Rocks and Tundra.

Arguably the best part of leaving, or entering for that matter, Zion is the rock shops! in particular, seek out the Silver Bear. Best prices, best quality of gemstone, and tons more of it than the cheapo tourist places up the road. Oh yeah - and it's closed on Sunday and Monday. Great timing, huh? Hence - we had to stop at a few other, lesser quality rock shops ... but also found a secret gem in the rough off the highway, where the 'landscape sandstone' was apparently discovered. The sandstone was still too expensive, but I got a few chunks of Septarian and Picasso Stone! $2 a pound ... what a crazy deal.

Oh yeah - and all the other shops that we had tried to get into when it was downpouring, and we went into town (and changed into dry clothes at at weird 50's diner), are now open. None of them open for a rainy day ... not even the pizza shop ... but now: sunny, warm, beautiful day for a hike - all open.

Only slightly gruntled that we had to head out of one of the nicest hiking parks in all of Utah, on a glorious day, the drive to Grand Canyon began!

And it started to get cold.

and colder as we hit Kaibob National Forest.

when the park canger said that the campground was filling up fast, we high tailed it in to grab a spot. and set up camp. in the frigid cold. I'm talking, put on full silk long underwhere, canvas painters pants, thermal undershirt, thermal overshirt, hoodie, outerlayer, baseball cap, and wool socks. before leaving the car. touching the poles to set up the tent ... numbing. we had the chance to buy gloves at the visitors center ... why had we scoffed at the opportunity?

That done - cruise on in to the North Rim center ... where they have casually laid out the shops so that you go into the first one (the worst one) and buy your postcards, then go to the next few, realise your mistake, buy better ones, then head to the last few shops - finally see that these are the ones that actually have decent goods, and don't buy anything because the saloon is right there instead. Hung out in the saloon until we convinced ourselves that it couldn't possibly be as cold outside as we remembered coming in.

it was.

and getting dark.

Probably the coldest night of campground cooking yet. Possibly the best camp meal yet. Smoked mushrooms glazed with olive oil, steamed spinache lightly seasoned, white rice, Annies cheddar mac and cheese, white wine fondue sauce, grilled green peppers, steamed broccoli, wine; and for dessert: homestyle hot cocoa, and of course - smores!

sleeping in all of my clothes in my bag ... not so much fun.

sleeping in the car with all of their clothes and in bags ... probably even less fun for John and Meg.

you could actually see your breath freeze, crystalize, and fall at your feet as a light powder of ice. ...well. it felt that way.

what happened? aren't we in Arizona??