Virgin, Utah

[guybmoto]

We're headed to Zion RV Park | Zion National Park RV Park and CampgroundZion River Resort | Zion National Park RV Resort starting on 10/5, and will be there through the following Monday.

Look out, Zion and Bryce Canyon...we're coming through.

[Chirpz]

Sound like a fun trip. We went through there the winter of 2009. There was hardly anybody there. We pulled out little trailer through the long long tunnel stopping to peek out of the large stone windows that you are not supposed to stop for...ha.

[guybmoto]

Nice! Chalk one up for off-season.

[profdant139]

Guy, how did it go??

[guybmoto]

Originally Posted by profdant139

Guy, how did it go??

Here's a peek at some of the fun. (It looks like video embeds don't work, so you'll have to jump to Youtube via the links below.)

360Fly camera view while driving through the Virgin River Gorge
https://youtu.be/K6ERkoDC1Jo

Video highlights
https://youtu.be/Lks10SFJLAA





We stopped at the Seven Magic Mountains art installation before we got to Las Vegas, and that was a fun diversion. So was the trip to Hoover Dam (which we've threatened to do before, but had never made good on). We also had a little fun evening in Vegas, though that wasn't our primary goal. After making it through there, we parked at a Wal-Mart in Mesquite for the first night's stop.

The rest of the time we stayed at the Zion River Resort which was about a dozen miles from the Zion National Park entrance, and it was a great campground. Nice, clean, quiet, and very modern.

A couple of highlights were seeing the bighorns on the east side of Zion (which is very different from the main part of the park), and the hike through The Narrows. We rented the canyoneering boots, neoprene socks, and walking sticks from an outfitter just outside the entrance, and it was well worth it. You're hiking through the Virgin River for much of that trip, and the socks keep your feet warm, and the boots drain off excess water.

The only bummer was on the way home, when we had a blowout. That's the first tire I've lost in over six years of making annual laps around the country (something in the neighborhood of 14,000 miles per year). I came home and replaced the stock tires (which I used for last summer's travel) with a set of Goodyear Marathons.

[profdant139]

Great report!! We have always wanted to try the Narrows -- was it difficult? Were the rocks slippery?

Sorry to hear about the blowout -- did it damage the wheel well? Were the tires six years old? If these were the stock off-brand tires supplied by Cruiser, you did well to have them last that long -- ours lasted one season (5,000 miles), and they needed replacement due to excess wear.

[guybmoto]

Originally Posted by profdant139

Great report!! We have always wanted to try the Narrows -- was it difficult? Were the rocks slippery?

Sorry to hear about the blowout -- did it damage the wheel well? Were the tires six years old? If these were the stock off-brand tires supplied by Cruiser, you did well to have them last that long -- ours lasted one season (5,000 miles), and they needed replacement due to excess wear.

It had been quite a few days since any rainfall, so the water was probably on the low side. We probably did 3-4 miles in and out, and felt like we'd had enough.

Going upstream, your boots are a bit like a sail. You're fighting the current all the way, and it does wear you out. You have to aim a bit upstream of where you actually want to step to land your steps accurately. Going downstream is easier (and faster).

Maybe it was the rubber compound of the boots that we rented, but we actually found the traction on the rocks was pretty good.

You have to do layers. Even when it's warm, it can be chilly, with a breeze, and for how much you're in the water. The day we went, it was probably 80 outside of the canyon, but much cooler than that while in it. Rare patches of sun provide welcome warming. Also, we got suggestions to start early. The later you go, the more crowded it gets.

The stock tires were on the trailer I bought a year ago. Yes, there was some damage to a lower skirt (I'll probably try to repair that), and also damaged one of the fenders (that will get replaced).

[profdant139]

By the way, I just took a minute to look at your videos -- really well done! What sort of video editing software do you use? Everything looked so steady and clear.

[guybmoto]

Originally Posted by profdant139

By the way, I just took a minute to look at your videos -- really well done! What sort of video editing software do you use? Everything looked so steady and clear.

The 360Fly camera video used their software for editing. Basically, it shoots 360 video, and you use the app on your phone to edit the final view. There's a mode where it "watches" you as you look around while the video plays. When you get the view you want, you can output that section.

The highlight video was edited in Final Cut Pro. It was mostly shot with a DJI OSMO, which is a handheld gimbal/camera. That helps with the smoothness. The lone drone clip was shot with a 3DR Solo using a GoPro Hero4 Black camera, and an optional 3.97mm lens. That gives it a narrower field of view than the very fisheye stock GoPro lens.

Hope that helps.