[You may view a map of Zion National Park in PDF format.]

We got up a little later than usual and I was sore from hiking two days ago. It was clear and 47°F (8°C) outside. I had my usual breakfast and made coffee to go. We left in the Jeep around 8:45.

We headed to the east side of the park along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway because J wanted to photograph "The Tree" which is a twisted and stunted evergreen growing atop a small red rock mound. "The Tree" was in the shade when we arrived, so we went looking for other subjects. J spotted a nice wash with lots of colorful maples, and we had a blast exploring and photographing along it. The yellow maple (far left) is one of the trees we could see from the road, and while photographing it from a closer perspective, I saw the bush in the red rock (near left) that I just had to photograph too.

We returned to "The Tree" just in time for it to start getting some light, and we both photographed it.
We returned to the RV around 12:20, washed up, then left in the Jeep around 12:30.

We stopped at the Post Office in Springdale so J could mail off a package, then ...

We went to Wildcat Willies for lunch around 12:35. I had a Santa Fe Grill (Sourdough bread grilled with Willies Parmesan garlic butter, topped with grilled Sirloin Tri-Tip, Turkey, Cheddar and Swiss cheeses, Bacon, tomato, and roasted red pepper) and J got a Pulled Pork Sandwich (Shredded Pork tossed in Willies BBQ sauce, served over coleslaw). The Santa Fe Grill was delicious and we both enjoyed the fries. I was disappointed that they didn't have any Bumbleberry Pie on the menu because it was advertised on their window. Our waitress told us that we could buy some pie at the gift shop next door and bring it back to our table. We wandered through the gift shop then bought a slice of Bumbleberry Pie to take back to the restaurant. The pie was delicious, and you can read the official information about bumbleberries on the Bumbleberry Gifts website.

We went to the Sol Foods Market in Springdale around 1:40 to do some grocery shopping. They had a great selection of unique foods, but it was cold inside which didn't really promote browsing.

We returned to the RV around 2:20 and we went by the two Swedish photographers we had met in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument the first night we photographed the large cottonwood in Long Canyon who were sitting at their campsite not too far from ours. (You read more about that cottonwood here.)

There were some Rock Squirrels atop the rocks near our campsite, so I got out my new-to-me Canon EOS 1D Mk IV and photographed them for a while. Surprisingly, they weren't too accustomed to people, probably because of those darn "Don't Feed The Animals" signs with the added warning of a $100 fine if you're caught doing so. One squirrel didn't mind me circling around to get a good background though (left).

I went back inside the RV and took care of some urgent emails then did some things online. We left in the Jeep around 3:55. J tried calling our friend RB from the Mile High Wildlife Photography Club who was supposed to be in Zion now too. She didn't have the correct cell phone number and ended up having a very confusing conversation with the the owner of the bad number. Then she called RB's wife, and she said RB was hanging out with two Swedish photographers and was sharing their campsite! What a small world. We left in the Jeep around 3:55 and left a note by the Swedish guys' tent letting RB know where we were camped.
We went to the Emerald Pools Trailhead around 4:10 and started hiking up to the pools. Water falls over a high ledge above an alcove at the Lower Emerald Pool, and the trail goes behind the small falls. Water drips from the side of the alcove onto the trail in spots, and we got a few drops on us as we scurried through them. There were some nice red maples near the pool. The Middle Emerald Pool along the trail from the Lower Emerald Pool to the Upper Emerald Pool isn't very photographically interesting. We huffed our way to the Upper Emerald Pool and I just enjoyed the wonderful environment because I couldn't capture it "on film." On the way back down the hill, we photographed some of the fall color up against the cliffs. I found a great place to photograph upstream of the southern Middle Emerald Pool, and captured my favorite image of the hike (left). I used a polarizer to minimize the reflections on the leaves in the foreground.

We returned to the RV around 7:05 and RB knocked on the door around 7:10! We invited him in for a tour and ...

Dinner of fajitas and fresh guacamole. I enjoyed a Full Sail Pale Ale that RB brought, and the fajitas and guacamole were great as usual. We had a nice time visiting with RB over dinner.
The two Swedish photographers came by around 9:00. PL is a professional nature photographer and PN is an architect by training but also does nature photography. We had a great time talking photography. The party finally broke up around 11:05! I did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, then we each took a quick body shower (no hair). I finished the blog entry then did a quick downselect of images from today before going to bed around 1:20!