On Wednesday I was out for a jog and got attacked by a loose dog. Thank goodness there were bystanders to get him off me quickly, but it was a scary experience for sure. He never got his teeth into me thanks to a pair of long pants and a hoodie, but I just ended up with some scrapes from his teeth and claws. I figured after that experience the weekend had to be fantastic and it was!
Wednesday night Michael and I went to David Sedaris, one of my favorite storytellers that I try to catch whenever he is in town. He was hilarious as always and I left in a much better mood than I came. That was the kick-off to our adventure and it only got better from there. On Thursday morning we took off and headed toward Canyonlands National Park. I had picked a dirt road I wanted to head out on when we got there that was a little off the beaten path. Turned out it was a 4-Wheel-Drive only road and lucky for us Michael and his truck was up for the challenge. 6.4 miles of rock climbing later we had made it as far as we could and took some time to wander and take in the view. By the time we made it out of the park we had definitely taken advantage of our free park entry thanks to National Parks Week. After Canyonlands, we headed to four corners and eventually camped at Goosenecks State Park just outside of Mexican Hat. We got there after dark and the wind was blowing like crazy. We got the tent up though and settled in for the night. When we woke up at sunrise we were greeted by the most amazing view of the San Juan river. We wandered around for a while then headed down the road across the Valley of the Gods which looked spectacular as the sun rose behind them. Of course, I forgot my camera so you will have to trust me that it was beautiful until I steal some of Michael's pictures.
Originally, we had planned to take the ferry across Lake Powell on Friday, but apparently the water was still too low so instead we took some back roads around and found our way to the Burr Trail, a partially paved road that connects Lake Powell to Escalante National Monument by going through the lower part of Capitol Reef National Park. Twice on Friday we went straight up mountains on some roads you would never believe until you saw them. 14% grade? No problem. Eventually our adventure ended when we met up with the rest of Mike's family in Bryce Canyon National Park. We took full advantage of free park entry this weekend! We hiked to Mossy Cave on Friday and up to Inspiration Point to take in the view and headed back from some beer and hot tubbing. Saturday the weather wasn't as great so we went south to Kodachrome State Park. Krystal took this picture of me out on a point. I was the only one that would go out there. Heights aren't my favorite, but there was a point on my way out that was scary because you watch your feet and there is only a few inches on both sides and it is straight down from there. Mike's dad estimated that if I had fallen I would have bounced 7-8 times. At least it would have been a quick death. After some more exploring, we had a lazy afternoon followed by more beer and hot tubbing. This morning we packed up and headed back to reality. I miss National Parks Week already. We visited three parks this week, but I have 4 more visits planned for other summer adventures. Life is good.
