Laura’s Journal: Bryce Canyon

May 27, 2021

Bryce Canyon is apparently a very misunderstood park. Yesterday, on two separate occasions, we received bum reports about the place. First, a man we bumped into on one of Zion’s scenic overlooks told us we could “really just skip it.” He’d found it much less impressive and more crowded than Zion. “you’re just at the top of the canyon, and you can look down and, like, yep- there it is.” On the strength of this poor review, we did a little looking to see if maybe we should skip it and gain back a little of the time we lost (happily!) in the Grand Canyon. … More Laura’s Journal: Bryce Canyon

Laura’s Journal: Zion National Park

May 26, 2021

Rumors of Zion’s popularity (crowdedness) reached us well before we reached the park. We even watched an informational video about it (“remember: there are hikes other than Angel’s Landing and the Narrows! you should give them a try!”) We rolled into the park at 7:59, just before the entrance gate opened, and snagged one of the very few remaining parking spots in their vast parking lot. It was easy to see, as we drove the winding park road and went through the infinitely long tunnel carved out of solid rock, why this park is so popular. It is stunningly beautiful. … More Laura’s Journal: Zion National Park

Laura’s Journal: Vermillion Cliffs National Monument

May 20, 2021

Okay! Rested, recharged, and off for more adventures. We failed to win the lottery for the Wave again this morning, so we implemented backup plan The-Wire-and-Teepees. These hikes both require a day-use pass, which Dustin was organized enough get well in advance. (Don’t to forget to do this, kids! You can buy them online, but data connections at the trail head are iffy at best.) … More Laura’s Journal: Vermillion Cliffs National Monument

Laura’s Journal: Day Off (and a bit of Grand Staircase-Escalante NM)

May 19, 2021

Welcome to southern Utah, a place where you cannot throw a rock without hitting a National Park (or a hiker – don’t actually throw any rocks). We’re staying in a lovely little town called Kanab, centrally located between a solid dozen parks and sites. It’s also the location of the lottery to win a permit for hiking to “the Wave” – a famous and stunning formation in Vermillion Cliffs NM. This town was originally intended [for us] as an overnight stop only, on the way to Capitol Reef NP, but having failed to do much research, I’d had no idea how gorgeous this place was, or what great access Kanab gave to all of it. We decided to spend a couple days and see if our lottery luck would hold. … More Laura’s Journal: Day Off (and a bit of Grand Staircase-Escalante NM)

Laura’s Journal: Being a normal, nerdy Grand Canyon tourist

May 12, 2021

Poor geology museum! My plan for today was to show up on their doorstep at opening time and camp there literally all morning, reading every single display, touching every sample rock, and bothering the staff with questions until I understand how this vast and gorgeous rockscape works. … More Laura’s Journal: Being a normal, nerdy Grand Canyon tourist

Laura’s Journal: Hiking out of the Grand Canyon

May 10, 2021

It turns out going to bed at 9pm does not come naturally to me, even when I was up a 6am and have hiked 17 miles in the last two days. I’m sure I was just starting to drift off For Real when the alarm went off at 4am, but I got up anyway. We had a disgusting breakfast of freeze-dried biscuits and gravy (my least favorite of the pouch meals, but you don’t start this hike on an empty stomach, and even if I wanted to pay for another $30 breakfast, early service doesn’t start until 5am. That’s what I get for thinking 6:30 as “late” service is funny). … More Laura’s Journal: Hiking out of the Grand Canyon

Laura’s Journal: Grand Canyon – Going Down

May 6, 2021

The great thing about playing it loose with your travel plans is that you have all the flexibility in the world to adjust your schedule to spend more or less time at places that interest you more or less than you expected. The downside is when you find out that doing the really cool things in those places required you to make a reservation. Six months ago. … More Laura’s Journal: Grand Canyon – Going Down

Lost in Utah

May 5, 2021

Lost may be a strong word. Running amok, maybe. There have been no updates lately because we have been on the run. (On the hike?) There are so many National Park sites in this part of the country that you can’t throw a rock without hitting one (or without hitting a hiker, so definitely don’t … More Lost in Utah