Do You Have A Reservation?

After our usual morning activities, we emptied tanks, replenished water, and left by noon. Headed toward Zion National Park, we stopped so Diane could take some pictures of the cacti, which were in abundant bloom with their purple spring flowers. On the long road through the Recreation Area (it’s a big place), we followed some construction double dump trucks that were really slow. They were supplying asphalt for road resurfacing up ahead. We finally passed the trucks and found out why they were resurfacing--just a hoppin’ with our toad again! A real washboard. After 30 miles of rough road we emerge from the Lake Mead NRA. We stop in Overton for lunch and groceries; as usual in Nevada, there is a line of about a dozen slot machines up front in the grocery store. We pass them by. Pretty soon we’re on I-15 going northeast. We pass Mesquite, a modest town with a lot of big casinos.

When we get to Zion we pay the penalty for not having reservations. Both campgrounds in the park are full. We try the commercial RV Park just outside the entrance…full. Then back eight miles to some free camping on Bureau of Land Management land with a lot of willow trees by a nice little river. We pull into the area and I drive off in Essie for a look around. But the pathways among the trees are full of big ruts and dips; the sand is too deep, and as appealing as it is for its natural setting, we daren’t put DD to this risk. We exit in separate vehicles and go back another five miles to an RV Resort, which is filling up fast, despite its resort prices. They are not to our liking, so we opt to go even farther back. Luck is with us and we find a nice site at Quail Creek State Park, well up on a hill, overlooking the campground and a beautiful lake.