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.
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