The very last amusment of my trip was to stop at Roberto's taco shop in Beaver.
Roberto's is part of the Flying J struck stop in Beaver. Years ago, it used to be a Piccadilly's circus pizza. Those were the good old days. I used to like stopping there on my trips to Las Vegas and pick up a small personal pizza for the road. But I have not tried Roberto's since it took over. I have wondered if it is an it might be another incantation of Beto's but as it turns out, Roberto's is it's own national restaurant chain, though very similar to Beto's. The menu is similar and most of their restaurants are open 24 hours just like Beto's. Roberto's has only a small presence in Utah. There's one in Beaver and another in Saint George. I ordered the Carne Asada burrito.
I was shocked when I opened the lid. The food looked fine but they use those darn plate ridges to separate the food. Why!!! I like mixing my beans, rice and burrito all together when I eat Mexican food. I think most people eat Mexican with the same philosophy. And now they have complicated my standard procedure by using the wrong kind of Styrofoam tray.
Besides that, no complaints. It was a good burrito and it was only 6.25$ for this whole plate which is very reasonably priced.
This is the menu that is on display on the outside of the building. I had a closer look at it on the way out. I hadn't noticed that they offered some American food along with all their tremendous Mexican food menu. I'll really have to try that double cheeseburger next time I'm driving through.
There was one more thing I did on my way out of Zion. I stopped at a Zion's canyon gift shop for some a cup of ice cream.
Before entering the store, I was greeted with the following announcement on the door.
I was planning to by some ice cream so I guess I wouldn't get in too much trouble if I snuck into their restroom. I worked in retail for 10 years so I kind of understand their annoyance.
For my ice cream, I decided to go with what seemed like an indigenous flavor that they call Moose tracks.
Moosetracks probably took some inspiration for Ben & Jerry's brand Ice creams. Any ice cream that's got weird chunks of something in it probably got the idea from those two crazy hippies. It was good ice cream but I was so curious about these chocolate covered peanut butter piece. What in the world were they? The only way I could know was to pull one out of my mouth and have a look at it. So I did. Yeah, kind of gross but who hasn't ever pulled something out of their mouth to examine it and then popped it back in. At least I didn't take a picture of it. What it turned out to be was just a miniature peanut butter cup.
The view from where I was sitting.
While I enjoyed my ice cream and worked on my crosswords, an elderly lady came in and asked where the rest room was. She also gave no indication that she planned on buying anything. I don't think she even noticed the sign. This was going to be interesting. Was the girl behind the counter going to follow store policy and tell the old lady to buy something or beat it?
No. She politely directed her to the back of the store to where their restrooms was and that was it. Good for her! She made the right call. That's another thing that I learned from my days in retail. It's nice dream about ideal customer behavior and to maybe even put a sign on the door asking them all to conform to it. But actually enforcing it is nearly impossible, at least not without having to having to kick a little old lady out the door for her noncompliance.
I made it back to Zion's lodge for lunch at around 3:00 p.m. There was practically no line which is what I was hoping for.
When you eat at the Zion's lodge, prepare to be gouged. I got a slice of pizza, a Nathan's hotdog and a large drink which all cost about 11 dollars. The pizza is Freschettas. Freschetta is one of those above average frozen pizzas which costs about 6 dollars for a whole one at the supermarket. At Zion's lodge a single slice costs four dollars. The hot dog also cost around 4 dollars and the soft drink was 2.75. The pizza wasn't worth 4 bucks. A dollar would have been a more reasonable price. I really enjoyed the hot dog. Nathan's are top quality dogs but it was also over priced.
They sell sandwiches at Zion's lodge that are much healthier than what I ate but once again, prepare for an inflated price. Still, getting gouged at a tourist place like this is to be expected and I have had far worse.
While I sat eating, two couples came up and asked if they could join me. The other tables were all taken and the table I was sitting solo at had six seats. That means that I was kind of being a table hog. I told them there were more than welcome to sit an my table.
