SLC to Zion

Slight change in plans. We were staying South of SLC so we'd miss rush hour and have a shorter drive to Springdale/Zion. Monica decided she wanted to see Salt Lake City, so we went into the city for a few hours and mainly walked around downtown. Very strange experience. While it was a Monday at 9:30-11, downtown was empty. Is Easter Monday a holiday? Businesses were open at 10, but there didn't seem to be the downtown hubbub you'd see in any other major city. Coolest place we found was a bookstore that is similar to Powell's in Portland. Took off about 2 and drove straight to our hotel.

Today was our first adventure in more ways than one. When we arrived Monday night, we found out we couldn't leave Hunny Bear in the room while we were out. Most pet friendly places say not to leave the pets unattended but they all turn a blind eye if you go to eat for an hour and don't care much about well behaved pets. It's like a speed limit -- driving 61 in a 60 zone is illegal but no one really enforces. But there are places where they will ticket you for that, so you need to be cautious. And the vibe that was we shouldn't leave Hunny Bear. We had passed a dog day care a couple miles before our hotel and they had an opening. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as our running around took longer than expected.

We had planned to be at Best Friends for a tour about 10, but didn't arrive until 10:45. Dropping off HB, and traffic (slow drivers) through the park slowed us down. So we caught the abbreviated tour at 11. By the time we finished at Best Friends, hit the gift shop and had lunch; we realized there was no way to fit Bryce Canyon in. So we headed straight for Zion National Park. My parents had been there a few years ago and said it was pretty quick to see. But now that it's gotten busier, they don't allow cars on the scenic drive (the best part). The shuttle system is pretty efficient but it does slow you down a lot. We did the shuttle tour where you can see the highlights and took a lot of photos (sorry, I'm slow on getting any photos uploaded). Monica and I actually split up so she could get Hunny Bear before 5 and I spent an extra 45 minutes in the park.

We'll hit Bryce Canyon tomorrow as it's one of the must see items on the agenda. We'll see how much of Glen Canyon and the Staricase we can fit in.