Our New Digs

So after Halloween weekend we moved into our new place in Tacoma, WA.  We're in the north part of Tacoma, up near Puget Sound University.  It's a nice neighborhood and we are enjoying it very much.

We're renting a house from the homeowners while they travel in Asia for three months.  We got a really good deal on the rent due to the fact that not many people want to live in a house for three months and then pick up and move again... call us crazy I guess.

We're taking care of a few critters for the owners, a cat named Ese and six laying hens.  It's been a lot of fun having a pet in the house again.  It reminds us why we had Porter in the first place.  Ese is the perfect cat too.  Doesn't scratch or bite, isn't snotty like most cats, and keeps us warm while we're watching TV.  Having chickens is a blast too actually.  They're laying four eggs a day on average and all we have to do is let them out in the morning and close them in at night.  The food and water are in dispensers in the coop, so we just fill them once a week.  Otherwise we give them our veggie trimmings and they are happy as clams.

Kris is working full time again.  She has four days of work right down the road about a mile and once a week she drives to Puyalip which is about ten miles away.  She is getting over a cold but otherwise doing very well.  I'm working at the REI call center taking orders over the phone.  The building is in Sumner, WA which is around 14 miles away.  I'm still training but the job is straightforward and the deals on gear are excellent, which is the only reason I'm there.

On that topic I picked up a new pair of powder skis this fall I'm really excited about.  They are Bluehouse Maestros and they are 189cm long and 118mm wide.  For those of you that don't ski these are much fatter than what we East Coasters usually ski on.  They should be perfect for the big dumps we get out here.  I plan on posting a full review of them once I get them out a few times for the season.  Stay tuned.

Otherwise things are pretty normal here.  The weather was really nice up until yesterday, but now it's taken a severe turn for the worse.  Oh well, it is fall.  Hopefully the snow will fly soon!

That pretty much catches you up on what's going on.  Hope you're all doing well!  Kris and I will be moving out of here at the end of January and Kris will be starting massage school in early March.  This means we'll have the month of February free... and we're planning on coming home!

Talk to you soon,

Will and Kris

Moving Forward

We traveled up the coast of California for a few more days and then headed inland.  We made a quick visit to Sonoma and Napa to pick up some of our favorite bottles.  Our allotted time for vacation was quickly running out so we jumped back on I5 and headed for WA.

Once back in the Puget Sound area we met back up with friends to celebrate Halloween.  This time of year is usually a huge pain in the ass for me due to the fact I never have a costume.  I usually spend two days before running around trying to find some stupid theme that I can dress up as.  It's nerve racking.

This year I was lucky enough to stumble across a hand made uncle same coat in CA.  It fit quite well indeed and only cost $16, booyaah!  Once I had the coat it was as simple as finding cloth to make a pair of pants, and finding the hat.  Neither of these chores was too complicated.  With a little help from Sarah's aunt Jeannine, and her sewing machine, I whipped up a pair of patriotic pants that would make even Betsy Ross proud.

My lovely and talented wife picked up on the theme immediately.  She bought three yards of fabric, a solar powered yard lantern and plastic crown and boom, she was the Statue of Liberty!

Pretty cute couple don't you think?  As luck would have it we were to attend two events for the Halloween weekend.  The first was a house party at a friend of a friends house.  A band, consisting of friends of friends, was scheduled to play.  The band was going to play the Pink Floyd album "Animals" in its entirety...  Now I have to tell those of you that don't know I had a serious love affair with this album while I was in college.  My buddies and I spend many a late night on the dirt roads in Bradley with this album pumping on the stereo.  Needless to say I was very excited.

The venue met all my expectations.  When we arrived we were impressed by both the stage setup and the costumed guests.

The band got things going with a few originals and then broke into an amazing version of Funky Town that had everyone kicking up their heels!  With live music, two kegs of beer, and all the eccentric folks you could handle it was a night to be remembered.  I ended up listening to the last few songs from the backseat of a friends car due to imbibing a little too much... perfect.
On Sunday we drove up to Belingham to meet some more friends and see the band Polecat play.  More debauchery ensued including two of our friends dancing shoeless at the venue for hours, making out with the yeti from Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer and the longest walk home ever...

The band played well but it was a little too Halloween themed for me.  It was also a bit hot for a overcoat, top hat and bow tie...  but we had a lot of fun anyway.

California

After the river trip we spent one more night camping at Lake Mead.  In the morning we decided that we had enough of the desert and pointed the van west towards California.  We had plans to bypass Los Angeles and hit the coast at Ventura.

Once in Ventura we drove to the Channel Islands National Park visitors center.  We got some information on the islands and then headed over to buy tickets for the boat ride across.  For those of you that don't know what the Channel Islands are this is the link to the park site: 

http://www.nps.gov/chis/index.htm

The islands became a national park, quite recently actually, in 1980.  The park consists of four islands spread out roughly east to west and one island located much further to the south.  The main four islands are about an hour and a half boat ride from Ventura.  We decided to take the boat over to Santa Cruz and hike around for the day.

The morning of our departure was socked in with a damp, pea soup fog.  We shouldered our packs and headed for the boat.  Of course once aboard we let all the tourists fight for spots on the bow while we avoided the masses and sat down in the back of the boat behind the cabin.  I've been on enough boats in thick fog to know that one gets soaked riding at the bow...  The boat ride was very enjoyable from the stern and we stopped to see a large pod of dolphins and another time to see a Minke whale.

We arrived at the island and unloaded, the resident ranger gave a quick talk about what not to do and we were off.  The first two hours of our walk was very fogged in, but it kept the temperatures at a reasonable level.  We hiked out of the island interior up to the cliffs on the coast and listened to the Sea Lions barking from below.  Since we couldn't see much of anything we sat down and caught up on some reading, hoping the fog would disipate.

Santa Cruz was very similar to Monhegan Island in Maine.  The high rocky cliffs, the very different micro climates throughout the island and all around is nothing but the ocean.  We walked the cliffs for the rest of the morning and finally just before lunch the sun started to break through the fog and we got some decent views of our surroundings.

We headed back down to the picnic area for some beef jerky and trial mix.  I found the most interesting part of the island right next to the picnic tables actually.  Since everything that comes to the island has to be brought by boat, and removal requires the same, all of the original farm equipment is still on the island.  It has all been moved to the main visitors area and a brief description has been written about each item.  Since the islands have been populated by "westerners" since the early 1900s there were all sorts of cool stuff.

Two tractors, both from the 1910s, were mostly intact.  Old cement mixers, hay bailers, homemade saw mills were just some of the equipment slowly rusting into the landscape.  The details of how each was used were included in the descriptions including how well, or not well, the men working on the farm favored the particular piece...  It was interesting stuff.

After lunch we once again climbed out of the interior to the opposite side of the harbor and found a nice place to sit and enjoy the sun while we waited for our ride.

Once back on the mainland we poached a parking spot at a sketchy motel for the night.  In the morning we headed up the coast on 101.

The Rest Of The Story

So I stopped writing again, no surprise there.  I'll continue on the story and catch you guys up to what is going on here in Tacoma, WA.

