I dropped the dogs off at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel Kennel at 8:30 a.m. Tom and I headed out to Zion at 10:00 a.m. As we drove north --- past Flagstaff --- there were gnarly skies in my rear view mirror.
The rain followed us all the way to Zion National Park. We stopped twice for bathroom runs --- Page and Kanab. Tom and I arrived at Zion Lodge around 4:00 p.m. Utah time. Daniel, the Zion Lodge Front Desk manager, booked our cabin 500 last week. I had called him and requested a cabin with a view. Yes!
Tom and I had 6:45 p.m.dinner reservations at the Spotted Dog Cafe in Springdale. But, beforehand, we enjoyed our Skyy vodka cocktail hour on our cabin porch.
The Spotted Dog Cafe is the only fine dining restaurant in Springdale that takes advanced reservations. I had an ahi tuna entree and Tom had the wild game meatloaf entree. Both were delicious! From our table, we had a nice view of The Watchman.
The next morning, Tom and I drove to La Verkin. Tom didn't sleep well and he wanted to buy an over-the-counter sleep tablets. On our way there, we drove up to Anasazi Plateau. Richard and I purchased a lot in this development in 2004. While we sold the lot in 2009, I wanted to see what was built on it.
There is the home --- 2558 Anasazi Way. The lot had magnificent views.
It was amazing how much building and developments were there on Highway 9 --- the travel from Springdale to La Verkin. It had been over ten years since I made this journey. On our way back to Zion, I asked Tom if it was okay if we found several geocaches. The first one was on a bridge in Rockville.
The second cache entitle "Woof" was just off Highway 9 --- at in the beginning of Springdale. The cache was well named, as the location was where there used to be a dog boarding kennel.
The third cache was located at the George A. Barker Springdale River Park. When I lived and worked at Zion Lodge in 2003-5, my Dalmatian Daisy loved to walk and run in this park.
Tom and I stopped at Oscar's Cafe for lunch. This restaurant is ranked #1 in TripAdvisor. We sat on the outdoor patio. Tom had a Philly cheese sandwich and french fries. I had a pesto quesadilla. Both were yummy! Before heading back to Zion Lodge, I unsuccessfully tried to find two more caches. While in Springdale, we happened upon four beautiful pickleball courts!
Springdale only has a population of 700 full-time residents. But, they know how to play pickleball in style!
At 4:00 p.m. that afternoon, Tom and I went to the Lodge and listened to a Ranger Jason's presentation on the history of human life in Zion Canyon.
We had 6:00 p.m. dinner reservations at the Lodge's Red Rock Grill. A friend from my Xanterra days, Sky Waters, was the bar tender. I had made arrangements to say hello to him. We used to work together at the North Rim. He and his mother were servers there in 2006.
The drink menu at the Red Rock Grill was very nice. I had a Candied Lemon Martini and a Prickly Peartini. Tom had a Rum Runner and an Old Fashion. Both of them were lovingly made by Sky. Since our lunch at Oscar's was huge, we were not too hungry. So, we shared salmon cake hors d'oeuvres and a sirloin steak entree. The steak was amazingly tender!
Saturday morning, I went for a hike. The bridge from Zion Lodge to the Emerald Pools is closed. So, I walked 1/2 mile from the Lodge to The Grotto.
On the way, I saw a young buck laying near a fallen tree.
I then took the Kayenta trail to the Middle Emerald Pool. On the way, I asked another hiker to take my photo.
I also visited the Lower Emerald Pool. There was still a active water fall.
I decided to continue walking to the Court of the Patriarchs. I walked by the closed bridge. Apparently the bridge is no longer stable and will need to be taken down and replaced.
It was fun seeing the three Patriarchs --- Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.
The irony is that this day is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. I took the shuttle bus back to Zion Lodge. Upon arriving back to the cabin, I asked Tom to join me for a shuttle ride and a stroll on the Riverside Walk --- starting from the Temple of Sinawava and ending at the Narrows.
I was surprised how crowded the Riverside Walk trail was. But, it was a Saturday.
I definitely wanted a photo of me and Tom at the Zion Lodge sign. A nice cyclist took our photo.
Before going to dinner in Springdale, we had a lodge guest take a photo of us in front of our cabin.
That evening, we drove to town to have dinner at King's Landing at the Driftwood Lodge. The setting of this restaurant is wonderful.
Zion National Park has s number of EarthCaches. These are caches where you go to a GPS location, answer specific questions, and take a photo. You message the cache owners to get credit for the cache find. I got credit for three EarthCaches --- Emerald Pools, Court of the Patriarchs, and Zion Narrows.
