This time, I would like to introduce the "back face" of Zion National Park.
The most memorable part of Zion is the view of the rugged rocky mountains in front of you.
Many of the sandstone monoliths, which are over 600 meters high, stand up almost vertically, and especially in the summer, you can see many rock climbers aiming for the top of the mountain.
Also, many tourists visiting here are most interested in hiking on a variety of trails.
The trails range from simple 30-minute round trips to one-day trails, mountain climbs to river walks.
In the high season, the parking lot in the park may become full at 8 am.
In Corona Whirlpool, the number of passengers on the shuttle in the park was restricted and it became a complete reservation system, but hiking in Zion became difficult because it was difficult to make a reservation.
However, you can drive to the top of the mountain from both the east and west sides of the national park using a fully paved road without having to access Zion from the park's main entrance (south exit), and then hike into the valley. You can enjoy.
In that case, there is no admission fee!
This time I would like to introduce a trail approaching from the west side of Zion, which is a very easy and comfortable NORTHGATE PEAKS TRAIL.
It is a hike that can be done in just over 2 hours after parking the car on the trail head.
I suddenly came up with it on March 20th, and although there was still a lot of snow in the place over 2000 meters above sea level, the trail with no height difference was a very pleasant time to walk. ..
I will post the photo at that time.
The weather was not good on this day and I want to walk on another trail, so I will revenge on Zion soon!
Starting this weekend, a major event called MARCH MADNESS TOURNAMENT will be held as scheduled to determine the national college basketball champion.
It is an annual event at this time of year, but last year the entire process of the event was canceled just before the event, which triggered most of the sporting events to be canceled or postponed.
I think it's a college basketball tournament, but it's a big event that sports fans all over the United States are enthusiastic about.
Sports gambling is allowed in many states in the United States, and it is said that 50 million people bet money and watch games at this event every year.
Speaking of sports betting, casinos here in Las Vegas are home to many fans during these events, staying at casino hotels and betting money on games to watch TV.
The casino hotel in Las Vegas, which has been struggling to manage for the past year in Corona Whirlpool, seems to be expecting a considerable number of people, as the room charge for this weekend is the high season price before Corona.
If you notice, the season is also spring.
Is it the arrival of spring in the city of Las Vegas?
The tour that started on Monday returned to Las Vegas yesterday, and I will post a wonderful photo of Monument Valley from my guide.
Asahi from Monument Valley.
Monument Valley at sunrise.
Monument Valley and snow clouds from HWY163.
The customer this time was a young couple and a baby living in Alabama.
At the beginning of the application, it seems that there were many anxieties such as traveling for a long time because there was a baby, but as a result, I did not get mixed with other customers, so I did not care about others and watched the baby. I was very happy to be able to enjoy sightseeing freely.
Even if the tour comes out for a while, it is unlikely that it will be mixed, so I think that you will be able to receive the same service as the charter.
This is also a privilege of the Corona Whirlpool!
If you are a family with small children who cannot usually take part in the tour easily, or if you are a physically handicapped person, why not take this opportunity to visit the Grand Circle?
On Wednesday, March 10th, we held a one-day sightseeing tour of the Grand Canyon today.
In fact, the third installment of "Kuma Journey" or "I'm going on a graduation trip instead of you!" Was also held at the same time, and three human customers and three teddy bears were mixed.
The weather forecast hit, and today's Grand Canyon was windy and snowstormed from time to time, making it a rather cold sightseeing.
However, despite such bad weather, a large number of tourists were visiting, and I was surprised that there were more people than this time of the year.
Nowadays, MLB (Major League Baseball) spring camps and open games are held every day in the United States, and half of the MLB teams visit the camp here in Arizona. Professional baseball fans from all over the United States are coming to see the open game.
Perhaps I'm also visiting the Grand Canyon.
The photos I will post today are
Mather Point in the Grand Canyon is full of tourists.
Bright Angel in the Grand Canyon with snow clouds.
Seligman (Route 66) stopped by on the way.
On Monday, March 8th, a two-night, three-day tour was held.
On the first day of the same tour as last week, I enjoyed sightseeing in Sedona and watching the sunset at the Grand Canyon.
The temperature has risen for the past few days and it has been quite warm and cheerful during the day, but it seems that cold waves are coming in again, and snow forecasts have been issued for four consecutive days from tomorrow.
The Grand Canyon is over 2,000 meters above sea level and it is not uncommon for it to snow in March.
I used to be hit by snow during Golden Week.
Originally, there is a big difference in temperature during the day, so if you stay in the Grand Canyon, you will need to take measures against the cold throughout the year, so be sure to check the temperature before you go out!
I will post a photo of the Grand Canyon from my guide this time as well.
Grand Canyon in the evening west.
The sun setting on the horizon of the Grand Canyon.
Mather Point this morning (9th).
We will continue to report on the tour on Wednesday, March 3rd.
The final day of the third day begins at Gouldings Lodge in Monument Valley.
I have reported on Monument Valley before, but the tourist spots are still closed due to restrictions on activities in the Navajo settlement.
Since there is no access to the valley of Monument Valley, few tourists visit here and it is quiet.
You may now be able to experience the tranquil world of a time-slip in the days before it was known as the location of Hollywood movies.
I will post seasonal photos of Monument Valley from my guide.
Monument Valley dyed in the setting sun.
Monument Valley where the rising sun rises.
Forrest Gump Point.
On Tuesday, March 2nd, I will post a photo of the beautiful Asahi of the Grand Canyon from the guide who is on tour yesterday.