The next day we headed to the pick up spot for the river trip.  The driver who picked us up was friendly and knowledgeable if a little unconventional.  He drove us down to the base of the Hoover Dam and we put our rental canoe in the water and got out of the area as quickly as possible to avoid the rest of the tourons...

The trip was only about a total of 12 miles but it was relaxing, slow moving and had spectacular scenery.  The days were incredible with temps in the 90s on the river and in the 70s in the various side canyons that we explored by foot.  There were numerous hot springs along the trails, all of which looked a little on the overused side for us.  Most of them were barricaded in with bags of sand to make them deeper, which gave them a very dirty feel...  I'm sure they were fine but just not my thing.  Also every hot spring in the world, and much of the worlds stagnant water, contains a certain type of amoeba called Naegleria Fowleri.  This amoeba can enter the body through the nasal cavity and attach itself inside the nasal passage.  Once inside it migrates up through the sinuses and eventually finds it way into your brain... then you die...  So I decided that a dip in a dirty hot spring was not worth even a small percent chance that I would die.

We camped at the mouth of a side canyon that night and enjoyed dusk as the temperatures dropped down to more manageable levels.  In the morning as we were cooking breakfast we heard a clatter from across the river and notice a herd of Big Horn Sheep coming down to the water.  The sheep were walking down nearly vertical rock like it was a staircase.

They stopped to drink long enough for us to get some shots from across the river but you could tell they were aware of our presence and on alert.  After they were finished drinking they scrambled back up the canyon walls.  At one point they literally jumped and ran up what appeared to be a 15 ft cliff.  It was a sight to behold.

The second day was much like the first.  Hot, breezy and lazy.  It was really nice to be in a canoe again just meandering along without much of a timeframe.  We arrived at the takeout around 2pm and our pickup wasn't scheduled to arrive until 3pm.  So we walked up to the corner store and bought a six pack of beer and some party mix and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon from underneath a shade tree.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot this picture...

It was windy and I was doing my Michael Jackson impression... priceless.

Hello From Lake Mead Cont...

The rest of the trip down to Vegas was quite uncomplicated.  We stayed on I5 most of the way into California then followed I15 East until we hit the Mojave.  I never thought I would like the desert so much, even after having been to Zion, and the Moab area.  The landscapes are just so much different than anything I've ever been exposed to.  I never thought I would be in the Mojave Desert, and I didn't have any reason to want to go.  It was to be a convenient camping area on the way to Vegas that would put us just a few hours from the city.  It turned out to be an amazing experience and I will make sure I get back there.

After driving in for hours to get to the campground we had dinner and got to bed early.  In the morning we walked the trail around the visitors center, about a mile, and decided to drive the 10 miles of dirt road through the park instead of going back the way we came to find paved road.  The drive was slow and bumpy but stunning.  The Mojave in the fall is full of colorful little flowers, great rock landscapes and Joshua Trees.  If you haven't seen a Joshua Tree, I hadn't, they are in the Yucca family.  They basically look like a short tree trunk with a Yucca growing out of the top.  Some are taller than others but most of them are only ten or so feet high in this area of the Mojave.  Unfortunately we forgot the camera in Lake Joy and had to have it mailed to us in Utah so we didn't get any pics of the desert.

We hiked another trail in the Cima Dome area of the Mojave and then jumped in the van to get into Vegas and find a place to stay.  Once in Vegas we settled down for the night to get some sleep.  The next morning we went to pick up the RV from CruiseAmerica in Las Vegas. 

Note:  Do not rent an RV from these people.  The RV was not ready when we were scheduled to pick it up.  We waited an hour and a half in the blazing Nevada sun.  When the RV finally arrived the generator wouldn't start and the employee told us it was just a fluke, it would work fine... yeah right.  The radio continually tried to load CDs even though we weren't using the player so it would just stop working for a minute over and over again the entire trip.  The RV itself was falling apart.  The generator never did work.  When we returned the RV the two employees (same ones who delivered it to us) were unresponsive to our problems and really didn't give a shit.  All in all it was a terrible experience except for the price which was very reasonable.  If anybody from CruiseAmerica is reading this you guys suck at what you do.

Once in the RV we drove to get Kevin and Cheryl at the airport and hit the road heading for Zion.  As you all know Kris and I fell in love with Zion last April and we wanted to go back.  Kevin and Cheryl haven't been to Southern Utah for like 20 years and never during the mild fall season.  We hiked in and around the park during the week.  It was stunning as usual, but the park was much more crowded this time.  I would go in the Spring if I had the chance again, it was much less crowded and the weather was actually warmer.  The greatest thing about visiting in the fall was that we got to hike The Narrows as a group.  The Narrows is a slot canyon which the Virgin River flows through.  About 75% of the time you are crossing the river one way or the other and up to about your knees in flowing water.  Using a hiking staff, patience and the proper gear one can hike into the canyon from below, or come down from the mouth.  We opted for the day hike which enters the canyon from below and it was spectacular.  The canyon walls are formidable and keep most of the sun off your shoulders so it does get cold in there.  The water was around 53 degrees so Kevin and Cheryl rented dry suits, Kristen wore dry pants and I opted to go with neoprene booties...  I should have listened to my wife on that one.  While they were warm and mostly dry I was soaked form the waist down most of the trip and by the time we came out of the river I was eating everything in sight and bundled up with all my clothing to keep warm.  Was it dangerous, no, was it uncomfortable, yes.  If I were to do it again in similar conditions I would have opted for the pants with Kris...  All in all it was one of the coolest things I've done in a long time and I would highly recommend it to anyone that like to hike and wants to experience something different.

After three days in Zion we headed out to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Another place I never expected to find myself.  If you have a chance to visit this place in the fall do it.  It is wonderful.  Day temps are around 75 on the rim of the canyon but can drop to around freezing at night.  We spent a few days hiking around on the rim and exploring the area around the lodge.  The lodge is also very cool.  It is built right on the edge of the canyon and from the lounge area, which is huge, you can look out on some of the most amazing terrain I've ever seen.  The sunsets are of course out of this world and you can enjoy a draft beer from the saloon while you're watching them.  We attended a talk from one of the park rangers entitled Death In The Canyon which turned out to be a safety talk although more entertaining.  This is another place I'll return to someday, but next time I'm going down into the canyon and seeing it from that perspective!

After the canyon the four of us headed back to Vegas to enjoy ourselves for the night.  As we all know what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas so I can't say much about that night.  I can tell you that Kevin nicknamed himself "Mr. Saturday Night", Kris won $50 playing blackjack, and I drank a whole lot of $2 beers.  I can't give much advice on that city except to say that driving in it is harsh.

We dropped Kris' folks off yesterday and drove a short distance over to Lake Mead where you'll find me sitting in the shade trying to avoid the 90+ degree heat.  I didn't know it got this hot anywhere in the US in October... amazing.  Today we watch football and relax, tomorrow we are scheduled on a self guided overnight canoe trip in the Black Canyon below the Hoover Dam.  Can't wait, we'll bring back pics!

I hope all of you are well.  Most of you I've heard from during the trip in some way or another but if not please drop me a line or call.  We'll be back on the grid the day after tomorrow.  I've just converted over to the new dashboard for this program and it works much better than the old so I will update as much as I can.  Thanks for reading!

