Zion National Park, Mile Long Tunnel, and Checker Board Mesa

 We traveled to Zion National Park this week end in Utah.  Zion is one of our all time favorite places to visit.  Normally when we go to Zion we follow the road to the left(Valley Dr./Zion Canyon Scenic Drive toward the narrows, but this time we took the right fork(Zion-Mount Carmel Highway-Route 9) and let me tell you it was pretty awesome!

During part of the year in order to see anything on the left fork of Zion National Park you have to park at the visitors center and take the shuttle to any of the trails you would like to go on.

Shuttles run from March to December. A ticket is required to get on the shuttle. Tickets cost $1 USD and are good to ride the shuttle as many times as you want all day. Tickets can be purchased on www.recreation.gov.  With all of the COVID restrictions right now and the lack of other types of travel national parks fill up fast and pretty early in the morning.  Needless to say it can be difficult to get in.

If you take the right fork you do not need to park and take the shuttle.  You can just drive your personal vehicle. If this is your first trip to Zion I would definitely NOT miss the left fork.  This is where you will find all of the most famous hikes and landmarks in Zion National Park. If you happen to have a free afternoon though I would recommend taking the right fork(Zion-Mount Carmel Highway). There are trails and overlooks on this side of Zion, such as Checkerboard Mesa, and you can drive through and back in around an hour if you don't stop to hike around(though I would suggest taking an afternoon and exploring)!

One other thing that is super cool and unique is the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel.  It goes straight through the mountain and it is a mile long! It is super cool to drive through and it has a pretty cool history. It was one of the projects that the government had in order to give people jobs after the Great Depression

The Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel
Construction of the 1.1 mile Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel began in the late 1920's and was completed in 1930. At the time that the tunnel was dedicated, on July 4, 1930, it was the longest tunnel of its type in the United States. The purpose of the building the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel (and the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway) was to create direct access to Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon from Zion National Park.

Something else to note is that if you are planning on taking a larger vehicle through the tunnel, this will require 1 way traffic control.  Meaning they stop traffic going the opposite directions so larger vehicles can go through the tunnel because it is not wide enough on the turns to not cross over the center line. Over sized vehicles must have a permit which costs $15.00 USD. To learn more about the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel.

Wolf and Buffalo Stand Off Yellowstone National Park

My family visited Yellowstone National Park recently and we got stuck in the middle of a Buffalo Wolf standoff.  It was super cool. Click the link below to check out the video

The Sheraton Park City Review

If you would like to see the video review you can view it here.

The Sheraton Park City is located in Park City Utah.  Park City Utah is a great place to visit. Park City local activities include Olympic Park, skiing, tubing, snowmobiling or ATV rides, hiking, mountain biking, hot air balloons, fly fishing, golfing, spas, restaurants, shopping, museums and more. 

The Sheraton Park City is one of my family’s favorite places to go for a weekend getaway. It is also a great hotel for skiing because of the complimentary shuttle running to the ski resorts and the down town area. There are so many things that make this hotel fun and different.

Because Park city is a ski town it is so great to have a parking garage under the hotel (there is also parking up top) and shuttle services to historic Main St. or Park City Ski Resorts.  

From the parking garage you can go up the stairs to the main level.  On this level is the lobby, a bar lounge, a restaurant and the executive lounge. Right now, the restaurant and lounge are closed due to corona virus.  Normally this is one of my favorite lounges.  The Breakfast and snacks are always exceptional.

The lobby is very rustic with a nice fire place and sitting area.  There is also a loft upstairs with a nice view and plenty of space for card games or whatever.

One of our favorite types of rooms at this Sheraton are the rooms that attach to the pool.  We always request these rooms when we come.  The room itself is fairly regular, but it has a door into the indoor pool, which for us traveling with kids is nearly priceless. 

The pool area is really great in the winter when you long for sunny days.  It’s inside an atrium, and the skylights and décor help you feel like you are sitting outside.  There is a pool a nook with a hot tub.  Bathrooms close by are always a plus, but unnecessary if you get the room connecting to the pool, and one of my favorite things a steam room.

The pool isn’t the only unique amenity this hotel has.  There is also a game room.  Right now, with Corona Virus, reservations are required to use the room.  There several gaming systems and other card, table and board games to keep people of all ages entertained.

 The next space that is really wonderful in the Sheraton Park City is the outdoor patio.  My kids love the giant connect four to be sure. The bar and lounge areas out here are huge and heated.  Another one of the great things about this outdoor space is the complimentary s’mores. 

Disney is Doing COVID Safety Right!

Corona Virus has made it very difficult for anyone to travel. I had a chance to visit Disney World this last September, and let me tell you Disney is doing COVID safety right!


From the moment that you get on the bus from your resort you can see changes. There are dividers between every few seats to create barriers between parties. Also, only one cart or wheelchair party is aloud on each bus. There is no standing room so if there are no seats available you can't get on the bus.

When you get off the bus the first thing you will likely see is a hand sanitizing station. Next you will see signs like these warning you about various things, giving you instructions...and so forth.

Before you can get very far each person has to go through a temperature check station. If your temperature is above 100.4 degrees you will not be allowed to enter the parks.

There are hand sanitizing stations all over each park. Particularly before entering the queue, in line, and after every ride. There are also hand washing stations throughout the parks.

