Las Vegas to Zion National Park

Leaving Las Vegas and with a 2 1/2 hour drive ahead of us I couldn't resist, I wanted a good old fashioned diner breakfast. Out of the way from the Las Vegas Strip you'll discover the excellent home cooking of Lou's Diner. Order the short stack as I couldn't dent the regular stack. Jimmy inhaled his special breakfast omelet, complete with bacon and hashbrowns.  The entire meal was less than $20.

Driving across Nevada, Arizona, and finally Utah, you see the terrain develop from desert to mountain. I love driving, and it became quite clear I've never seen anything like this before.  Heading towards Zion Canyon, you arrive in the town of Springdale, UT.

As Utah was opening again, accommodations were no problem to find and were reasonable. We didn't expect that due to the pandemic, there was no fee to enter the park. Unfortunately, the road to the better hiking trail was limited to just a few cars that waited as early as 4:00 AM to have access. Still, the main road with the tunnel was open, with many areas to pull over and admire it.  The drive is treacherous with little railing and steep drops if one were to forget how to drive, but I assure you its worth the risk.

Hotel: Pioneer Ranch Motel. A value-driven with the worst parking lot layout I've ever encountered.

Dining: Porters Smokehouse and Grill.  Friendly service with good comfort food of gigantic proportion.  Order the cheeseburger; it's excellent.