Will + Kris

P.S. I purchased new skis and they've just arrived at our friend Sarah's house!  It's almost time to shred everyone!

Hello From Lake Mead

Well I've finally gotten up nerve enough to begin blogging again. After the amount of BS I've put up with in this program it's hard to find the energy to post. Sorry for the gaps... I'll try to bring you up to speed. Most of you have been following the "action" on Kris' facebook.

The summer went very well. I rean numerous overnight trips this year (about three times the amount of last year) and way less day trips. The tips were great, the clients were tolerable and it reminded me why I've always wanted to be a guide. Besides guiding I spent most of my time this summer underneath our two vehicles.

The 1990 Subaru got new motor mounts, struts and a good going through. The van needed a lot of TLC which she got over the course of about a month up on jack stands. Talk about a lot of work. What was surface rust around the wheel wells when we bought her turned into major rot over the past 18 months. I found many places that needed to be completely taken down to metal, prepped and painted. I also had to replace sheet metal in a few areas and use fiberglass to span some of the more "daunting" holes.

All in all I would say I spent about 80 hours working on her. I could draw a picture of what she looks like underneath from memory due to the amount of time I spent under her on my back... I don't envy mechanics in the least. It was back breaking, trying at times and I spewed many profanities over the course of those 80 hours but in the end it was well worth it. The van is running better than ever, looks as good as it has in years and is now very "custom".

We had a few visitors this year.  Our friends Mike and Amanda came out in June.  Mom also came out to visit, which was great. She spent her time walking, looking at the local flora and questioning everything withing eyesight... That's Mom! I think she had a great time and she most certainly got a real taste of island living.

Kris and I left the island at the end of September and drove a short distance to Carnation, WA to celebrate our roomate Sarah's 30 birthday. We all went to her mother's house at Lake Joy to decompress after the busy summer. It was a good couple days of debauchery with most of our good friends from the island. Thanks for having us over Cathy!

After we left Lake Joy we pointed the van south on I5 and headed out of state. Our end goal was to pick up Kris' parents from Las Vegas. At that point we would rent an RV and take it up to Zion. It was a pretty uneventful trip the first day until Kris decided that she wanted to leave I5 and go into Redwoods National Park in NW California. We left the peace and quiet of the interstate to travel cross country back towards the coast. We entered the general area of the park late into the evening and began searching for a place to sleep. Since most of the campgrounds were closed for the season we ended up poaching a spot in a day use park overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The next morning we awoke to the sound of pounding surf for the first time since last October when we were in the Olympics... amazing. There is something about crashing waves that I just can't live without. After a peaceful but COLD morning we dropped back down into the park to see what we could find to do for the day. At the visitors center we ate breakfast and spoke with the rangers. We decided to drive into the Tall Trees Grove and see the tallest tree in the world! Kris specifically asked the ranger about the road in and he said, "we send passenger vehicles down that road all the time". Once we turned off the main road I noted that his answer was sort of ambiguous as to the conditions of the actual road. Then we started climbing a 9% grade through endless switchbacks...

At the top of the road we finally found the entrance to Tall Trees Grove. After unlocking the gate with the code given by the ranger we started down the 7 miles of dirt road to the actual trailhead. After a teeth rattling half hour we finally dropped down one final steep section of road to the trailhead. The trail was wonderful, and not quite as steep or bumpy as the road. Ancient Redwoods towered into the sky with their canopies soaring hundreds of feet overhead. Huge Douglas Firs, much larger than on the island, were dwarfed by these monsters. Remnants of dead trees lay scattered among the forest floor like sleeping giants with younger trees growing on top of them.

The tallest tree looked much like the rest of them, big. It was a great hike and something I would recommend if in the area and you have the time. What I wouldn't recommend is taking a low clearance vehicle down the road. It was hell and the van is much heavier duty than most passenger vehicles. I noted a few Honda Civics making their way down the road and wondered if they would make it back out with their struts intact. Also the paved road out of the area is very treacherous. Again it is miles of 9% grade and switchbacks. On the way down we once again experienced brake failure and I had to use the transmission to keep the van from careening into the woods. Thank god the van is a five speed or we would have been right in the rubard! After this experience we've decided that it's time to upgrade the van to a newer, larger, more powerful model. More on that later.

Once we were safely down we noted that we had traveled many miles away from I5. I also noted that if we wanted to return to the safety of the interstate we would need to climb into the Sierra mountains and navigate their heights. Oh goody! The trip in was the usual grueling climb with the engine screaming and the trans in third gear most of the way. It was raining on and off making things a little more difficult just for the sake of it. Hours into the drive we noted that we seemed to be loosing elevation at an alarming rate. Very soon after this we dove into another batch of tight switchbacks that had us leaning over like downhill ski racers. Finally, after what was hours and seemed like days, we coasted into the last town before I5. Here we found a cheap hotel for the night, ate Mexican and relaxed.

Mike comes to town

So the next day we have rental bikes reserved at the local shop. We woke up and noticed the sky had turned from bright blue to a dingy grey. A light rain was falling and it was chilly. Since Moab only receives like six inches of rainfall a year we figured it would soon pass over.

An hour later the rain was still coming so we decided to go into town and see about the situation with our rentals. We wanted to know if we could switch to the next day, or were we stuck with the rain. Now I won't say which bike shop we went to but the girl who we were dealing with was rude as hell. Kris asked about switching our reservations and she said, "well it rains sometime here in the spring you know." This statement, said sarcastically, immediately put me on the defensive. The girl (she was no lady) continued to act put off by our very presence. Naturally I began showing my displeasure with the service by giving her sarcasm directly back to her. Finally we were on our bikes and out of the shop, thank god.


We drove a few miles up the road to access the trails in Moab. Now I haven't been on a mountain bike to actually ride off road for around 15 years but I was excited as hell. As soon as I got out onto the parking lot I was riding wheelies, running over stuff and screaming at the top of my lungs. I almost wrecked in the parking lot twice... Everyone got ready and we rode down a dirt road for a few miles into the trail system. Mike and I decided to ride a section of single track that was marked as "very difficult" and Kris went around on an easier trail to meet us. It was the most excitement I've had on a bike in years. The bikes were fully suspended with six inches of travel in the front shock and four in the rear. You could literally climb six foot tall rocks with enough speed and skill. Mike was tearing it up, I was just trying to stay upright.

After the first trail we all met back up and rode miles of slick rock trails. The views were amazing and the riding was excellent. Mike and I had turns at leading the pack through the trails for hours. I can't describe the feeling of riding hard like that. It made me feel like I was a kid again. I want one of those bikes...

After the ride was over we had some beers in the parking lot and headed back into town for some burgers at the local brewery. Our waiter was the strangest person we've ever met in life. He wouldn't speak to us unless totally necessary. He wouldn't reply to our thanks, or look at us. As we were pondering the reasons he came to the table behind us and with a smile said, "my name is John, I'll be your server today, can I get some drinks started for you?" What the hell is going on here, was he just mad at us? We were thinking about questioning his motives when he returned to our table and said, "thank you for coming in, here is your check, I can take that whenever you're ready." We were speechless. No idea what was going on.