The flaps on all of the trash cans have been pushed up and locked so that you don't have to touch anything to throw your trash away. I hope this(and the sanitizing nations) will remain after the COVID 19 pandemic has passed.

There are designated entrances and exits in every building in order to help people stay physically distant.

There are quick service and sit down restaurants that are open, the seating, however, is more limited in order to help with physical distancing. There are also changes to ordering and menus. You can see a video on this is working below.

Although you do have to wear masks at all times in the parks, Disney has placed relaxation stations at various places around each park which can be found on the park maps. This is an area where you can safely remove your mask and relax without having to worry about getting exposed.

For safety in ride queues there are markings on the ground set six feet apart. There are also spaces in between each line so that there is 6 feet of space in front of, behind, and on either side of you. I didn't see a single ride in any of the parks that didn't have some form of safety precautions taken in order to help guests and cast members stay safe and healthy. You can see the video with all of this information below

Most attractions that have interactions through touching or draw large crowds are turned off and canceled right now. Also, queues to get into buildings or areas with various kiosks/stores inside have a queue outside the store and queues at each kiosk in order to limit the number of people within six feet of each other.

There are still character interactions happening at each park. Though you cannot physically touch or get close to any characters you can still take pictures with them and talk to and interact with them at a six foot distance.

There are no parades in the parks right now, but they do have little mini parades called cavalcades at every park. The cast members, however will not tell you when they will come through or how often. They happen often enough that you are sure to see one or two at each park in a day. If you want to see some examples of those in real time you can click the links below.

There are still ample opportunities to get photos taken all over the parks. In fact, I think the photographers took more time with us this trip than they ever have in the past. The draw back is that you have to keep your mask on for the pictures. But hey, that is part of the memories too.

The Coolest Pool at Walt Disney World Resorts

Storm Along Bay at the Beach Club resort is quite possibly the coolest pool in all fo the Walt Disney World Resorts.

The Pool has Sand on the bottom. Sand!




It has a water slide and separate pool for smaller kids and a big ship wreck themed water slide.


There is a lazy river that goes from 4 feet deep to 8 feet deep depending on where you are in the lazy river.


The pool area covers 3 acres. There are 3 hot tubs and a beach area including a sand bar where you can make sand castles and dig with shovels and buckets.

There is also a whirl pool and several areas that are just perfect for kids.

Along the perimeter of the pool there are also two places to eat. Hurricane Hannas Bar and Grill, which is more of a walk up kind of thing, and Beaches and Cream which you can make reservations to sit inside or there is a walk up window where you can order ice cream.

For a full walk through of Storm Along Bay click the link below.

The Disney Skyliner

Let’s do a little overview of the Disney Skyliner. 

If you would like to actually see some of the skyline routes and the hub check out the video I posted about it HERE

At the entrance to and inside each station you will see signs like these

that tell you where you can go, what the operating hours are and any special instructions.  Currently those instructions deal with changes due to COVID0-19 . 

We got on the Skyliner at the Disney Skyliner- EPCOT station which is located at the back entrance to EPCOT World Showcase.  The entrance to EPCOT is very close to the station.

From the EPCOT station we travelled to the hub at Caribbean Beach Resort with a stop at the new Riviera Resort.  

The gondolas themselves are quite roomy. Each Gondola can fit 10 People (6 people with a wheelchair/cart) Right now with COVID-19 there is only one party allowed per gondola. There is no air conditioning inside the gondolas, but there are vents located across the roof line and under the seats of each gondola so the air flow is quite good.

Some of the Gondolas are wrapped on the outside with characters from Disney and Pixar movies.  You can see through the wraps from the inside of the Gondolas, but it is not as clear as the gondolas without the characters.  From inside the Gondola there are some amazing views.  We were able to catch a glimpse of the French Pavillion where the new ride Ratatouille that is being built.  

Now, when it comes to the skyliner all roads lead to Caribbean Beach Resort. From the Hub there you can take the Disney Skyliner-Hollywood Studio line, Disney Skyliner-Pop Century Resort, Art of Animation Resort line, or the Disney Skyliner Riviera Resort, EPCOT line. 

It is important to note that the Art of Animation resort was closed while we were there, but the line is still open for guests going to Pop Century Resort.

Naturally during the day, the queues are quite short, but during Park opening and closing the queue can get quite long. So plan ahead if you are planning to take a gondola to any of the available parks.  It should also be mentioned that some of the parks that the gondolas go to are letting people in before the Gondolas start running.  So if it is important to you to get to the park before it opens you may want to consider a different mode of transportation to get there.

Quickservice Dining At Disney World COVID-19

COVID-19 has messed up a lot of things in our lives. Disney has made a lot of changes to help keep us safe and give us the ability to visit the parks during the pandemic.

One of the things that Disney has done to be able to still serve food at the parks is make all of the dining menus available online and on the app.

Let's talk about how you order quick service dining at Disney World during COVID-19.(check out the video here)

When you come to the restaurant there will be a sign outside. You will Scan the QR code on the sign.

• This will take you to the menu on the app.
• From there you can choose your items.
• You will then be able to review your order details.
• Once you have looked everything over you will click on the checkout button.
• You will be asked to enter a gift card or credit card.
• Then you will see a page that says come back during your arrival window.
• It will then change to say preparing your order. When this comes up you may want to head to the restaurant.
• Soon you will see a page that says your order is ready and tell you which window to pick up at.
• Once there you will tell them or show them your order number.