Zion, Alive and Beautiful

By Maddy, Brayden, Gracie & Alex

On Saturday we went to Zion National Park outside of Saint George in southern Utah.  We went with our family so we could learn about this area where Mormon settlers came in the 1860s. After having been to amazing places like Yosemite and Yellowstone we did not know how this park would compare.

After entering the park, we jumped on to a shuttle that took us on a scenic route through the valley floor.  We saw huge mountains, cliffs and formations created by erosion, uplift, wind, water, ice, and sedimentation.

 We stopped for a delicious lunch at the Zion Lodge.  As we looked up at the beautiful rocks we felt like tiny people compared to them. 

The colors of the rocks were magnificent.  There were red, orange, white, blue, green and brown rocks.  You could see the different layers of rocks like the sand in our collection jar at home.

As the day wore on, the sun fell behind the rocks slightly and made the sides of the cliffs glow.  In the glow of the light we could see rock climbers 3/4 of the way up.  Seems pretty crazy to climb that size of a mountain!  When we went on a hike along the Virgin River up toward the Narrows and we saw this funny looking feature in the rock.  It looked like a big drippy nose.  When rain falls it collect in the sandstone it finds its way through crevices and seeps out down below.  Here it seems to drip out the nose.

 The Virgin River can increase its level dramatically during a flash flood.  When this happens it can move giant boulders, knock down tress, create flooding in nearby towns and change the landscape.  The color of the water ranged from muddy to a sandy turquoise color. When we came to the end of the trail some of us decided to cross the river and hike up the area called the Narrows.  This area is called the Narrows because the area between the cliffs get very close together.  The vegetation was very lush in this  area and there were plenty of wildflowers.  There were also a lot of fat squirrels that weren’t afraid of the people.

We had to wade through freezing cold water that made your feet numb.  After a while you got use to it.  It was fairly shallow, only about ankle deep to about knee deep.Some areas had dry patches along the sides and we would criss-cross back and forth from one to the other.   This is the point where we decided to turn back.  You can see that there is a small but beautiful waterfall on the rocks.   After a day full of appreciating and exploring this national park we all agreed that this park was just as beautiful as Yosemite and Yellowstone.  The huge cliffs, beautiful colors and the reflective sun shining through the trees and on the faces of the cliffs made it magnificent.  We would recommend a visit to Zion in the fall like we did:)

Tracks & Trains

This week our Friday field trip took us to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad (NCNGRR) Museum in Nevada City.  Once there, we meet 4 volunteer docents who lead each of our groups on a guided tour of the museum, yard and restoration workshop.  This museum is operated by the Nevada County Historical Society.

The NCNGRR began operations in 1876 to provide reliable year-round transportation to the rich mining districts of western Nevada County.  The original 22 and half mile route began in Nevada City, traveled to the railroad’s headquarters in Grass Valley, then on to Colfax for connections to the Central Pacific.

This museum is home to “Engine 5”, a completely restored 1875 Baldwin engine that began service hauling lumber, then passengers and freight for the NCNGRR, and finally as a movie engine at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

 The engine was returned to Nevada City for restoration in 1985 on the flat bed of a large truck.

 We all got to climb around this reproduction of an old caboose.  Cabooses are no longer used.

 Here is a car waiting to be restored – big job ahead!

 Inside the restoration workshop we got to see more project they have completed and a few others they are currently working on.

 Brayden climbed aboard this engine and tried out the bell – it was a loud one!

 This old rail bus is in the process of being restored

  If you look close you can even see the manzanita plant growing out of this old oil tanker car 🙂

A common question was “why is it called narrow gauge?” The picture shows why.  Narrow gauge means exactly that – narrow.  A narrow gauge track is only 3 feet wide wile a standard track is 4 ft 8 inches wide.  it was cheaper to build a narrow track so it was sometimes used for smaller lines such as this.

    Back inside the museum their were many more things to see.  This picture titled “End Of The Line” depicts the Nevada City depot and rail yard in 1910

The museum also has on display other turn-of-the 20^th century transportation modes such as an electric streetcar line, a steam powered automobile, and the first commercial airport in the United States.  In the picture above, the Jeffery Steam Car.  Below is a picture of a traditional buggy that would have been drawn by horses.

This is a model of an early airplane designed and built by Lyman Gilmore here in Grass Valley.  The map shows the first commercial airport built in California by Mr. Gilmore.

Finally, the museum also hold this model of the Kidder Mansion.  The Kidders were the owners of the NCNGRR.  This 7,800 sq ft mansion was built in 1886 across the street from the depot in Grass Valley.  Mr. Kidder sod the home in 1913.  It was left to deteriorate and finally torn down in 1982.

So after our fun tour at the NCNGRR museum we grabbed some lunch at Cousin Jack’s Pasties 🙂

Mather Field

What an informative and inspirational day we spent at Mather Airfield today!  Jen Davis arranged for us to meet up with her sister-in-law, Sandra Dutcher who is a private jet pilot.  We had a total of 32 attend.  Sandra started out by explain to us what her job is.  She flies private charter flight for business people, sports, stars, politicians, rock stars etc.  Some of her trips are just for the day other last several days.  People pay $40,000-$50,000 for this type of service. 

Although the plane Sandra flies was in for annual maintenance we were able to see a couple planes similar to hers.  She did a great job of explaining about static electricity, propellers, how you steer a plane, how to prepare a plane for flight, different types of engines, landing gear, and more.  Sandra also told us how see became a pilot.  She explained how she work, scrimped and saved to pay for each of her flying lessons.  She told all the kids that once you decide what career you want to do not to let anything stand in your way – there is always a way.While out looking at the other planes we were able to see this plane land and pull over by us to park.  Turn out this plane was doing aerial mapping.

While Mather used to be an air force base, today it is home to mostly private jets and UPS cargo.  Some military do still use the facility.

After spending sometime on the field we headed back through the private jet lounge and drove over to the control tower.At the control tower we were greeted by one of the ATC (Air Traffic Control) operators.  He lead us up in the tower to a room were we would wait for our turn to go all the way up to the top control room.Groups of 6 at a time were lead up to the top.  Meanwhile Sandra sat with us and share more information and answered questions about her job and aviation.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take picture in the control room but it was very neat.  You could see 360 degrees around you.  The controllers showed us what they do and some of the instruments they use.  We also learned what kind of training is required to be an air traffic controller.We ended up spending about 3 1/2 hours at Mather and very much appreciate the time of Sandra, her daughter, Alex and the ATC.