The early morning chill is still severe and the temperature is -5 ° C.
However, in a clear, cloudless sky, watching the sun slowly shine into the Grand Canyon valley as the sun rises makes me feel fine, forgetting all the unpleasant things.
Since the east exit of the Grand Canyon National Park is still closed, it will take about an hour and a half to move to Monument Valley after this.
The participants this time are a couple living in New York, but they are enjoying their time alone.
On Monday, March 1st, we held a tour of 2 nights and 3 days.
Today on the first day was sightseeing in Sedona and watching the sunset in the Grand Canyon.
The weather is good and the guide has sent me pictures of the sunset in the Grand Canyon and Sedona, so I will post them.
On Saturday, February 27th, we held a one-day sightseeing tour of the Grand Canyon today.
This time, it ’s not a teddy bear, but a real person (laughs).
The customer lives in California and is stationed by a Japanese company, so he visited the Grand Canyon before returning to Japan by the end of the year.
More than two months have passed since vaccination in the United States began, the number of infected people has dropped sharply, and the restrictions on behavior in each state have been relaxed, so I feel that the demand for tourism in the country is increasing.
As for the Grand Canyon, many people can feel it from last year even in the corona vortex.
I went to the Grand Canyon on February 24th.
"I'm going on a graduation trip for you!"
On behalf of the four participants at the second event of
I took four teddy bears.
It was a big difference from two weeks ago and the weather was nice and cheerful.
A snapshot of the teddy bear that will please the participants with the guide in charge,
I've taken a lot of pictures, saying that it's not like that.
"Cute!" From an American tourist passing by
I asked a lot of people to say, "What kind of shooting?"
I was deeply moved when I explained the contents of the project.
It may be a long time before we can guide tourists to real people, but we believe that there are still things we can do to entertain and impress our customers.
I'm looking forward to showing the photos to the participants at tomorrow's ZOOM!
I will post my experience of camping at the bottom of the Grand Canyon from February 16th for 2 nights and 3 days. (Part 3)
February 18 (3rd day)
The campsite at the bottom of the valley was quite cold this morning as well.
Adam had begun preparing breakfast when it was still dim outside, so I decided to keep out of the cold and get out of my sleeping bag.
Today is finally the day of mountain climbing. The plan is to climb the Bright Angel Trail, which is different from the day before yesterday, in 8 hours with a break.
After breakfast, I cleaned up my tent and left the campsite at 8:40. In the first half, we will gradually increase the altitude while watching the Colorado River.
The weather was fine on that day, and even an hour after I started walking, the shade became less, and even a single shirt didn't bother me about the cold. It was scary to imagine that this was summer.
Three and a half hours after departure, we arrived at the Indian Garden at the middle point.
So I took a break for about an hour while having lunch slowly.
Departure for the summit at 1:00 pm.
The distance is not much different from the campsite to the Indian Garden, but the height difference is nearly double in the latter half, so it is physically tight.
First, aim for a 3-mile rest house. I climbed sedimentary rocks from 300 to 500 million years ago for a while, but if I look carefully at the surrounding rocks, I can see fossils of trilobites and ammonites.
Shortly before the 3-mile rest house, the trail began to be covered with snow.
Take a break and aim for the next 1.5 mile rest house.
From here to the summit, the switchback that is not exposed to the sun keeps climbing. The temperature dropped sharply and the snow that had fallen a few days ago was frozen and I almost slipped and fell.
When you reach the 1.5 mile rest house, you can see the summit quite close. At the same time, the traffic volume of people increases and we pass each other many times with tourists who enjoy simple experience hiking.
Goal at 5 pm!
I was very happy to see the Bright Angel Lodge, which I should be familiar with, only today.
At the same time, a tremendous sense of accomplishment was born. (end)
I will post my experience of camping in the valley bottom of the Grand Canyon from February 16th for 2 nights and 3 days. (Part 2)
February 17 (2nd day)
The dawn at the bottom of the Grand Canyon was late and it was still dark at 7 o'clock.
It is usually said that the temperature at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is about the same as in Las Vegas, but on this day the entire Grand Canyon was cold and the lowest temperature was -14 ° C above the valley, even at the bottom of the valley we spent the night-2. The temperature was so high that the water in the bottle in the tent was a little frozen.
When I arrived at the campsite last night, it was already dark and I couldn't see anything, but when I got up and got out of the tent, the scenery I saw was amazing.
After breakfast, we aimed for "Ribbon Falls".
It is about 10 kilometers one way on the No Sky Bab Trail, which leads to the Noslim in the Grand Canyon. Unlike yesterday, we will follow a relatively flat road along the Bright Angel Creek (river) through the canyon. I almost forgot that I was in a dry desert area while hiking with the sound of the river flowing as background music from beginning to end.
After walking for about two and a half hours while taking pictures, we arrived at Ribbon Falls.
The place where the water flows down is covered with moss and aquatic plants, and when the sun hits it, it glows green, and I felt that it was emitting a fantastic and mysterious power.
We had lunch slowly while enjoying the scenery of the waterfall, and set out on the way back to the campsite.
On the way, I stopped by at the phantom lunch (inn) in front of the campsite to buy some commemorative souvenirs, but it was said that facilities other than the inn were not open due to the influence of Corona. Phantom Ranch is the only inn in the Grand Canyon and the most unreserved accommodation, but at this Corona Pass, you can't even eat the famous steak dinner just by staying at the inn.
I still had some fatigue from the previous day, so the day's activities ended with a hike to Ribbon Falls and a view of the Colorado River near the campsite. (Continue)