Their is wildlife at Zion Lodge. Saturday evening, there was a Mule deer doe with two older fawns.
Sunday morning, wild turkeys were sighted.
It is our check-out day for Zion Lodge. We packed up the room and put our belongings in the car. We then went to the Red Rock Grill for a buffet breakfast. On our way to the restaurant, a park service employee and a Xanterra employee were raising the flag on a flagpole.
After our breakfast, our server was asked to take a photo of us on the restaurant deck. The flag was a nice prop.
We left the Zion Lodge at 9:30 a.m. We drove up Highway 9, passed through the 1.1 mile tunnel (completed in 1930), and headed toward Kanab. I noticed that there were several geocaches located along our route home. I grabbed two north of Kanab. One was "Daxton's Sandpile."
The second was "No Strangers."
I then found two caches in Kanab. One was a magnetic container by an Audie Murphy sign.
The second was in a beautiful small park. This cache was under the rock on the left.
After leaving Page, we continued on Highway 89 toward Flagstaff. We stopped at a scenic lookout to view the Vermilion Cliffs and the cut of the Colorado River.
My sister Carrie posted some photos on Instagram of the recent visit of her family to Bend. Blake and his wife Nicole and Lauren and her boyfriend Cody live in the Atlanta area.
Carrie's husband Brent turned 65 on September 9. Granddaughter Meghan posted on Instagram some photos of good times at the Hollywood Bowl. David's parents, Barbara and Leonard Bernstein, must have access to a prime box.
Sunday night, there was a gorgeous sunset.
Sunday, September 17, is the first year anniversary of Francesco and Thomas's wedding. It was fun celebrating with them on Instagram and Facebook.
Monday morning, I had a facial appointment with Amy Aranda. There was a cache in Flagstaff that I located, but the container was too high up. So, before my facial, I brought a ladder from home and I found and signed the cache.
Later that afternoon, six of us played pickleball. Tom's son Jon is buying a new Nissan truck. In preparation for the purchase of a Frontier, he proceeded to sell his 2011 Jeep Rubicon to Jordana Kelley, the daughter of Joe and Kim Kelley. Jordana is 17 years old and is so excited to have this new automobile.
Our friends, Laurie and Tom Plachinski are on their 5th summer of RV adventures. They are currently in Colorado and went on the tour of a mine shaft in Cripple Creek. Tom posted a cute photo of the two of them on Instagram.
Also on Instagram, Rick and Joelle and their wedding venue site manager were on the cover of a new Austin wedding magazine,
Wed Society. What an honor! 💕
Wednesday, the Highland Meadows ladies went to lunch at Dara Thai Twisters.
Later in the afternoon, one of Jon's friends from Clinton, Tennessee, flew into Phoenix and drove to Williams for a three night visit. Michael Zody and Jon have known each other since childhood. They even went to the same college and pledged the same fraternity. Michael and Jon came over to our house for cocktails. Tom made Michael an Old Fashion using his Proof syrup.
The four of us then went to the Grand Canyon Brewery for dinner.
On Thursday morning, I walked the dogs to Cataract Lake. I was just going to walk them around the block, but Jamie wanted more.
Later in the afternoon, Tom and I drove to Flagstaff for our appointment with Dr. Figueroa. Tom's blood pressure was good, but Dr. Figueroa was concerned about Tom's swollen feet and ankles. Tom's body has been retaining water. Dr. Figueroa said that Tom should be on a diuretic. When we got home, Tom placed calls to his kidney doctor and his heart doctor.
Friday, Tom called the two doctor offices. He got through to Dr. Wani's office --- his cardiologist. An appointment was made at 3:00 p.m. in Flagstaff with the nurse practitioner, Amy Taylor. Fortunately, Tom already had to go to Flagstaff for an appointment at 1:00 p.m. Every 3-6 months, Tom gets tested by his ophthalmologist, Dr. Mahanti.
After the appointment with Dr. Mahanti, Tom and I ran a few errands. We then went to Northern Arizona Healthcare Cardiology. We met with Amy Taylor, Dr. Wani's nurse practitioner. She was very impressive. She prescribed a diuretic and a prescription for potassium.
Amy said that if Tom doesn't see marked improvement in three days, then he needs to go to the Emergency Room of Flagstaff Medical Center.
