It was so fun to just pack up and go on our first little road trip. As I am an experienced road tripper, I made sure we had plenty of fun snacks and treats for the road and organized our little backseat hotel. We jammed to The Carpenters and Elton John and only stopped for a bathroom break five times. We even made fresh butter in a jar on the way.
We finally got to Zion's around nine that night so we had to set up camp in the dark which was an exciting adventure. Dave got a stern talking to from a park ranger and some park wood confiscated. Because our trip was so spur of the moment, we were unable to reserve a tent campsite but we got a last minute opening in the RV section of the park. It was funny to see RVS fully equipped with hot showers, swamp coolers, and generators. We much preferred the cozy trunk of our minivan minus some seats.
The next morning, despite some warnings from some pampered RV campers and one sissy park ranger, we decided we were going to at least look at the Narrows. It was the reason we drove down. It took a 45 minute bus ride to get there. The park was beautiful in the daytime. The canyon was stunning against the dark clouds and the breeze on the bus was quite refreshing.
When we got to the Narrows, I wanted so badly to just get my feet in the water. We had come so far to see it after all. The water was freezing and the current rushed by at a scary pace. I promised Dave I would only walk around for a few feet and then come back. I really wanted to keep going so after promising Dave we'd hike for at least half an hour, he reluctantly got in.
We ended up hiking for at least a couple of miles, through rushing water up to our chests and passing groups in wet suits who looked at us like we were insane. The scenery and adventure made it well worth it though. I felt like an explorer and I couldn't believe how fun it was to hike in cold, rocky water in a pair of bad shoes.
One of my favorite parts was watching "Ranger Dave" guide group after group over a tricky ledge through the deepest portion of the river. My feet were bleeding and my legs had gone numb hours earlier but I just smiled with pride as I watched him help others cross. People were asking how many times he had hiked the tricky Narrows as it was obvious that he was an expert. "Yeah, that's my husband," I thought.
After a soaking wet one mile hike from the river bed and a forty five minute ride with a possibly slightly intoxicated group of college freshmen, we finally made it back to our little van. We spent the afternoon napping, eating foil dinners, and drinking Diet Cokes.
The next day, we set off to our second destination. The Foote Family was kind enough to let us join their family weekend at their ranch a few miles away. The ranch was beautiful. It was like a privately owned piece of the park. When we got there, we all decided to go for a hike I'm not a big outdoors person to begin with. Remember, a two mile hike in a river was an adventure to me. But, I thought, I love to walk and hiking is really just glorified walking, right? Besides, the beauty of the surroundings could make anyone crave the outdoors.
We all hopped onto the four wheelers and drove off to a little canyon. We started walking through brush and rocks. Not a good sign. Eventually we made it to a huge rock with a slippery slope. "Okay," I thought, "Too bad. The hike is over." My stomach turned as I watched everyone, one by one, hop up the rock as if there were some invisible staircase that everyone could see but me. I was highly impressed to say the least. However, I was not about to be the party pooper so, with help from Dave, I slowly made my way up and across the rock.
So, we kept hiking until we made it to an even larger rock, no boulder and I saw a rope hanging from the top. My first thought was, "How did a rope get up there?" my second, "I'm going to die here." I seriously considered turning around and running. I also considered locking my knees and fainting so someone could carry me back over the slippery rock. It took me a good fifteen minutes to make my decision.
Maybe it was my river adventure from the day before. Maybe it was the encouragement from everyone else. Perhaps I mustered courage from my stubborn pride. In any event, I decided to attempt but with tons of help from people above and below, I tearfully made my way to the top.
After a thrilling moment of sheer accomplishment, I came to the horrible realization that I must somehow get down. My heart literally sank. I wanted to get it over with. I had made it to the top, not to continue with the hike, but to say that I did it. Now, it was time to get down. So once, again with the help of others and once again, tearfully, I slowly made my way down, smashing poor Dave's pinkie against the rock.
Finally, down the rock, and done with hiking forever, Dave and I made our way back to the four wheelers. I think I could be on a four wheeler forever. I don't care for driving them but I don't really care for driving cars either. I love the feel of the wind and the beauty of the scenery sitting behind Dave.
I don't think I could trust anyone but Dave on a four wheeler. They kind of scare me to be honest. But with Dave, everything was okay. I was safe and secure and taken care of. Since its too loud to talk on a four wheeler, I spent a lot of quiet time thinking about this. It really wasn't just the four wheeler that made me feel that sense of security. I realized just how much I had taken that feeling for granted. I feel it whenever I see Dave walk into a room or hear his voice on the phone. I love it. I knew this post is a travelogue and not a tribute to Dave but I'm just recording my thoughts.
So, the last night at the ranch, I drove one of the Rhinos to a cave like sandstone tunnel that went under the highway. It was dark and scary and the sand felt cool between my toes and under my feet. The whole interior was covered in carvings. So Dave and I found some rocks and began to make our own mark on the graffiti mural.
We also found this random hole that looked like a pig nose.
The weekend was wonderful. We had such a great time at the ranch and we were so grateful that the Foote's shared their weekend fun. They were so generous and welcoming. It made our spontaneous weekend even better.
I guess I should wrap up this horrendously long post before it gets any more verbose. Unfortunately it's feast or famine when it comes to blogging for me. I'm working on achieving a more balanced approach.
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