After we headed back to the campsite and had some whiskey and sevens and relaxed. My butt hurt so much from sitting on that bike seat though.

Oh yeah forgot to say that another girl who was working at the bike shop who checked the bikes out for return was also a jerk...

I'll Be Home Soon!

So the next day Kris and I spent in Arches again. We did an amazing loop hike that was seven and a half miles round trip. We hiked the majority of the trail and didn't see any other people. Once we got onto the main trail we ran into a busload of French people and things got kind of strange.

We also ran into a middle aged man who was in a panic. He had lost his youngest son and was beside himself with worry. We told him we would walk down into the trails that stemmed from the main area and look for the boy. We asked him to stay put, and if we found the boy we would send him back up the trail to his father. He told us he wouldn't move.

Ten minutes later we rounded a corner and noticed the boy standing up off the trail speaking to a woman. I flagged him down, told him that his father was waiting up the trail, and sent him the 1/4 mile back to his dad. We got our views of the arches and headed back up the trail. Soon thereafter we noticed the father still searching for the boy. When I told him that we sent the boy directly to him he admitted that he had moved right after he spoke with us. The boy must have walked right by him. Idiot. First rule of finding a person, if you say you're staying somewhere to wait stay there! They did find the boy a while later wandering on the trail...

After the hike we headed back into town and called Mike, who was arriving later that afternoon. When I got in touch with him he said he was already in town and we should come over to the City Market (AKA shitty market) to meet him. As we rounded the corner into the parking lot we immediately noticed Mike in the parking lot and I drove the van to park near him.

As I stopped the van and rolled down the window I noticed a Prius and a jeep backing out of adjoining parking spaces at the same time. Strange to see two cars backing out in unison like that... Just as I thought about it Kris yelled, "there's nobody in that jeep!" I looked again and sure enough the jeep was unmanned and rolling towards a nearly new GMC truck. "Grab that jeep.", I yelled at Mike. He looked at me quizzically wondering what in the hell I was talking about. Kris jumped out and ran for the jeep, Mike figured it out at that exact moment and he too ran for the back of the jeep.

Before I thought about it I have the door to the van open and started getting out. The van began to roll and I remembered I hadn't shut it down or put it into gear. I pulled the e-brake and left it running as I tore after Mike and Kris. The jeep slowly rolled and just as it was about to ram the GMC Mike and Kris got hands on it. With some effort they stopped the jeep six inches short of hitting the truck... crazy.

We pushed the jeep back into the space and blocked the tire with a rock. As we entered the store everyone was talking about how a group of people saved the day in the parking lot. We spoke to an employee and she said she watched the entire thing happen. Apparently the Prius actually clipped the jeeps mirror and caused it to pop out of gear. Good reason to always use the parking brake in addition to putting it in gear.

Mike, Kris and I got stuff for dinner and headed back to the campground. We ate, drank and were merry.

I will write more but I'm in Seattle, WA (best big city in America) and we are going to Shakespeare in the park to get cultured. I'll be back on air tonight.

Hope things are going well. Flying out for home on Wednesday! Sweet!

Blogger Sucks!

I also wanted to write that the Blogger Dashboard (the program used to create this blog) Sucks!

I am attempting to post more but this thing is being so frustrating that I'm going to set it down for a while.

Please read the post I finished under this one!

Happy Easter to everyone! Mom and Dad wish I could have been there for the holiday! Love you guys!

I don't even know what's going on right now

So Kris and I just got back from BLM land north of Moab, UT. We were staying in a campground there with our good friend Mike Morin. More on that later. Basically we haven't had internet or cell phone coverage for days now. It's Easter as I write this and I'm sitting in the laundery room of a campground so I can be warm, have internet and charge our electrical gadgets. Talk about a non-traditional holiday!

So I left off in Canyonlands last time. At this point it's been days since that happened so it's now exactly fresh in my mind. We got up that morning and got out of the site early. We hiked a mile and a half up to a lookout of another part of the canyon. It was warm, dry and sunny. Typical southern Utah day around here. We chilled out near the trail for around an hour while Kristen made rock art and I slept on the slickrock.

After this we got back to the van and started the long drive out of the park and back onto I70 to Moab. We stopped along the way and got some pics in Canyonlands but it was a pretty lazy day overall. When we got into Moab we stopped at a few places in town to look into rafting/canoeing in the area and hit the grocery store. We spent that night in the same campground that I'm in currently. The most eventful part of the night was moving our campsite due to the proximity of screaming children... Actually that's not true. Kris and I (using Ben's recipe) made our first batch of green curry. What a success! A new meal for the road and it was so good that I may add it into the guide menu this summer.

That night was a windy one so there were branches down all over in the campground. We ate breakfast and went over our plan for the day. Our friend Mike Morin would be coming into town on friday afternoon. We had to find a campsite a little further from town that would be more suitable for our ranger friend. The problem is that due to the 45th annual Jeep festival town was a madhouse and all the campgrounds were full. We new that BLM (Bureau of Land Management) campsites are all first come first serve. So we decided that we would leave in the morning and drive to the BLM site we had in mind. We would then stalk the site until we had found one open.

Upon arriving at the Big Bend site we noticed that every lot was full of campers. People were everywhere. Jeeps being pulled by trucks were lining the dirt roads. We had little hope that we would find an empty site anywhere. After driving the loop twice we noticed a sign that pointed the way to sites 1 through 5. As we slowly drove down the road we noticed a family coming out of site #2 and packing things into their truck. We also noticed there was no little yellow slip of paper on the site marker, score!

We had found our site. Located right along the river with huge sandstone cliffs all around us. The trees were perfectly space so that it was very open in the site but was totally private. We couldn't hear another camper from our picnic table. What a treat! After we signed in we decided it would be best to get into Arches National Park and see what we could in the ramainder of the day. We spoke with the ranger, who was nice, knowledgeable and respectful, and she pointed us to a handful of trails that would keep us busy for the next two days.

We hiked a great loop right off the bat. It incorporated three large arches into one loop trail. The weather was mild, on the breezy side, but it was sunny and pleasant. The walk walk was not strenuous in the least and we meandered onto the desert floor and then up into huge sandstone formations. It was a great little walk, three miles round trip I think.

Afterwards we drove to the trailhead that accesses Fragile Arch. Even if you haven't been to Arches you have probably seen a picture of this arch. I believe it is actually depicted on the Utah state license plate as well. Kristen was super excited to see this one as well. The trail was four miles roundtrip and it was a moderate climb up dirt trails and exposed sandstone. For some reason that only weather understands the wind began to pick up just as we entered the trailhead. As we climbed up onto the sandstone it was forceful enough that it was actually helping us climb the steep sections of trail. Everytime we turned around to look back windblown sand threatened to enter our eyes and mouth.

