#mighty5

The Watchman

The Virgin River gently flows below pastel skies and the iconic Watchman formation of Zion National park in Utah.

Day 7, Thursday - Bryce & Moab

When we woke up we threw our stuff in the car and headed back to Bryce, straight to the Queen’s/Navajo Combination Loop. It was a nice little morning hike through the canyon and helped us get some steps in before the long drive back to Moab.We had to stop and charge again at Green River but it was worth it to have a full battery for Moab.

This time, we got back to Moab early enough to find a legit campsite. First, we went to check out some campsites along the Colorado River but due to all the recent rain, those sites were closed. We ended up on a scary dirt road on the edge of a canyon before we both decided to turn around. I was very glad that Aidan was driving instead of me.

I wanted to go back to Sand Flats Recreation Area for a site but Aidan was doubtful. We were in luck! It was early enough to grab a great site. After setting up camp, we went straight into town for an early dinner. Little did Aidan know, Irene would be meeting us there!

Irene and her family were in Moab for a vacation and I decided to keep it a secret. I sent Irene my location and she tracked us down to a gift shop to reveal the surprise. The three of us caught up and ate dinner at the Food Truck Park which was right next to Irene's hotel. She told us she had a pool and said we should've brought our swimsuits. Good thing we had the car with all of our stuff in it - benefits of car camping!

The three of us went for a swim and then got to take a shower. What a treat! When Irene's family got back from their dinner, they invited us to join them on their evening of stargazing in Arches. Somehow their car was big enough to fit all 8 of us! While it was a bit cloudy for good stargazing, we had a great time joining the Lemberos family.

Day 8, Friday - Canyonlands

As usual, we started the day by going to the Visitor's Center, this time at Canyonlands. There, they recommended a bunch of shorter walks. First up was, would you believe it, another arch trail - Mesa Arch. This trail gave us an expansive view of the canyon and another quality arch pic.

Next, we did the Upheaval Dome trail which reveals a ~mysterious~ dome shape in the canyon. There are two theories about how it formed - salt and a meteor. Aidan and I are on team meteor.

Whale Rock was next, although I don't think we followed the trail. Instead, we walked out as far as we could until we reached the edge of the canyon. There, we saw white throated swifts dive bombing the canyon. The longer we stayed, the closer they got to us. They flew so fast you could hear them soaring through the air. Something about their speed and proximity while sitting on the edge of the canyon was a little unnerving; however, it was such a special and memorable experience.

We had a picnic bench lunch and then went to the Grand View Point Overlook which gave us 360 degree views of the canyon.

We grabbed some quick tacos at the food trucks before heading back to the Lemberos' hotel for a swim - this time, with all the kids. We caught up about our days and hung out until dark. Aidan and I were looking forward to building a fire and making s'mores back at camp but unfortunately it was extremely windy so we had to take shelter in the tent and eat cold s'mores - if you can even call them that. I got a good whole body exfoliation that night from the sand whipping into our tent.

Day 9, Saturday - Arches & Drive to Denver

On Saturday morning Aidan and I went back to Arches to see the Windows. We were supposed to meet the Lemberos' there but we lost service. Aidan and I began the walk and went off to the primitive trail where Chris found us! We got to do the rest of the walk with the whole group and do a few photoshoots. Don't we blend in well with our adopted fam??

Day 4, Monday - Zion

First thing in the morning we applied for the Angels Landing hiking permit and packed up the car to head to Zion. We hit a Walmart to charge and re-up on some groceries while Aidan made brekki in the parking lot. From there, we drove to another Walmart for more charge and a much improved trunk lunch thanks to cheese and quality tuna fish.

4+ hours later and we made it to Zion! We went straight to the Kolob Canyons visitors center where they recommended the Taylor Creek Trail which is a 4.9 mile hike with numerous river crossings.

I loved the technicality of this hike and all of the flora that were thriving with the help of the creek. This is not what we expected to find in the desert. Even though Zion is an extremely popular park, we were pleasantly surprised by how quiet this gem of a trail was.

After the hike we ate a pretty disappointing dinner in town before heading to our glamping spot...or so we thought. We arrived at Zion Wildflower and the grounds were spectacular, I was eager to spend some time there. Unfortunately, our reservation was for a spot 40 minutes away, on the border of Utah and Arizona. Woops. We arrived late to our proper accommodation and went straight to sleep.

Day 5, Tuesday - Zion

On Tuesday morning we woke up early and headed to the main visitor's center at Zion. We didn't get the permit to hike Angel's Landing but we were able to hike Scout's Lookout which is the majority of the Angel's Landing hike just without the scary part. It was 1,115 ft elevation gain and 3.6 miles.

Luckily, we started the trail early enough for the majority of the ascent to be shaded. What more could I ask for? I enjoyed the climb and it was more than worth it for the panoramic views at the top. Being so high up gave me a lot of perspective on life and what’s important.

We did a bit of the West Rim Trail before heading down to eat lunch by the river. After a not long enough break, we went back up to hike the Emerald Pools Trail. The naming is iffy because I would call what I saw puddles rather than pools…

Our last hike of the day was the Riverside Walk which takes you up to the entrance of the Narrows. Unfortunately the Narrows was closed due to heavy water flow but the Riverside Walk allowed us to take a peak at the incredible views that the Narrows provides.

We got some Thai food on our way back to the campgrounds and actually had enough time left at camp to make a fire!