The two couples were middle aged - probably in their 50's They hailed from Oregon and were on a two week vacation. During their two weeks they were planning to visit all five national parks in Utah plus the Grand Canyon in Arizona and then make their last stop in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. They had just finished hiking Angels landing and were taking a much needed rest at the lodge. They enjoyed the hike but admitted that it wasn't easy. I enjoyed Angels landing too, but only the view of it from The Grotto trail. Next, they were planning to do the Emerald pools, a much easier hike than Angels landing but definitely more strenuous than my little stroll to the Grotto. There are three pools on this hike all together, the highest being the most impressive pool.
Before leaving I needed to lounge around on the lawn like a bum for a few more minutes. I also took a video this time of the surroundings from my back.
A young guy obviously intrigued by the size of the giant Cottonwood
I arrived back a the museum at around 4:00 p.m.
While at the museum, I decided to watch the 20 minute movie that gives a history of Zion's Park.
After the movie, I ran into the tourists who I ate lunch with. They were on their way in the theater to see the next showing. They told me they had only made it to the first emerald pool and then gave up, turned around and went back to the lodge I can understand that. After hiking Angel's landing, they were probably running pretty low on energy.
Before leaving, I had a look around the outside of the museum. I found that there is great beauty to be seen in this part of the park that I've never experienced before.
There's a hike that can be accessed from the museum called the Pa 'rus trail. I was curious about it so I went on a small scouting expedition to have a look at the trail.
The next two photos were taken on the way back. They're both from the same angle with one small difference.
The second photo provides a perspective on the trail that the first one doesn't, thanks to the hikers that were coming my way. They're showing exactly where the trail is. But the first one is nicer because it shows the purity of nature with no human distractions in it. I wasn't sure which photo to post but after putting some thought into it, it was obvious that they both needed to go up.
I didn't walk too far but I liked what I did see and will probably be have to come back soon to do this hike. It's only three and a half miles and there is hardly any elevation gain so it should be a pretty easy stroll. I found some sources that cited Pa 'rus as the easiest hike in the park. Whoever's saying that have obviously never done the Grotto trail.
For my Zion's hike, I settled on the Grotto trail.
Yes, the sign does say it's only .5 miles. That may seem like a namby pamby of a hike and it most certainly is but after laying on the grass for 20 minutes, I felt too lazy to try anything too strenuous. And besides, this is a nice little road side hike that deserves a nod on my blog.
Another hiker coming the other way is seen straight ahead.
The next three pics were taken facing the west side of the trail.
The big red mountain dead ahead is Angel's landing. I'm certain of it.
The Grotto is dead ahead.
Here it is. The Grotto!
The Grotto used to be the premier picnic spot in Zion's national park. That changed when they closed off the park to vehicle access. Some people still like to picnic here but it's not as easy to when all picnic supplies have to be transported in by shuttle. Nonetheless, there were a few people at the Grotto today having their lunch.
By the entrance to the Grotto stands several large Cottonwoods.
It was a enjoyable drive through Springdale on the way to Zions. Since the last time I drove through at the end of March, spring had come to Springdale and the trees were considerably greener.
Getting into the park was much easier this time. I figured Monday would be a good day for park access.
I've always liked parking at the mouth of the canyon and then take the shuttle in from there. But I couldn't do that on this trip. For the first time, all those parking spots were taken. I had no choice but to back track to a different shuttle stop.
I ended up parking at the Zions museum. I don't think I've ever been to the museum before. I like museums but when there is so much to see at Zion's, it's hard to justify going to hte museum. But today, fate directed me there. There were plenty of parking spaces and a place to shuttle into the park.
I got off the shuttle at Zion's lodge. A herd of people got off with me, everyone heading over to the food court. It was 1:00 p.m. and I was a little hungry myself. I though I'd follow them over to have a look at the food situation.
Wow! There was a lot of hungry people in park today. It didn't seem worth it wait. I should probably go do something and come back later when the line is shorter.
But before I embarking on a Zion's adventure, I needed to do something first.
I needed to lie down in the grass under the giant cottonwood in front of Zion's lodge.
This grass has been a favorite resting spot to weary Zions hikers for decades. It's one of the few places where a large group of people can lay around on the grass and not be mistaken for a bunch of homeless people. I laid down on my back under the tree and took some photos of the surroundings.
I laid there for about 20 minutes. It was so relaxing, it was hard to get up of the ground. But I did have more of the park to see. My next task was to go on an official Zion's hike.