As we climbed higher on the trail the wind continued to build. As we rounded the final corner onto the platform that supports the arch my guess is the wind was gusting around 60mph, stronger at times. We had to put our heads down and push into the gale to gain any ground at all. The numerous people on the platform were loosing articles of clothing and crying out at the more extreme gusts. As we were taking pictures a man trying to show off for his friends was standing under the arch and almost got blown down by gusts. He didn't really understand that three feet behind him was a sheer drop, hundreds of feet down. We got our pics and got out of there. We spent the next thirty minutes half running, half stumbling into the wind to get back down to the trailhead.

Aftewards Kris and I were pretty sick of the wind so we headed back to the campsite. We spent an uneventful night in the van reading and got to bed early.

Little Wild Horse Canyon to Canyonlands

After our coffee we went in search for our first slot canyon of the trip. Little Wild Horse Canyon is on the outskirts of Goblin Valley. We had to drive down a washboard road for five miles to get to the trailhead. As luck would have it we got behind a grader about half a mile in and the trip was smoother thereafter.

We got out of the van and quickly got lost. I didn't read the trip synopsis and Kris elected not to tell me about the sign we were looking for. She decided we needed to stay right and pretty quickly we were in an unnamed canyon in the middle of nowhere. We turned back and found the trail, mostly due to the amount of other hikers on it.

The canyon quickly tightened up to a few feet wide. Due to the amount of rain we had the night before there was standing water in many places on the trail. The only options were to get soaked, or go above it by wedging your body against the canyon walls and climbing up and over it. We passed several section like this that weren't much trouble and we had a lot of fun going over. The walls were amazing with rock of differing colors swirling into eachother and creating amazing views. The light was also great due to the shadow in the canyon but the light streaming in from above.

We reached a point in the canyon where another family was heading into. I noticed that there had to be feet of standing water in this section so we sat back and waited for them to enter. The father put the son on his shoulders and the mother followed them in. Immediately the father, who was over six feet tall, was up to his thighs in water. The mother was well over her crotch by the time she began asking, "is this a good idea?" The father pressed on in true fatherly fashion and they soon disappeared around the corner out of sight.

It may sound unadventurous but Kris and I both agreed that we didn't want soaking wet shoes for the remainder of the trip, some six days. Instead we decided to eat some snacks and have a break. Shortly after we sat down another family happened upon us. We let them evaluate the situation before we gave any information. Finally the father asked if we were going in and we told him that the water is near four feet deep and we had several days left of our trip.

To their credit they never wavered for a second. The smallest boy, about eight years old, stripped off his shirt and said he would lead the way. The oldest boy had a GoPro digital video cam on his head to capture the footage of their trials. As we watched the oldest began stemming (holding yourself against the sides of the canyon off the ground) across the canyon. The youngest followed and the parents waded in, shoes and all. Before long they were all squealing about how cold the water was, and how muddy the bottom was. The oldest touched down near the end of the tunnel in thigh deep water and the youngest refused to drop down. Finally they called back they were ok and on the other side. We had a good laugh and turned back down the canyon.

We walked another stretch of canyon before we headed back to the car. At this point there was nothing left to see at Goblin Valley so we set the GPS for Canyonlands National Park and started the van. About an hour later we were on I-70 and had our first cell phone reception since we left SLC on Saturday. Kris checked her email and had a message from our real estate agent. We were to fax yet another form by 5pm eastern standard time that day... It was 2:15pm mountain standard time. As we all know there is a two hour time difference between EST and MST. We had 45 minutes to print and fax the form. We were in the middle of east bum fuck (pardon the saying) and going nowhere quickly. We called the agent back and explained our dilemma. Life's a bitch, is pretty much what she said.

We hauled the van down from speed at the next exit and found a key bank. The lady there was kind enough to point us in the direction of the local library. The librarian was kind enough to lend us a computer and fax our forms to our agent. We went from totally screwed to saving the day in a little under thirty minutes. Needless to say our agent was ecstatic!

Back on the road we finally got to Canyonlands and started looking for a campground. We hit the park entrance, which is located 17 miles from the main road. The park ranger told us she had no idea about the status of camping that night and if we wanted to know we should "just drive down and check it out." Well that was another 18 miles into the campsite... thanks for the advice moron. Why don't you and the other rangers get those new fangled walkie talkies and sort this stuff out? Just a thought.

We drove into the campground and quickly noted it was full. Now our option was to drive back to the road some 30+ miles away, or try to sweet talk another camper into letting us poach their site. As we drove through for a second time Kris noticed the handicap site was not filled, or reserved. These sites are reserved until 5pm for handicap persons, but after this time it's first come first serve. It was 4:09pm so we elected to wait in the campground parking lot. Kris was concerned that someone might drive in at 459 and steal our spot so she walked up and got a little closer to the sign in front of the site.

Minutes later she came running back to the van. "It says we can park there until 5pm but if someone handicap comes we have to move. After 5pm it's ours.", she said. Now I had seen the sign. I didn't see any of this information other than it was reserved until 5pm. I figured she was fibbing to me so that I wouldn't refuse moving the van to the site. I reluctantly moved the van into the site and sure enough she was correct. The sign was worded funny but it said that we could be there unless someone hadicap came before 5pm, then we had to vacate. After 5pm it was anyones game. We sat in the van until we were sure things were cool.

After that we walked down to the Green Point overlook. The walking path literally ends where the canyon wall drops off to the valley floor. You're leaning against a post and beam fence overlooking thousands of acres of valley, canyon and river. It's one of the most amazing view points I've ever seen. The pics don't do it justice so you'll all have to go see it for yourselves!

We then drove up to the Mesa Arch trailhead and walked in. The main pic at the top of the blog is from this arch. It was amazing. We were sitting on a ledge that dropped straight down for hundreds of feet. Through the arch you could see snow capped mountains in the background. This was also a once in a lifetime view!

Later that night we were settling in to our site when we noticed the same Subaru drive by again and again. A guy named John happened into the park off of I70 and was looking for a site. Obviously there were none to be found so Kris offered to let him share ours. When he finished setting up he came over to the table. "I want to chip in for the site but all I have is a $20 bill and four $1 bills.", he said. The site was $10 so I told him just to give us the four bucks and not to worry about it. Later that night Kris looked at me and said, "you should have told him you would take the twenty." I love that lady.

Goblin Valley

The next morning we said goodbye to Ben as he was heading to Texas. It was great meeting someone on the road that we had so much in common with. Although he was from NY (he isn't a Yanks fan) he is a great guy and we look forward to seeing him again in the future.

Kris and I headed to the next stop in the road, Goblin Valley. This state park is home to hundreds of formation which have formed in one valley. We stopped at the gatehouse and got a campsite first thing. The campground was really nice. The picnic tables have enclosures over them with two sides shielded from the elements.

We elected to take a short nap in the van. When we woke we noticed a few families had just pulled in and were attempting to set up large cabin style tents across the way. Each family had around seven children (Mormon country) that were standing around the flattened tent as mom and dad tried to figure out the instructions. Each time a pole would go in the tent would be erected and then fall flat again. This continued for over an hour with both families. The wind was cooking at this point and making the job much harder. One dad finally got his tent up after moving it into their picnic shelter and tying it off to the posts.

