German bakery in the high desert
Had lunch at a German bakery. They had a nice set up. We had brats and beer. Just like Germany, except different geography, drier conditions, much lower population density …
Fixing the tire
We got a slow leak on one of the tires. Lucky we found a place to fix it. You can see the shop waiting area with the big elk. The guys evidently liked hunting. The waiting area featured lots of mule deer, a pronghorn and a bighorn sheep.
Desert rain
After visiting Bryce Canyon, we had a short but very intense summer rain storm. It was over in about ten minutes and dried out right after. There are also a few more photos of the canyon.
Beer belongs
I like to think of my “natural environment” as the forests and fields, but I think it might actually beer gardens.
As long as I am in Utah & Colorado, I think I will transfer my allegiance from Love’s to Sinclair. I have three good reasons. First, I like the dinosaur logo. Second, when I was a kid, there was a Sinclair station on Howell Avenue near my house. Third, there don’t seem to be many/any Love’s around here.
Good mileage
I have been getting very good gas mileage for the SUV around here. Maybe it is the “dinocare” from Sinclair. More likely, it is because I am driving on good highways, but at lower and more efficient speed.
Alex and I climbed to “Angel’s Landing” in Zion. It was not a very long hike, but it is steep, arduous & scary. When you get near the top, it is impossible to climb safely w/o the help of chains anchored to the living rock. At some point there is drop off of hundreds of feet on both sides of a narrow causeway.
Angel landing
The pictures I took do not show the reality. I am not naturally afraid of heights, but I felt a little dizzy sometimes and held fast to the chains at all times.
A lot of people climb up. It takes almost an hour to climb down from the rocks to the ordinary trail, as you have to take turns and wait for people coming up, and you are packed in. It is like when they are doing road construction and traffic can move only one way. We had some pretty French girls in front of us and some nice looking American girls behind.
We were talking to the girls at one of the stops. One of them pointed out that I was an inspiration to the people coming the other way. I felt proud until she continued that the oncoming folks would feel encourage that if an old guy like me could make it, they could too. She quickly realized that she had inadvertently told the truth and tried to dissemble, but I told her that she was right.
As I said, the pictures do not do it justice. I suggest that you Google a video of “Angel’s Landing.” The video shows it better. The trail has two summits. You get up to “Scout’s Landing” and then you climb some chains and you think you are almost to the top. When you get to the top, you see there is much more, as you can see in the first photos.
Last pictures. First is Alex and I near the top of the Angel’s Landing climb. Next is a monument to the CCC boys, who did a lot of work in Zion. After that is Alex’s supper and finally the beer menu. Evidently, beer can be only 4% alcohol in Utah.