More Zion

This is the road we cycled up to the tunnel. There are six switchbacks ending at the canyon wall at the left.
The Virgin River coming out of The Narrows.
Rock climber at 1200 feet above the canyon floor. It had taken him five days to get to this point. You can see his bag on the ledge where he slept on a 6 x 6 platform he hung from the wall.
Movie set used for Gunsmoke and other Westerns. The gallows is on the right and the saloon is the last building in the row.

On our last couple of days in the Zion area we did more hiking, biking and took a long drive in the wilderness. Our bike ride included a 3.5 mile uphill ride to the tunnel. Going uphill in the West really is easier than in Western PA because they have switchbacks to reduce the grade. Going down as usual was much more fun. One hike was along the Virgin River to The Narrows where it flows into Zion Canyon. When the water is lower (and warmer) you can hike in the river through The Narrows. We also saw some rock climbers on the shear cliffs of the canyon. Zion is second only to Yosemite for climbing. On our drive we came across the old set used in many movies as well as the TV show Gunsmoke. Many Westerns where filmed near the town of Kanab, UT also know as Little Hollywood. They have many plaques throughout the town with pictures of the stars, including John Wayne, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, who made movies here.