The other dad continued to work for another half hour before he and the family had the tent set to full height. At this point Kris and I were sitting in the van, enjoying a beer and laughing our asses off. All of a sudden the wind gusted stronger. The dad quickly grabbed his tent which threatened to blow away with the children holding on. At this moment we looked past his tent to the next sight back and noticed a small tent cartwheeling end over end into the meadow beyond the campsite. It rolled and skidded for hundred of feet before disappearing behind some rocks. Moments later three kids and a mom went running in the general direction of the fallen tent. Haha, we love that stuff.

Just as it couldn't get any better the families tent began to look like an accordion. The wind would blow and it would squish the walls togehter, then the wind would change directions and pull the tent away. The entire family was holding on for dear life. At this point we decided to offer some advice. Kris told the family they could use our tent area since we were sleeping in the van. Our area was much more sheltered and would get them out of the wind. After much thought the dad neglected. I told him to move the tent into the picnic shelter and tie it down. After another few minutes the family got hold of the tent and moved it in avoiding further disaster.

Kris had finally had enough of the family tent antics so we headed out to see the valley. The trail there was not well marked but we eventually found our way. The valley was really neat. The formations were all very similar, and not very tall, but they sparked the imagination all the same. The neat thing about it was that you could walk anywhere, there was no trail. This allowed one to get away from the majority of people and meander through the "Goblins" alone. The light wasn't great but we did get some good pics.

On the way back to the campground we walked the road to see something different. When we got back the wind was still up and growing stronger. We decided to put the bed up and cook our meal in the van to avoid the hassle of the wind. As we sat in the relative comfort of the van the folks outside were dealing with a legit sandstorm. The winds had to be gusting into the high sixties and it seemed like all the dust in the desert was blowing with them. The van was rocking back and forth the entire evening. I actually feared the roof box would blow off or crack under the stress. The windows were closed but even so a fine layer of dust settled on the dashboard.

As we were sitting there we noticed the tent a few sites over from us had lost its fly. The family had left when we pulled in and hadn't returned. The fly was holding on by one corner and flapping violently. My lovely wife suggested that we should go over and try to rig it back on. When I approached the scene I noticed that around two inches of sand had already blown in under the fly and was covering the families gear. Kris and I rigged the fly back down and staked it out in as many places as we could but the damage was already done...

When the family returned they were grateful for our help. It was getting late so we made up the bed and brushed our teeth. We read a little and went to bed. In the dead of the night I bolted awake as the van swayed violently from side to side. The wind had picked up even stronger and now it was pouring. I fell back asleep quickly but the storm lasted much of the night. In the morning the other campground tenants looked as though they had weathered the great storm. Everything was soaked and coated in sand. The backs of trucks, which people were using for storage, were filled with standing water.

Kris and I jumped out fo the van and made our coffee, wondering the whole time what the fuss was about...

SLC to the present

So not much happened in Salt Lake City. We stayed in a Homestead Suites with a bunch of other "displaced" families in the Sugar House district of the city. The hotel was an extended stay place so the other folks staying there were...unique.

Kris worked a few days at the local old folks home to offset the costs of the trip. Worked out well enough. It gave us the chance to see the city and ski some of the local mountains. We skied Snowbird, Snowbasin and Park City. Snowbird was by far my favorite due to the steep skiing and the unique terrain. The weather didn't really cooperate with us. We got rained on a few days on the hill and a few days we couldn't get up into the passes due to the weather. We got a few good days in all in all.

We left SLC on Saturday the 16th and headed toward Capitol Reef National Park. This required headed back down to southern Utah. The drive was somewhere around two and a half hours to the park. The temps climbed as we drove farther south and by the time we got to the park it was in the mid 70s and sunny out, exciting!

We checked into the park campground and settled in with some cocktails and a game of cribbage. In the site next to us we noticed three twenty somethings having a grand time. Within a few minutes one of them came over to request that we turn our radio up so they could enjoy the music. Since the radio in the van wouldn't go up much higher we told them they should just come over and hang out with us at our table.

Minutes later we had introduced ourselves (Aaron, Cal and Ben) and toasted fresh drinks. They were from different areas around the states but had all worked at Park City resort over the winter. They had finished up work the week before and had planned a trip into southern Utah together. We picked their brains about Park City (It's an actual town at the bottom of three ski resorts. All north of SLC and with much less Mormon influence.) They had nothing but good things to say about the town and the resorts in the area.

We spent the next few hours drinking the night away. Had a great fire, some good friends and some great slip and fall incidents!

In the morning Aaron and Cal had to head back to Park City and Ben was heading in the general direction of Zion and then to Texas. He didn't have anything much to do so we offered to explore the park with him and see about where to camp that night.

The three of us drove down into the park. Ben was kind enough to drive his truck into the trailhead we were going to explore due to the condition of the roads. We decided to hike into see a natural arch about a mile and a half away. When we left the parking lot the sign said .3 miles to the trailhead. We quickly found ourselves in the middle of a wash, out in the sun.

The tree of us got talking about whatever and were making good time. After about thirty minutes I looked up and thought something was strange. Kris and I usually walk about three miles an hour which meant that we should have been at the trailhead already... I explained this to Ben and Kris and they both looked about me with blank stares. That's when I realized the two of them were as hung over as I.

We turned around and walked back. Soon we were in the parking lot wondering what the hell happened. "Maybe it was the sign we passed back there.", said Ben. For crying out loud, of course it was. So back we walked, trying to find the sign for the third time. We did find it this time and to our credit it was slightly hidden against the rocks and bushes. The trail climbed up for about a thousand vertical feet and leveled off. By this time we could see the arch from across the way.

We kept stopping and convincing ourselves that the hike was over. This was it, once you saw the arch it was the top. Little by little we walked a further until we noticed a family heading out towards the arch on the rock. Well we didn't want to be outdone so we headed out after them and finally found our way to the top of the arch. It was uniquely Utah. Formed of red stone it spanned perhaps three hundred feet and towered above the ground. When standing on top of it you could look straight down for hundreds of feet to the canyon floor below. A worthwhile trip even if we did have to try that hard to get up there!

On the way down the family was following us and the youngest daughter's hat flew off. It flittered down over the edge thirty of so feet and landed in a depression. I figured since I was capable of going down to get it that I should put forth the effort. I slid down over the rock and got down into the depression. I found the hat and attached it to my arm. I then tried to climb out and almost killed myself trying to scale the wall I had come down. As I was standing on the wall and trying to find my footing Ben yelled from above. He was standing at the top of what may as well have been stairs that I could walk up... I got some shit for that I'll tell you, but the little girl was happy to have her hat back.

