Wednesday, April 6, 2011 - Zion National Park, Springdale UT

Watchman, Zion National Park, April 6, 2011

Long time - no post

I haven't posted here since way back on March 26th. It looks like I'm going to have a few quiet days ahead of me so maybe I can fill in those missing posts.

I came into Zion early this morning to make sure to get me one of those scarce first-come first-served campsites available this time of year. As I was setting up it slowly sunk in that the sun was not shining anymore. Why's that? Hmm... it seems there is a major storm front headed this way. So I decided it might be better to sit out the rain and snow forecast for southern Utah down here in Zion Canyon rather than up on the plateau where I'm headed. There should be plenty of time to catch up.

Eviction notice - maybe

This morning I signed up for 5 nights here at South Campground.

The Ranger just came by and handed my check back to me. She wouldn't accept a check for more than the next three nights. Huh?

It seems there's a storm front headed through Washington as well and the government is toying with shutting down the National Parks until they get a new budget in place. Starting Saturday. Maybe. Uh.... sure, ok.

Night camp

Site 112 - South Campground, Zion National Park, Springdale UT

Verizon cell phone and EVDO service - good signal
Go to Zion National Park website
Locate Zion South Campground on my Night Camps map
Check the weather here

A Call to Nature

"About as far as from here to the station," went on Mr. Baca, "was a graveyard where the gang was supposed to camp out. I rode over to it and found where they had lunched the day before. There were {Begin deleted text}sardin{End deleted text} {Begin inserted text}{Begin handwritten}sardine{End handwritten}{End inserted text} cans and cracker boxes and one thing and another. Then I found where one of them had had a call to nature. I told one of my men to put it in a can. Saiz didn't know about this, and in a little while he went over behind some mesquite {Begin page no. 4}bushes and had a call to nature. After he came back I sent my man over, and by God it was the same stuff -- the same beans and red chili seeds! So I put Saiz under arrest and sent him back to the jail at Socorro with one of my deputies, although he kept saying he couldn't see what I was arresting him for."

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