!

This evening while hiking the Grand Canyon rim I heard them...Pygmy Nuthatches!  The photos are blurry, but I got to see them really well!  That was life bird #11 for this trip. Brad found me a Stellar's Jay and a Western Tanager, which I hadn't seen in a long time.  No California Condor though.  Hopefully I will see one before we leave the Grand Canyon.

This male Black-chinned Hummingbird posed nicely for photos.  
Too bad there is a stick in the way.

I saw several Western Bluebirds in the campground.

The Black-headed Grosbeak checked in at the picnic table too.

This is a dark image of a Western Tanager.  They are quite pretty in better light.

Day 6 Life Birds

Today I saw my first Black Phoebe! It was flitting around at the shoreline pumping its tail like they do.

I also saw a couple of American Dippers and I saw one bring food up to a cliff side nest.

I love the Black Phoebe!  This bird was a life bird!

The American Dipper is an interesting bird to watch as it walks 
into the fast moving streams in search of food.

I saw the female Black-chinned Hummingbird on day 3 of the trip, but 
this was the first time to see the male.  It was a beautiful and tiny bird.

I have seen few Black Grosbeak, so this was a treat to see!

I finally got a photo of a Western Bluebird that shows its vibrant colors.

Day 6 Zion NP

We slept in a bit today at the Best Western. We have been going strong and it was time to rest up.  It was a beautiful day!  We left the motel at 9 AM to get to the shuttle that took us to our first trail.  We were the only people there and we really enjoyed this peaceful place by the river. 

We went on several hikes and we rode the shuttle way to the end. That hike was a long hike along a river through the canyon. It was very nice and full of people.  There were more people there than anywhere else so far.

For us it was interesting to "people watch".  There were folks of many different nationalities speaking a variety of languages. We noticed that they don't make eye contact just like when we were in Washington, DC.  Brad tried to visit with people and often times the response was silence. It is different than what we're used to.

We set up our tent in the afternoon, showered and went for a drive.  This park is exceedingly beautiful like the others we've seen lately.

I am just beginning to get used to having lizards skittle around my feet when I'm birding.  At first it gave me the willies!  I've seen several different species of them.  It is so odd to see lizards as I never see them at home. 

There also are Rock Squirrels all over and they are not afraid of people at all.

We ate at a cool place there with squirrels and Chipping Sparrows waiting for crumbs.  We drank lots of water to keep hydrated while hiking in this arid place.

In the evening Brad stood at a bridge with photographers to get some sunset photos, but the lighting wasn't right and it didn't work out.  While he did that, I birded around the bridge.

Its time to rest in the shade.

We got off of the shuttle here for lunch.

We set up our tent in the afternoon.

It was a nice campsite.

These squirrels were everywhere hoping for food, but people are told to not feed any animals.

We were surrounded by beauty like this.  Zion NP was one of my favorite national parks.

There were many lizards in Utah.

This one has a blue belly.

This lizard posed for the camera.

Here is a larger "blue belly".

Everyone seems to have a selfie-stick, but us.  We managed though.

Day 5 Life Birds

I saw a Sage Sparrow out in the sagebrush when we made a stop before Capital Reef.  At Cathedral Reef we stopped and walked around by a river.  I heard a bird that sounded a bit like a Song Sparrow, but I knew it wasn't.  It was a Bewick's Wren. Both of those were life birds.

Then when we were at Bryce Canyon a Western Bluebird appeared on a branch near me! Wow! It was beautiful!  I've seen 9 life birds so far!

I wasn't certain it was a Western Bluebird, but a friend told 
me that if it had a blue throat it was.

It is a beautiful bird and this image doesn't quite capture 
the pretty blue that it is.

Bryce Canyon is a beautiful place!

Day 5 On the Move in Utah

We were up at 6:30 AM feeling unhappy about the day's forecast. Brad made a reservation at a motel near our destination due to heavy rains and severe weather that were in the forecast. We had planned to skip our scenic drive, but at the last minute we went and are we ever glad we did!  

The Grand Staircase drive was spectacular!  Even the area prior to Capitol Reef was stunning!  We kept stopping to take photos. We had a quick picnic before the storm and then it rained really hard, but it passed and that happened several times. 

Scenic Byway 12 was beautiful and we stopped many times for photos there too. 

When we got to Bryce Canyon it started pouring and hailing.  We were so disappointed. Tourists were piling out of the park and the Visitor's Center was packed. Then when it cleared there was an awe-inspiring view complete with a rainbow!  We hiked to sunset point for more photos. Luckily the rainbow lasted a long time!  It was a beautiful view.  

We made our way through Zion Park to the motel, which was quite far from the park.  We drove through an unlit tunnel that was over a mile long that was built in 1930.  Before we left the park we saw Big Horn Sheep on top of a distant hill.

On day 1 I thought the scenery couldn't get any better, but each day seems to be more amazing!

We thought that the desert was quite beautiful!

On this travel day we had on and off showers/storms.

I thought this area was especially beautiful!

We enjoyed seeing the interesting rock formations.

The wide variety of flowers were beautiful!

After the rain this area was very colorful and complete with 
several small waterfalls.  It was a fun place to hike around.

I've never seen a waterfall like this before.

When I was taking this photo there was a 
loud crack of thunder that made me jump!

The crowds of tourists left because of the rain, but 
 they missed the rainbow.

Brad has enjoyed resuming his nature photography hobby.

At Bryce Canyon there is beauty in all directions.

Bryce Canyon at Sunset

We drove through Zion in the evening and I spotted this 
family of Bighorn Sheep atop a distant hill.

Day 4 Life Birds

It is so enjoyable to see a bird I've never seen before.  Today I saw 6-7 life birds!  I saw a Black-throated Sparrow, a Bushtit, an Ash-throated Flycatcher, a Pinyon Jay, a Curve-billed Thrasher, a female Black-chinned Hummingbird and I heard a Green-tailed Towhee, but I could not locate it.  Other birds seen that I've only seen a time or two before.  I saw many Common Ravens, some Rock Wrens, a Canyon Wren, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.  It was a fun day!

At first I was thinking that this was a Great Crested Flycatcher
 like we see at home, but then when eBird didn't accept that I 
realized it was an Ash-throated Flycatcher, which was a life bird for me.

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Black-throated Sparrow

Pinyon Jay

The Rock Wren was not a life bird, but it is a bird I rarely see.

The female Black-chinned Hummingbird was a surprise to me!