We headed to the park picnic area and had lunch. By this time we had convinced Ben to hang out for another night and continue his journey in the morning. We all decided to drive up into town and find a campground with a shower. Ben hadn't had one in six days... you can imagine what he smelled like. We found a campground and paid. Once we parked the cars Ben and Kris went to find showers and I cracked a beer. The wind was starting to pick up a lot at that point but I had other things on my mind. I couldn't find my wallet. I couldn't remember the last time I had it either. Now this has happened before while traveling in the van. Usually it falls out of my pants onto the floor when I take them off to go to bed. I didn't want Kris to freak out so I started tearing the van apart to find it. I looked in all the usual places. The floor, the basket between the seats, under the seats, in the glove compartment, in the bed, under the covers, in the grocery bags on the floor under the bed... everywhere. I spent thirty minutes looking and by that time I was really starting to freak. At that point I started pulling everything out of the van. Now remember the wind is up and I've now pulled all the groceries out of the van. I had to tie the bags at the top so that nothing would spill out and blow away. Still nothing after fifteen more minutes of searching... Just as I'm ready to call it and look up the number to my credit cards I put my elbows down on the bed and my head in my hands. I'm finished here, I'm screwed. Then my elbow hits something. I pull the sheets back, nothing. Then it hits me. I pull the comforter apart from the sheets and there lays my wallet. I have no idea how it got between the sheets and comforter but I'm glad it was there.

So now I've started noticing the wind is really blowing. I mean 50+ gusts. We're in an open field with no trees, no rocks, no shelter of any sort. At this point Kris comes out of the women's bathroom and tries to yell to me. I can see her lips moving but I can't hear anything. By the time I could make out what she was saying we were standing arms length from eachother. "We're renting one of those cabins over there."

An hour later finds the three of us sitting at the picnic table in front of the cabin on the lee side of the wind. For 15 extra bucks we had electricity, beds and a place out of the wind. Not too shabby in our opinion. We made some supper, mixed some drinks and relaxed.

Bryce Canyon

After we got down from observation point we headed up the road towards Bryce canyon. The drive was an excellent chance to relax and take in the sights from the van. Unfortunately the majority of the park population was also doing the very same thing. Slow down, speed up, stop, blinker but no turn, no blinker and turn. We also went through a tunnel that was dug in the 30s with no interior lighting. Of course all the folks in front of us had to slow down to around 8mph. I guess they all forgot that cars possess headlights that can be turned on with the flip of a switch.

We eventually left Zion (sigh) and entered the outskirts of Bryce. The change in scenario and climate was immediate and dramatic. The temps dropped ten degrees and the wind picked up. We noticed that there was snow in small patches in many places. Rock formation started appearing on both sides of the road. They looked like sculptures that had been beaten by the wind and rain so that their original details were obscured.

Once we entered the park we quickly found the lodge and sat down to dinner. Our ulterior motive was to plug in the laptop next to our table and charge it. After dinner we sat in the lodge for hours and caught up on all the things we missed over the last few days. We ended up heading back to the campsite around 930 that night. It was dark, cold and windy so we quickly changed and went to sleep.

It was probably the coldest night we've spent in the van thus far. The locals said it got into the teens that night and I don't doubt it. We were huddled together wearing whatever clothing we could find. My feet were freezing. The morning was not much warmer but the sun eventually climbed into the sky and defrosted our windshield. After breakfast we made our way into the park and found the rim trail which would lead us down into the canyon.

From the very first steps into the canyon we were amazed. The formations in Bryce are indescribable. Every shape, size and many different colors were on display. The sky was bright and blue and the temps were increasing steadily. It seemed like we were stopping to take pics every ten steps.

We wanted to get away from the crowds near the entrance so we headed down into Queens Garden and then into the Navajo Loop. As we descended into the canyon the trees became thicker and soon we were walking along a babbling stream. The day could not have been nicer. At this point it was in the mid fifties with a very light breeze. We dead ended in the Navajo Loop and traced our steps back to Picabo Loop, a 3 mile trail that ran into the lesser used area of the park.

The loop allowed us to see the formations on the far side of the canyon up close. We got some great pics along this part of the trail. The light was filtering through the rocks and creating some great illumination. The sun continued to climb in the sky until it was in the sixties. The weather could not have been better. Unfortunately my wife didn't put on extra sunscreen that day. "Do I look burnt to you?", she asked. I told her not really... big mistake. When it comes to Kristen's complexion I should know to air on the side of safety.

That 3 mile loop turned into a slushy death march on the sunny side of the canyon. We were trudging through mud and snow the entire time. Our feet were moist and we were ready for a beer. After what seemed like an eternity we found the end of the trail and hoofed it for the rim of the canyon. Bryce is unique in the way that you start at the rim of the canyon and walk down into it. At the end of the day you need to hike up and out of the canyon. Well after the seven miles we had walked in the sun the climb up was like a work out on a stair master. We passed several tourists in jeans and fleece jackets (it was above sixty) that looked at us like we were mad. We were huffing and puffing our way up the trail to the rim as fast as we could in an attempt to end the agony. Finally we hit the rim, then we hit the van, then I hit the beers! It was a good day all in all.

We ended up back at the lodge that evening working on the computer. We met the maintenance guy the night before and he was there again. He wanted to hear all about our travels into the canyon. He sat next to us as we uploaded our pics and commented on which ones he enjoyed. He was a really nice guy and a hard worker! We enjoyed your company Pat! We hit the campsite again that night. It was much warmer that night in the van, thank the lord.

The next morning we woke up and headed for SLC, to our extended stay motel! A bed and a shower! And I won't have to put my pants on laying down! Sweet.

Zion Day 2: Observation Point

So I had this great idea to wake up at the crack of dawn and see the sunrise in Zion Canyon. As many of you know I'm not exactly a morning person. I can cope with waking up early if there is a reason, I have a strong cup of coffee and I have something to look forward to. Well I thought all of my qualifications were checked off the list so I asked Kris if it would be alright to get up early and see the sunrise. The alarm went off bright and early and I immediately turned it off. It's human nature to stop that dreadful sound when one is trying to rest... We ended up getting a move on around an hour too late, but all was well because the weather wasn't great and the sky was overcast. We headed up to the museum to get a view from the back deck. One the shuttle driver was raging about. The view was amazing indeed, even with the lack of baby blue sky. The shuttle picked us up from the museum and drove us to the trailhead for Observation Point. This trail would take us to the very top of the canyon, at the northern end. At the top we would be able to look right down the gut of the entire canyon. This was the hike I was volunteering for I agreed to hike up to Angels Landing... We got down to business and quickly ascended switchback after switchback. The canyon walls were formidable and cold above us. That wasn't the only thing that was cold. The temps had dropped the night before and Zion was a cool 45 - 50 degrees that morning. The wind was up and scattered showers were the forecast. It made for some great pictures.

Soon we came to the canyon wall and the trail turned sharply. We continued into the canyon walls themselves and eventually found ourselves standing above a creek that cuts through the rock. The trail meandered into a slot canyon that eventually came to a creek crossing. The crossing was only ten feet wide but there was nothing to stand on but a rickety stick. In an attempt to keep my wife dry I went first to test the log. With a stick in hand for stability I quickly and skillfully manuevered over the log onto dry land. After my heroic deed I handed the stick to my wife and told her that all would be well!

It was way harder to cross that the picture shows, trust me. Anyway the path turned up the creek and we had to climb some low rocks to keep from getting wet. After that we found ourselves in an amazing slot canyon. The pics don't do it justice due to the light but you should check them out on Kristen's facebook.

