Some Things Are Cool
"You don't know if you don't go."
Alright ZION!
Today was most excellent. I hiked Angels Landing as planned, and the experience did not disappoint. Vertigo inducing drop offs on either side and slick slabby sand stone made for some enjoyable near life experiences on the way up.
The view from the top is, as the name would lead you to believe, divine. Pictures can’t capture and words can’t describe blah blah et cetera.
The clouds rolled in around 2:30, and – no joke – it started raining when I was about 10 strides away from my car. Thunder storms are predicted tonight here at the Grand Canyon North Rim.
YaHoo
Made it to Zion NP this evening. The place is pretty well built up and filled out.
There are motels all the way up to the park gates and right now I am writing this from my WiFi enabled RV site. Yes, RV site. All the tent sites were filled so I had to shell out the big bucks for a site made for a 30 ft motorhome.
The drive out was interesting. It only rained for about 45 minutes total, but the drops were massive and it sounded like driving though paintballs. Lightning in the surrounding hills. I pulled over in the Virgin River Canyon to see if I could catch a flash on film. I found myself preempting the strikes and taking pictures of dull grey skies. After about a dozen of those shots I began to feel a shade crazier than I prefer, so I packed it in and continued east.
I expect to hike Angels Landing Trail tomorrow morning. Should be intense.
Ok, so here’s the deal: I’m headed out on a road trip to Utah tomorrow.
I’m equal parts excited and nervous. It’s my hope that by keeping up blog posts about my misadventures it will help pass the time, keep my wits sharp, and impress my friends. So without further delay, here is the overview.
This map is not oriented due north. Lake Powel is that squiggly blue part in the middle, Grand Canyon to the left, and Lake Mead to the left of the GC. You can see the grey blotch of Vegas to the upper-left of Mead.
The Scheme:
- Night 1: Zion National Park
- Night 2: Grand Canyon National Park
- Night 3: Bryce Canyon National Park
- Night 4: Capitol Reef National Park
- Night 5: Canyonlands National Park
- Night 6: Arches National Park
- Night 7: Phoenix, AZ.
- Back home to Costa Mesa, CA on the 8th.
I expect it to be shitty and awesome, unpredictable and mundane, visceral views and thoughts that I choose.
Credit: Google Earth
I made up a visual index of my best stories from the road.
This is where I recommend you start.
My favorite pictures from across the country, individually annotated and organized by state.
Short descriptions of the history and geography of each national park with a few recommendations on what to do.
