road triping love

The beloved and I went on a most wonderful road trip! We left on a Friday afternoon and headed up to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was beautiful! We didn't go into the actual park that night, but instead, drove to the rim and set up camp. Our campsite was perfect and we were right on the edge of beauty. It was breathtaking. We got to see the most amazing sunset I have ever seen. Bright, bright pinks, purples, blue... it was incredible. Something I will always remember. Being there with the beloved and experience that sight was lovely. We both stood on the rim, his arm over my shoulder, my arm around his waist, and we just stood there, taking in all the beauty and love.

We woke up early the following day and drove to the actual North Rim park, where we did some walking around to the different points of interests and saw difference sides of the canyon. It is so very different than the South Rim. The North is filled with trees and green, while the South is filled with mostly just rock. There's nature of course, but there isn't a lot. On our way out of the park, we stopped on the side of the road to check out some BEEFALO that just appeared out of the forest and was feasting on the grass meadow. There were probably a hundred of them or so. It was an incredible site to be had! I guess it was an experiment to put cow and buffalo together, and then this heard ran away. They've multiplied over the years, which is causing some problems for the Park, but they were beautiful!

We drove to Bryce that day and hiked the entire rim of Bryce (about 3 miles or so) and took pictures in every locations. It reminded me a lot like the underwater castles and community in the Little Mermaid. The colours were bright and magnificent. I stood there wondering how nature did this (if nature did this) and why this is the only place where it happened? Once we hiked the rim, we decided to find camp for the night. It took us awhile, but we found a spot near a running stream, which we so pleasantly fell asleep too. Woke up early the next morning, packed up camp, and went back to Bryce. We hiked the Navajo Trail early morning, before the heat could make rocks and canyon blazing hot. It was a great hike. We saw a lot of things and it was so nice to go down and be in the middle of Triton's kingdom! After the hike, we headed towards North Zion, with stops in Cedar Breaks and Brian Head to take some pictures and view all we could. Luckily, the driving hadn't been too long. So far, the longest drive we'd had was from Flagstaff to North Rim at 6 hours.

We arrive in North Zion and stop in viewing areas so we could enjoy the scenery. North Zion was so beautiful. The walls are huge! The colours bright! The whole thing made my mouth drop open. On our way to Kolob reservoir to find camp for the night, we pulled out a look out station to eat some food (We ate like a king and queen this entire trip! I made some delicious veggie and hummus and turkey wraps, a pasta dish to be served cold... we had lots of snacks like chips, cookies, turkey jerky, fruit, etc. which is probably why we didn't smell at all the entire trip. We weren't eating processed, shitty, fast food. We did a lot of hiking, a lot of sleeping on the ground, and a lot of sweating... and we didn't smell at all!). As we were sitting there, we saw a fire erupt from the area of Bryce Canyon. It went from being really small to being rather large in a matter of 15 minutes. It was horrifying! We were JUST there. It was windy, and it just kept getting bigger. We left and headed to camp. We set up camp by the reservoir. It was freezing... I don't think I slept much that night. But, it was beautiful with the moon shining over it.

The next day we packed up and headed towards South Zion. Our plan was to get there as early as possible and start hiking. Which we did. We arrived around 7 and got on a shuttle and started our way through Zion. The first hike I wanted to do ended up being closed so we didn't get to do the full 5 mile hike. So we headed to another hike called Weeping Rock, which was beautiful but packed with kids. So then we started hiking towards the Narrows. It was a pretty basic, paved path. Once you get to the end, you could continue through water to the Narrows or you could turn around. Never been, so we decided to walk until the water was reaching peoples waists. It was beautiful. Hiking in the water with the huge walls towering over us. God, there are no words to describe such beauty! We stopped to eat a little snack before heading back and planted our butts on a rock and our feet in the water.

After we returned to the car, we ate some lunch and then headed into Nevada to find camp. It took us awhile to find camp, but once we did, we set up camp and promptly went to sleep. Woke up early the next morning and started driving to Carson City where my family is. It took us the entire day to get there since we decided to take scenic routes instead of main highways. But it was nice to arrive and to finally take a shower after 4 days! And of course to see my family! We were pretty beat, so it was a mellow night. Although, we all did end up talking till 11 at night.

The next morning, we woke up early to go fishing with my aunt and uncle. It was a lot of fun! between all of us, we caught about 6 fish. I helped reel some in and I practiced more of my fly fishing skills. I decided I needed my own pole. I am really good, and it's do funny that the beloved says "beautiful cast" when I throw a good cast. He's so lovely! He always stands behind me and gives me helpful tips and puts his hand on my lower back. And it's so fun to see him fish! He has such a grace about it and he just fits right into the scenery. It was 4th of July, so we went over to my aunt and uncles house to BBQ. the beloved was giving my uncle a tutorial on how we do chicken here in Flagstaff. They had bonding man time (my uncle is pretty much my dad. Only male figure in my life that's stuck around and loves me unconditionally), while my grandma, aunt, and myself sat around talking. It was a lot of fun. When we were done BBQing, we went back to grandma's house where my other aunt came and ate some food. We sat around the table for hours just talking and enjoying good food. The Beloved and I work really well together in the kitchen and it's something we really love doing, so it's fun.

The following morning we woke early to head to Tahoe to take in some hikes. We did Eagles Lake which was a steep hike, but the payoff of the lake was perfect. And, luckily, we were pretty much the only ones on the trail. On our way down, the crowds started, so I was glad we went early. We went down to Volkinsholm which is an old home built right on the beach in Emerald Bay. We took a tour and we enjoyed lunch by the water. Once we were done, we went and saw a movie, "Moonrise Kingdom" which was so good and so cute. The kids are the highlight in that movie.

Friday we hung out with my grandma for awhile and then headed to Truckee to go and see Jackie Greene! It was a great show and it was perfect out! We were all tired, and the beloved and I had to wake up early to start our way back to Flagstaff. But once you see a live concert, you have so much energy in you! It's great! Saturday we started our way back to Flagstaff.

We did stop in Yosemite, but didn't go all the way through. Didn't have time for it, but it was pretty what we did see. I ended up experiencing a dizzy spell while I was driving down the steep, narrow hill, so I had beloved drive until I was feeling better. We didn't take any major highways till we hit Vegas, so it was a loooooong drive.

Once we got to Vegas, it didn't take us that long to get back. Now that they've built the bridge over the dam, it cuts your time in about 45 minutes. It felt good to be home. We went and had thai food, unpacked the car, took showers, and promptly went to bed. We both slept a good 13-15 hours. Luckily we had Sunday to still relax and take it easy, and go to the grocery and take an easy day.

It was my first over road trip, same with the beloved, and our first huge road trip together. It was a BLAST! We never fought (I did snap once when I had low blood sugar), but luckily, it was soon over and we were back at it. I don't like to talk in cars... I would much rather take in the scenery and listen to really loud music, which was perfect. The beloved has a RIDICULOUS amount of music, so we never heard the same thing twice. We sang loudly, we danced, we sprayed each other with water bottles when we got too hot. It was an incredible experience and I can't wait to do it again.

It was love. With all the places we went, the people we hung out with, and with each other. I am very lucky.