That evening, Jon called his Dad and said that he and Michael spent the day hiking and shed hunting. They hiked Red Mountain and Jon took Michael to some spots where shed has been found in prior years. Low and behold! Michael found a six point antler 😮😮😮💕💕💕
On Saturday, Jamie and Kelsey had nail trimming appointments with Elsa Marie. They get their nails clipped about every 6-8 weeks.
That evening, Tom and I witnessed a beautiful sunset.
Sunday morning, I decided that I wanted to find a geocache at the Johnson Railroad Tunnel. In all of the years living in Williams, I have never been to Johnson Tunnel. I put the GPS coordinates in my Google Maps. I drove ten miles on Interstate 40 to exit 151. I then took several forest service roads. I parked my truck, and walked toward the cache.
Unfortunately, my GPS took me to the top of Johnson Canyon. The railroad tunnel is way down in the canyon. I found no way to navigate down to the canyon floor. Darn!
That evening, we had another outstanding sunset.
Monday morning, Katie Newcom posted on Facebook. It was a notice that her father, Jim Newcom, passed away on September 21. Jim was one of Richard's long-time friends.
My friend Candy sent me a message through geocaching.com. My hidden cache, Thanks to Babbitt Tank, needed repair. The cache container was no longer attached to the Ponderosa Pine. So, I took some wire to the cache and re-positioned it.
Later in the afternoon, I walked around the neighborhood and took some pretty photos of the golf course and Mt. Humphreys.
On Instagram, Donna and David posted a photo of them at a Cincinnati Reds and LA Dodgers game. The game was the end of July and they were in Ohio.
Tuesday, I had a hair appointment in Flagstaff. Jon's new Frontier truck arrived at the Flagstaff Nissan dealer. Jon needed a ride to Flagstaff, so he came with me. Tom also caught a ride.
Wednesday, the Highland Meadows ladies had lunch at Gateway Sandwich Company. I ordered my favorite -- Oh Ah -- sandwich, but I requested that it be open face. Three others ordered it the same way. The proprietor said that going forward, he will serve that sandwich as an open face. I have made history! 😊😊😊
Earlier in the day, I had called Sutton Plumbing. The toilet in our master bathroom is not flushing properly. Jordan, the technician, texted me. He was in the area and wanted to drop by our house. I was not home, so I called Tom to expect the plumber.
Jordan did not have the proper part in his truck, so he went to True Value to complete the project. As I was driving home, I spotted seven mule deer across the street from our house. There were four fawns, two doe, and one younger buck.
Thursday, I had a Mike Hippard massage appointment in Flagstaff. I decided to leave early and run some errands. After completing my shopping trips, I went to look for a nearby cache. I found the cache named "Swiss Cheese." Yes, it was behind this rock.
The full moon is early Friday morning. There was a nice preview of the sunset and moon.
Friday morning, I took the dogs for a walk around the block. Fall colors are in the air.
Brian, the proprietor of Steam Master, came to our home at about 11:00 a.m. It has been several years since I had the master bedroom carpets cleaned. I had Brian also clean the middle bedroom carpet.
Brian and his wife are selling their Williams home and moving to Sierra Vista, south of Tucson. He and his wife want a warmer climate.
On Saturday, I decided to try to find Johnson Canyon Railroad Tunnel. Tom showed me a map on his phone that had the coordinates logged.
I headed west on Interstate 40 and got off at Exit 151. There is a cache at the tunnel too. The description on the cache page said to drive 2 1/2 miles down Forest Road 6. At a make-shift parking lot, I could not find the trail. So, I started to head home. It was just past a cattle guard that I saw a road on the left. I decided to take that road. Yes! This is the way to the tunnel. I parked the truck several miles east, because the road was purposely blocked with large rocks. I walked the 1.4 miles to the tunnel.
The views of Johnson Canyon, while walking on the trail, were very pretty. In 1882 the railroad company began constructing the final sections of a northern route through
Arizona connecting Kingman, Flagstaff and Winslow. The grade up the
plateau between Ash Fork and Williams proved to be one of the more
challenging sections.
It appears that the Santa
Fe RR used the steeper Johnson Canyon route for east-west rail travel
and the gentler "Coconino Cut" route to the north for west-east rail
travel through to the early 1960's. The line was finally abandoned in
1962 and the rails removed when the "Coconino Cut" route was
double-tracked.
I walked into the tunnel because the cache was at the other end.
I found the cache under several rocks on the right.
I left a bottle cap: "Not All Who Wander are Lost." I took a selfie outside the front entrance and texted it to Tom.
I walked back to my truck. There was another cache nearby. So, I stopped and found "Dangle-berry."
On the way, I saw a young buck laying near a fallen tree. 
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