We continued up the trail and came out into the sunlight on the other side of the slot canyon. The switchbacks continued up but the sun was now beating down on us and we were enjoying the warmth. Once we had walked for some time we noticed that we were gaining a good amount of elevation. The switchbacks were now four feet wide with a drop straight down on one side. We walked up for nearly an hour before the path leveled out. We were at the top of the canyon but the trail wound a slow circle around the top of the formation we were walking on. Eventually we came to Observation Point.

The landing we were standing on was truly at the top of the canyon and we could stare directly down its length. The wind was up so we didn't get to courageous but it was an awe inspiring moment not to be missed.

Once we had our fill of chasing off ground varmints we picked up and started the long walk down. About ten minutes into the descent I heard an enormous roar and whipped my head to the sky. I figured there was anvil shaped clouds on the horizon and thunder was in our future. As I turned my field of vision I noticed something tumbling from the cliffs across the canyon. I honed in on the movement and noticed it wasn't thunder, but a rock slide. A small section of the cliffs had broken off and chunks of rock poured down over the ledge. The refuse bounced into a large patch of snow that had gathered in a flat spot on the cliffs and then dropped down into the slot canyon below. When everything went quiet I looked back up to Kris. "Did you see that?", I asked. "What? I heard some thunder.", she replied. I explained the commotion and we watched the last pebbles slide over into the abyss.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. We got the shuttle down, listened to the annoying driver and a tourist converse in loud and obnoxious voices, and then hit the road. We headed towards Bryce Canyon, a cool 90 miles away. Last night we got to Bryce, hit the lodge and had dinner. We then plugged in and got our computing down for the night. The night at the campground last night did get a bit chilly. I just spoke with the maintenance guy at the lodge (we're here again right now) and he told us that it got into the teens last night... we had a down blanket and all our clothes on. When we woke up the front window in the van was frozen, on the inside.

But that is a story for another day... like tomorrow.

Hope you're all doing well. Talk to you soon!

P.S. Almost forgot. I was trying to teach Kris an old trick that Bear Grylls taught me on the TV. Supposedly you can bite the needle off of a Yucca plant, pull the stem off and use the entire thing to sew with. Well I decided that I'm like old Bear, why not give it a try. I'll tell you what those damned needles are sharp. And biting that son of a bitch off isn't as easy as Mr. Grylls makes it look on TV. I did eventually get the strands off, sans needle. I made Kris a nice little bracelet out of it. Top that Bear!

Zion Day 1: Angels Landing

Folks I can't tell you how much I love this part of the west. I'm amazed by so many things in this place. The landscape, the colors, the weather... it's all good!

Kris and I set the alarm for 6am hoping to get a head start on the hike we had planned. When my cell phone starting buzzing it was still pitch black outside. We elected to sleep until seven. The weather was breezy (windy) and chilly to start. We made coffee, ate breakfast and got a move on to the shuttle that would take us into Zion Canyon.

The shuttles that run in Springdale, UT are great. They come by every 15 minutes or so and they will take you into town or into the park. More on that later. Medium length story short we got to the trailhead for the hike we were planning, Angels Landing, at around 9am. On the way to the trailhead I was listening to the park information about the hike. One thing in particular stood out to me. The recording noted there have been "recorded deaths" on this section of trail. Well, people slip and fall in the bathtub and die... not going to happen to me.

The first mile or so was switchbacks up the side of the canyon. The walls above us were sheer and colorful. The sides of the trail were littered with small cactus and yucca. Light filtered into the canyon and created an intense and dynamic shading of the area. We climbed for some time and eventually came into a long hallway into the side of the canyon. The air inside was cool and moist. The walls were dripping with condensation and a small creek ran through. After more switchbacks we came to the most intense vertical gain of the hike Walters Wiggles.

We reached a large platform that overlooked the entire canyon. There was a kind looking old couple sitting on a rock on the ledge. I began wondering about where to sit and how long I had to eat my beef jerky. Just then my lovely wife pointed up an enormous rock formation. "We're going up there.", she said. Oh lord, I gazed up at the massive structure. The red rock formed a narrow walkway that turned into steep staircases at points. The top was out of my sight behind the top of the rock.

First things first here people. I'm not afraid of heights. I had one bad vertigo feeling when I was like eight in PA with the folks. We were at the Ben Franklin tower and I looked straight down and thought I was going to pass out. Since that time I've become an avid hiker, mediocre climber and all around lover of high places. This was different. This was scary. If my wife wasn't leading me out onto it I wouldn't have gone. I would have thought of a convenient reason why I didn't want to go out and gone with that. No dice.

Kris led me onto the first platform. Three feet wide, plummeting drop to my left. chain to grab on my right. Serious, people do die on this thing? Serious? Ok I make my way out and keep my head facing forward. Kris is looking all over, taking pics, pointing at things on the valley floor. I'm trying to keep my stomach from lurching. As we continue there are numerous other terrifying heights, drops and flights.

I dropped down on the last platform before the final ascent to the summit. "I'm leaving my backpack, I don't want it to throw off my weight.", I say. Kris looks at me like I'm being a baby. Oh shit, I am being a baby. I get up, shoulder my pack and get a grip on myself. On the final few hundred yards there is a spot that you step over a small notch cut out of the trail. There is a chain railing run to grab onto. As you grab the railing and look down to step over the notch you notice that for around 1100 ft there's nothing under you.

We did reach the top. It was sunny and seventy with a mild breeze. As we crested the last ladder I noticed families (with children, small ones) coming onto the summit. I realized what a putts I was being and sat down to have that beef jerky. We hung out for a while on the top, got some great pics (If you want more of this stuff in pics check out Kristen's facebook page, she has them all) and watched the ground rodents try to rob food from the hikers.

When it was time to head down we packed up and moved out. Before I noticed what I was doing I was jumping down the trail like normal. The areas that I couldn't stop on before became great areas to stop and take great pictures. We had to stop numerous times to allow dozens of people up the trail in narrow areas. Things were back to normal, thank god.

After passing some of the best "hiking outfits" we've ever seen we reached the bottom. We filled our waters, had bathroom breaks and heading back up the trail to the Emerald Pools. The trail was a mild one mile into the lower pool. The sun was higher in the sky and it was getting hot. Like Maine in the dead of summer hot. We were hiking up a sand trail, with very little cover, and the sun was bearing down on us. We went up to the top pool but it was like Mario World. People everywhere. Kids without shoes on that were climbing the rocks (first aid nightmare), fat dudes without shirts. Typical town pool type stuff. We got pics of the waterfall and headed down.

The other pools were cool but we ended up heading back to the campground to shower and get some dinner. By dinner I sort of figured out the alcohol laws in Utah. State liquor stores and package agencies sell full on normal beer, wine and spirits. Any bar or restaurant you may go into only sells heavy beer 4%, light beer 3.2% (by weight, not volume. haven't figure if this makes a huge difference, I'll get back to you) wine in small glasses, or one oz. shots or drinks that contain only one oz. of spirits. Some restaurants don't have a full license. They sell only 3.2% beer, that's it. I think I've got it, if I have something wrong please tell me.

I was off on a tangent there, sorry. Anyway we had dinner, hit the packy and headed back to the campground. After we read our books and had a beer we hit the hay so we could get up and do it all over again.