Dark and Stormy Night at Zion

Thirty some years ago I was on my way to Zion for the first time. I rented a car from a mom and pop joint in Las Vegas (or was it LA?) and it promptly went kaput after 30 miles. It took 2 hours for the rental company to come and rescue me. They gave me Honda Prelude in lieu of the broken Ford to compensate for my trouble. The car was so fun, I drove that thing through the desert at 120 mph. I no longer remember my itinerary, but by the time I got to Saint George it was late at night. A thunderstorm swept through. Dry lightnings went off every a few seconds while dead leaves rolled across the freeway in swirling wind. I'd never seen so many lightnings go off in my life.

The thunderstorm that rolled in the evening when I got here in Lava Point must be the same kind. Instead of incessant lightnings, however, hail dropped down. The downpour was so heavy and loud, it sounded like thousands of machine guns going off at the same time. And it went on for an hour. When it was all done, my tent was in a big puddle of water. My $35 Coleman tent stayed dry though. And my car was intact too with no pock marks.

The next day stayed dry. In the evening, some dumb rangers came by and told me to move the tent by the fire ring because where I was a vegetation site even though the site was clear of vegetation and many people have camped on it before. Several broken tent stakes said so. I wasn't in the mood to argue with guys with guns, so I moved. 

I left the rain fly off in the process figuring, what are the chances for another thunderstorm? Well, I was wrong. I saw the storm clouds moving east on the north side of the camp as I was cooking and eating on the picnic table. Just about when I was done, rain drops started falling. I pitched the rain fly in a hurry, moved some of the stuff into the tent and covered the rest with a tarp. Soon, it was pouring as hard as it did the day before. And it lasted just about all night long. It was one incredible storm, I tell you.

They say it is the monsoon season here in South East Utah. The thunderstorm develops in the afternoon and moves out in the evening, only to repeat it the next day. Apparently some of them stay on all night long if they feel like.