Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

Today we wanted to get an early start as we were heading to Zion National Park and we had heard so many good things about it. So what happens? Nobody wakes up until after 8:30!!! We decided to blame this on the time zone change from Vegas. We scrambled around and headed out as quickly as possible. We … ok I, decided to bring the bikes along in hopes that there would be an opportunity to ride them somewhere at Zion. When we arrived we found out that it was not only possible to ride your bike around Zion, it was encouraged. I say this because the shuttle buses they provide to take tourists into the canyon and back are equipped with bike racks. Cool! This way I guess we can bring our bikes along … and we won’t even have to ride them! Just kidding. These shuttle buses are organized to run at regular intervals so that you can get on and get off as you please to hike and explore the canyon at your own pace. The trip into the canyon is primarily uphill all the way to the final stop before turning around to return so I thought that it would be nice to let the bus bring our bikes up the hill and we could ride them down. I call this, “the lazy man’s bike tour of Zion”. So we jumped onto the shuttle bus and enjoyed the views and commentary all the way up to the final stop before turning around. At that point we disembarked and took a hike a little further up into the canyon. The weather was, as you might expect at this point, a lovely sunny warm day. We hiked as far as you can go without getting your feet wet. You could go further but you’d have to continue down the stream. We chose to turn around with our dry feet and start making our way back out of the canyon. A-P and Chantal had decided to leave their bikes behind as they were worried that it may prove to be a little too strenuous. However, that was definitely not the case. So, instead, they decided to walk back down to the next shuttle stop and enjoy the view and the serenity along the way while Morgan and I jumped on our bikes to make our way to the bottom again. So we bid them adios and took off. Unfortunately, I am a sucker for a good photo op and this ride proved to be overflowing with incredible scenery. My photo stops were so frequent that we were passed by A-P and Chantal on foot before we had even made it half way to the next stop. The four of us ended up arriving at the next stop at the same time, believe it or not. During this segment of the ride, Morgan had been more than patient with me and my photography addiction. But his patience had run out by this point and he made it clear that he did not want to put up with anymore stops. I finally conceded and the two of us picked up the pace as we headed down this wonderful road. Zion National Park is an absolutely gorgeous and awe-inspiring location and as we made our way along the road, with only the sough of the wind through the rocky gauntlet in our ears, it made for an enchanted journey. And since it was mostly downhill, we basically coasted along drinking in the fabulous cliffs and summits. All of the photos I took on this part of our trip were done while riding my bike. Yes, it is a little bit challenging to compose a picture while you’re coasting down an unfamiliar road at around 15 mph (24 km/h) but all I really had to do was avoid going off the edge of the road as we could hear any vehicles far ahead of time. Our ride turned out to be one of those moments I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It felt like we were all alone gliding through paradise. There I was cruising along letting these stunning rock formations wash over me and desperately trying to capture some of it on my trusty memory card. Meanwhile Morgan was ahead riding along, this rugged beauty as a backdrop, with both hands extended pretending he was an airplane, as the two of us silently slipped through this serene scenery back to our starting point. We all met up at the bottom and had a late-lunch picnic before heading back to the campsite for some shuffleboard, swimming and hot-tubbing. On our way home I asked Morgan how he liked Zion. Morgan thought about it for a moment and then replied, “Well, it was ok but it was a little boring.” Just another example of how beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

Today’s word:

sough \SAU; SUHF\, intransitive verb:
1. To make a soft, low sighing or rustling sound, as the wind.
2. A soft, low rustling or sighing sound.