[Rockhounds] Accommodations

[Jeanette Wimpee]

I can't remember any wind that night particularly, but that has been a few 
years ago.  I do remember the wind that morning because you could hear it 
coming the way you can hear a rainstorm coming thru a forest...very loudly. 
And I was seriously worried about the tent blowing away with us in it. 
Quite exciting for us "flatlanders" from down south on our first camping out 
west.
Wish I'd known then what I know about rocks NOW.....we didn't get serious 
about rockhounding until the kids left home.  Back then I brought home rocks 
just because it was a rock from somewhere I'd been.  Now I'm more 
discriminating about what I lug home, not that you can tell it from my 
kitchen counter.
Jeanette

From: "Margaret Malm"

>
>
> Hi, Jeanette & Glenn --
> Enjoyed your Zion story (being a Zion person myself!) -- I'm not surprised
> about the wind -- but I'm surprised you didn't also get it in the evening.
> What happens is the old phenomenon of warm air rising. Being a canyon, it 
> is
> particularly pronounced. So (especially in the hot weather in summer)
> starting in late afternoon the warm air "rises" by blowing up-canyon.
> During the night, as the air cools, the cool air (being heavier) "sinks" 
> by
> moving down-canyon underneath the warmer air. It dies down about the time
> the sun gets down into the bottom of the canyon.
> However; Your description of a short blast sounds like something totally
> different, that I have never experienced here, myself. But I do remember
> that once, in Australia (during our Great Australian Rockhounds Runabout),
> we were camped (south of the Rabbit Fence), and we had a wind that seems 
> to
> have been just like what you described. They saw it coming and told us to
> get into our tents so the tents wouldn't blow away.
> Anyhow, glad you enjoyed your night in Zion -- at least most of it!
> We do have some gorgeous sunrises and sunsets!
>
> Margaret
>