Day 6, Wednesday - Bryce

On Wednesday morning we drove straight to Bryce. At the visitors center they recommended two hikes for us to see most of the park - Queen’s/Navajo Combination Loop and the Peekaboo Loop Trail.

We had a quick lunch at a bench in the parking lot before getting a shuttle to the start of the Peakaboo Loop. The trail started us at the top of the canyon and then we quickly descended to the canyon floor. With the exception of all the horse poop it was a beautiful trail. I loved being able to wind my way through the hoodoos.

We finished the hike without getting rained on and went back to the cabin. For some reason Aidan wanted more exercise and went for a run before dinner ???

For dinner we walked about a block to Showdowns which was the perfect rustic country vibe, complete with live music! Aidan and I both had a few drinks and convinced ourselves to get last minute tickets to see Opiuo (a Kiwi!) at Red Rocks for when we got back!

Aidan is moving from Auckland to London and decided to stop by the States on his way to visit me and explore the US for the first time. Shortly after arriving in Denver, Aidan ventured to Rocky Mountain National Park and was pleasantly surprised with the snowy mountains. Upon his return, we went to Aidan’s first American concert at the Bluebird theater. We danced, sat on the floor, and I hugged the lead singer of the opening band. It was a success.

I planned out a 9-day road trip for us to Utah’s Mighty 5 National Parks starting on Friday

Day 1, Friday: Drive to Arches

Aidan had had a disappointing first experience at Trader Joe’s and I was committed to changing his opinion on my favorite grocery store. We stopped in on our way out of town to pick up snacks for the trip. Our next stop was the Target in Glenwood springs for Kianu’s (my Kia EV6) first charge. As we were approaching Moab we were getting low in charge and decided to get some juice at Green River Coffee.

By this time, the sun was starting to set and we had yet to find a campground in Moab. There were a ton of first-come first-serve spots but we were running out of luck late on a Friday night. We were hungry so we decided to eat at a Thai place in town while we both frantically googled camping options.

I found a guy offering a teardrop camper on Airbnb for too much money so I messaged him and asked if we could camp on his land. He told me he didn’t have any land and instead drove the camper out to a few different Bureau of Land Management (BLM) grounds and asked for my number to drop me a few pins of locations we could camp at.

We took Steven’s recommendations and drove straight to one of the spots which took us down a very hilly dirt road. It worked! We found a safe place to camp for the night (38.7100273,-109.7277553) and set up my tent for the first time.

Day 2, Saturday: Arches

On Saturday morning we awoke to a beautiful campground surrounded by red rocks. Aidan and I took a morning stroll to explore the grounds before heading to our first park of the trip - Arches National Park (ANP).

We stopped at the visitor’s center to plan out our day and Aidan made brekki in the parking lot. Delicate Arch was up first and to this day is Aidan’s favorite Arch. That’s saying a lot since ANP has over 2k arches alone.

Next up was Devils Garden where we saw the following arches: Tunnel, Pine Tree, Landscape, Navajo, Partition, and Double O. Aidan decided to do a side trail to Dark Angel when I realized the heat was getting to me. I took some micro naps in the shade while Aidan got lost.

On our way down, a storm was threatening and the winds began. It did say there was a 30% chance of rain…We were nervous because we left the tent up.

When got back to the campsite, luckily our tent was still there however not exactly where we left it. Hard first outing for my new tent. We didn’t have enough charge to go to Moab for dinner so made a sketchy camp meal of beans, rice, guacamole, and tuna.

We made friends with our neighbor from Salt Lake City and had plans to join his fire when all of a sudden the sand started moving and then a huge gust of wind threw sand all over the car and the tent. We huddled in the tent to wait out the storm. If we weren’t feeling dirty before we certainly were then. At least our skin got exfoliated…

I woke up at 3 am to a beautiful starry night sky and was able to see the core of the Milky Way!

Day 3, Sunday: Capitol Reef

On Sunday morning we packed up camp quickly and went back to Green River Coffee to charge and have a “cuppa”. The cafe was filled with messages about kindness but the barista was not…

A few hours later we arrived at Capitol Reef National Park. At the visitor’s center they told us that most of the trails were closed due to flash flood risk even though there was only a 30% chance of rain.

We parked at the Hickman bridge parking lot and had ourselves a trunk lunch. When we began the trail, the sky was threatening a storm. A woman asked “is it worth it?” to hikers on their way down as thunder crackled. We carried on. 45 minutes later and we had arrived at..another arch! I guess only Arches is allowed to call them that.

We made it back to the parking lot and who do I see? Someone I volunteer with in Denver! What a coincidence! The second we got in the car, the rain finally began. We decided to stay dry and do the scenic drive which was worth it.

We dropped in the local museum which was composed of 3 gift shop rooms and 1 room with some history from the town.

When we got to Capitol Reef Resort, we decided to put away the car keys for the night. With that kind of freedom, Aidan started ripping into some beers. We both finally had a nice shower and then went to explore the grounds.

First, we found the llamas. They all stared at us for a while while we stared at them. I got sneezed on. We then brought our cups to the gas fire pit (disappointing) and chatted up a couple from Vegas.

For dinner we crossed the road to Rim Rock Restaurant which had a beautiful view of Capitol Reef from all sides. There was a bird feeder and Aidan got to see his first humming birds. I had some high quality local Utah trout and Aidan had classic American ribs. We ended the night by taking advantage of the amenities and watching the Office.