Utah & Arizona
It was a lovely trip. It reinforced my desire to pick up, and let go…which is what I hope to do more seriously in just a couple of months.
The only thing about this trip that was not fun was that it felt like vacation. Well, it was vacation. The reality of each day was that it was one one closer to the day I had to get back to work…
Driving out of Pheonix we were surprised to find ourselves in somewhat of a snowstorm. It was beautiful, but quite unexpected. As we got to Flagstaff, at least 5 inches of snow had accumulated on the ground.
We (Meren) drove for hours, and ended up not reaching our goal, Zion, by the time we were ready for sleep. We pulled over to a hotel in the middle of nowhere, and spent the night. The next morning, as we trustingly followed our GPS towards Zion, we noticed a sign for Glenn Canyon Dam. We stopped the car, and had the most auspicious little morning. As we walked down the red sandstone trail, it became clear that we were above an enormous canyon carved by the Colorado River. The morning light illuminated the rocks brilliantly, and we took the time to enjoy the surroundings.
From Glenn Canyon Dam, we drove another hour and a half to Zion National Park. The morning was overcast and cold; it had snowed the night before. As we entered the park, words can’t really describe the excitement we both had as we saw the clouds opening up and exposing the canyon. It was incredible:
Audibly in awe, it was hard to contain my amazement. I have never been to Zion, and it was quickly becoming the most breathtaking place I had ever seen. Here is a glimpse of how happy I was on the drive in:
Thrilled. We snagged a campsite in the designated campsite area, which was, unfortunately, overrun with other visitors. There were at least 50 RVs, and by the end of the evening, no vacant campsites near where we were. To our further disappointment, there were no backcountry hiking permits being issued. Apparently we were too early in the season
But regardless of these minor misfortunes, we were thrilled to be there. It was early when we arrived, and we quickly set up camp, ate a lunch of canned octopus, pickled jalepenos, bagel and cream cheese. We packed a day pack, and started off to explore.
There was a free shuttle bus that ran throughout the canyon. We were advised to get on this bus, and take it to various stops where we could then get off and explore. This whole shuttle/tour guide experience really made me feel like I was in Disneyland. Rather rapidly, my enthusiasm began to turn into cynicism. I felt totally removed from the beauty around me; in no way was I a part of it, but I was very distantly observing it. And I can’t even estimate how many people there were. The place was packed.
We were able to see some amazing sights, though. At one point, we got to a place where we could hike up to a triple waterfall. The waterfalls were amazing, and we could even walk under them, as there was a trail beneath the overhanging cliff where the water poured down. As I approached the trail, Meren hesitated.
“I’m cold. And I don’t want to get wet.” Nonsense. I kept walking, he followed reluctantly, at first. As soon as the cold mist hit our faces, we were both filled with energy. Running under the falls, we reached the other side soaked and happy.
That night, the stars were gorgeous at our campsite. Cradled within the bowl of mountains, the sky was pitch black, with a crescent moon. I could see every star that I hadn’t seen since I was in the Rockies years ago.
The next day, we decided to leave. The idea of another day of zoo-like tourism didn’t quite appeal to either of us. We hopped in the car and drove towards Bryce Canyon. On the way there, we talked about how much we wished we could find a place to camp that wasn’t overrun with people. As we passed a sign for a National Forest, I remembered that National Forests were free to camp in, and often more remote that National Parks. We pulled up to the ranger station, and I hopped out of the car and went in seeking information. The ranger gave me a map, and showed me where to go where there would be likely no people. The campsite was 8 miles off the road to Bryce Canyon, on a dirt road, and the campsite was next to a reservoir. Awesome. We gave it a go, and this was what we found:
The place was completely empty! And gorgeous to boot. Meren decided to hike up the hill behind the campsite, while I went down to the lake and journaled/drew. It was an amazing day, and it was nice to be alone by the lake. I thought about my plans to travel this fall, and what it would feel like to be completely free and unbound.
Dinner that night was sardines and burritos. I put my outdoor cooking skills to work while Meren made an outrageous fire.
The next day, we headed to Bryce.
(To be continued…)
Grand Canyon
