Highlights of the day
- magnificent sunrise in the Valley of Fire
- Drive through Zion National Park to the east entrance and on through Utah
- Car washing, oil and oil filter changes
I get up at 4:45 a.m. and go straight to my photo tour through the Valley of Fire. The sunrise mood is once again terrific and ends in numerous successful shots. From Arches Rock along the Scenic Drive to the already visited Fire Wave. The colors now shine even more intensely, a great subject. The hilly route through the valley is almost magical. The next highlight is the Elephant Rock, a rock arch as the name suggests resembles an elephant.
After a breakfast stop, I drive back to I15 and all north on this until I turn back towards Zion National Park. After a shopping stop in Hurricane, I drive through the park on Parkstrasse. The route climbs steeply and offers magnificent views. I'm doing a short hike up to Canyon Overlook. There I enjoy the view and eat the bread, salami and cheese I brought with me. Freshly strengthened, I continued my journey. This route through the park was built in the 1930s and is a real masterpiece. The towering rocks all around are really unique.
Now I'm driving north on Highway 89 towards Salt Lake City. In Panguitch I finally wash the car. The initially wide, heavily agricultural valley becomes narrower and rafting groups can be seen time and again on the rough Sevier River. As has already been seen many times, there are dead animals lying on the roadside. Mainly rodents, but also three deer. And suddenly a gray squirrel ran under the car in a bend, but I could no longer tell whether I had hit the rear axle.
Finally I turn back onto Interstate I70 in Sevier, which brings me to Salina. At the NAPA car center there, I have the oil and oil filter changed so that the car will hopefully continue to function smoothly for the next few weeks. I'm staying at the nearby Butch Cassady Campground for an inexpensive $ 7. After a round of jogging and washing, I fry a delicious salmon fillet and make a salad. The place even has WIFI, so the blog is updated, the pictures sorted, and music downloaded and listened to. A little cooler than usual, I go to bed around midnight.
