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Zion Canyon National Park, bordering the great American southwest, yearly attracts thousands

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of motorists on vacation.

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They are welcomed by government rangers at the two main entrances and begin the discovery

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of new beauty released from treacherous desert by modern highways.

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Two tunnels have been blasted through solid rock to open for everyone the amazing beauty

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of Zion Canyon.

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Let's thread our way through the mile-long tunnel that makes this Zion-Mount Carmel Highway

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an important feature of the park.

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Six observation ports on the tunnel's outer side give us breathtaking glimpses of the

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glorious canyon below.

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The exposed rock formations in Zion Canyon are mostly of Navajo sandstone.

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White sandstone forms the familiar caps of the region, while heavier masses are a deep

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red in colour.

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Sandstone, once loose shifting sand, was converted into stone through the ages by pressure and

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chemical action.

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The canyon country viewed from an airplane high above shows us a scene of memorable beauty.

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Zion National Park covers 148 square miles, traversed by the great canyon 2,500 feet or

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more in depth.

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The region is not mountainous, but the great canyon was carved through countless ages as

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a giant gully in a high plateau, washed by the erosive action of streams and the elements.

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If you look carefully at the spires rising high above the canyon floor, you will see

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that their tops are perfectly flat.

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These mark the level of the original plateau.

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Because these surface areas were harder, they resisted erosion and remained at their old

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level while the softer stone around them wore slowly down, a little at a time, through hundreds

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of centuries.

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Music

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Chief agents in this age-long process are the streams of the area.

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Beginning with a gentle flow of a hidden spring, these waters swell to the rushing surge of

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a stream called the Virgin River, carving fantastic patterns through the sandstone.

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In rainy seasons, the river grills in size, showing less patience in the hungry assault

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against the stone ramparts that form its prisms.

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Sweeping sand and rock particles with it, the swollen river takes on the consistency

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and colour of warm fudge, with sometimes as much as 80% silt making up its volume.

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It's tiring just to think of the gigantic task this little river sets out to accomplish,

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and the rest and relaxation at hand in the park lodge are more than ever welcome.

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The lodge, reached by the Zion-Montcarmel Highway, offers food, rest and entertainment,

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with a dip in the pool to start the day and varied evening entertainment to complete it.

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First to claim the canyon visitors' attention are giant monoliths towering toward the sky,

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and each dignified with a name such as the Three Patriarchs,

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the Sentinel,

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Angel's Landing,

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Rainbow Bridge,

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and many others.

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Trail hikes are organised daily by park rangers.

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At the base of the canyon, luxuriant foliage finds nourishment in the rich bottomlands,

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but disappears at higher levels.

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Safe but not simple is the trail up Lady Mountain, rising 2,700 feet from the canyon floor.

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Ladders with cable guards protect us, but each has to furnish his own leg power and it takes plenty.

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Those of us who boast some skill or interest in horsemanship find the trails more easily traversed.

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Prime gold of all is Observation Point, and from it the whole length and breadth of the

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canyon can be seen.

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The magnificent view is worth all the energy it takes to reach this canyon vantage point.

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Somebody liked this country long before we did.

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You guessed it, the cliff dwellers, with their houses and villages perched snugly on rock

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ledges, removing the danger of unfriendly visitors.

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And here's one modern version of cliff dwelling, auto trailers, snug and safe like the others,

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but when stairways are pulled up, they're ready to go places.

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Well, now we don't have to go to Hollywood, because Hollywood comes to us.

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A motion picture company with its cameras and sets makes a thrilling sequence for a

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feature of the Old West, as we modern pioneers watch in comfort and safety.

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But like the old time pioneers, we must push on.

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New scenes and new beauties beckon.

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Our hosts and hostesses at the lodge give us a farewell song and a cordial invitation

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to come back as we leave with regret this hospitable canyon and its people.

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Away we go on a magic carpet, confident that modern highways and modern transportation

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will open still more vistas of beauty and excitement as we push on to new scenes.