Monkeys in Zion

This morning we took a trail to Lower Emerald Pool in Zion National Park--we're at a family reunion right now and technically I am supposed to be working right now while the children are falling asleep but this story is too funny not to share so instead I'm blogging. Work-shmerk.

I grabbed a Lil' Junior Ranger worksheet for Rachel to complete and part of it was a Bingo/I-Spy/Scavenger-Hunt game.Zion National Park is home to a dazzling display of fauna and boasts upwards of 800 different species of flora (which apparently is more than you find in Hawaii) so there was a lot to see. We were supposed to be looking for yucca, wild turkeys, raven, spider webs, cactus, mule deer, beetles, bighorn sheep, rock squirrels, frogs, and lizards, among other things. It was our first hike of the day and Rachel was rather excited to "hunt" some animals down.

At the beginning of the trail a sign was posted warning us that there was some construction being done along the trail, so I wasn't surprised to find a little cement truck on the walk a little ways up the path with a few Mexican workers squatting to the side of the trail in the shade of a tree, eating lunch. I can read, after all. Rachel can't. She was certainly surprized to come across the scene.

"Ooooooh, loooooook!" she pointed at the men and yelled (yes, yelled), "MONKEYS!"

That? Was not on the list. Also, it was really, really embarassing. I started looking around for a hole to jump in or a bear to swallow me up.

In her defense, the men were all (yes, all) wearing earth-toned hoodies with the hoods pulled up and were squatting under a tree and their skin was of a darker complexion and kind of matched their hoodies. If you looked quick, then maybe...

Things only got better when she realized her mistake and started laughing about it while trying to explain her error, "Hahaha, Mom! Those aren't monkeys! Those are hoo-mans! Haha! I thought they were monkeys but they were humans! Silly me! But they look like monkeys! I wonder if we'll see a real monkey!"

"Okay, okay," I told her, "Just keep hiking."

Meanwhile I was silently praying: "Please don't let them speak English, please don't let them speak English, please don't let them speak English..."

Oh, what a day, what a day...