In honor of Throwback Thursday, I'm taking a trip down memory lane to fill readers in on my road trip I recently took, what I learned, and any things I may do differently next time!
In the beginning of the year, I saw a picture of Antelope Canyons, AZ, which was the catalyst to planning my trip. I was in awe of the beauty I saw from just one picture and could only imagine what else was out there to see! I've traveled to San Diego, CA and Boulder, CO, but never to any National Parks. It was time!
My friend Brian was en route to California by way of bicycle, (I'll be interviewing him when he's done so stay tuned for his journey!) and we decided to meet in Phoenix, AZ. He took a 10 day break from biking, we hopped in our rental Nissan Rogue and hit the road. As a yoga instructor in a seasonal town, my time to travel and vacation is in the summer when the Snowbirds aren't here. We started our trip June 20th, which forced us to really plan our days mindfully due to the CRAZY desert heat. Tip #1: all sites we stopped at that were more South of the big loop we drove, we made sure to hike or explore outside in the early morning hours or before sunset. The dry heat is a false comfort too at times because you don't sweat, so Tip #2: ALL THE WATER, ALL THE TIME.
The destinations were half planned and half random, which leads to Tip #3: leave room for spontaneity. Which doesn't sound possible, how does one plan to be spontaneous? But just a simple allowance of a day or two with no plans gives way to endless possibilities, or just an extra stop on your trip!
Day 1: Drove from Phoenix, AZ to Sedona, AZ. Hiked Cathedral Rock and half of Devils Bridge (due to daylight ending.) We had dinner then decided to keep driving to the Grand Canyon so we can watch the sunrise there!
Day 2: This leads to Tip #4, sometimes its worth it to be tired because when will you ever see the sun RISE from the Grand Canyon? After a delightful sleep in the car we headed to the Southern Points of the Canyon and parked ourselves for sunrise. After we explored the vistas of the canyon and did some foot hikes, but didn't actually go down into it.
We continued on from the Grand Canyon and made it to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, two of the sites we planned to stop at. Night two we got a cheap hotel room because we needed a shower and an actual bed! Tip #5: Make sure you and your travel companion plan this out ahead of times simply for the sake of budgeting! Since Brian and I didn't plan this in an organized fashion we went in with slightly different ideas about camping or not. In hindsight though, I wouldn't have changed a thing.
Day 3: We woke up super early and headed to Zion National Park in Utah. We packed our hiking bags with snacks and triple water and hiked Angel's Landing within the Park. UNREAL. Tip #6: Wal-Mart and Target were my best friends. I lived off Almond Butter sandwiches on Gluten Free bread, apples, bananas and EPIC bars. While Brian needed more food, when he ate I would look at maps and such, as I was making sure to stick to a budget. (My financial planner taught me so well!)
We ate lunch in Zion, then drove during the hottest part of the day and arrived at Bryce National Park in Utah right before sunset!
Day 4: We made it to Moab, Utah, to hike The Arches and check out the town we heard such great things about. Tip #7: Listen to people who have done this before. Half of the hikes we did were through word of mouth and SO worth it. This was the last day in the desert as we continued our drive up to Salt Lake City and Park City.
Day 5: We both agreed prior to arriving out west that we wanted to go to a concert or something music related so we found out that Bonanza Campout was right near Park City and we got our tickets! We toured Salt Lake City by day and headed to our music festival at night! We slept at a mountain lodge (which was super cheap since it wasn't ski season) in Park City so we could wake up on day 6 and explore. Tip #8: this isn't really a tip, just an overall comment, I STILL LOVE LIVE MUSIC. Get to a show before summer is over. DO it.
Day 6: Park City was so sick. I could definitely see myself living there. Both Park and Salt Lake had amazing Farmer's Markets and the vibe was so kind and laid back. The CRISP mountain air was no joke. Tip #9: pack for anything, layers are key! Around lunch time we started our decent back to the desert. This was the longest driving day, destination VEGAS.
Tip #10: Another important time when communication is key about the level of "turnt," one gets in Vegas. I was ready to par-tay, Brian was not. So while I, "what happens in Vegas," Brian watched. Sorry Brian, you can take a girl out of SUNY Albany, but you can't take SUNY Albany out of a girl. UA!
Tip #11: Beginner's luck in gambling only happens once.
Day 7: We walked around Vegas, went to an "adult" pool party and then visited the street where Tupac was killed for Brian! Then left mid-day and made our way to The Hoover Dam. We took the tour and it really tickled Brian's Engineering fancy. After the Hoover Dam we were left with time for spontaneity so instead of heading back towards AZ we took a turn for California and headed to Joshua Tree National Park.
Day 8: We started early and toured the deserts of CA. Yucca Valley and the Mojave Desert are literally different worlds. All the topography we saw from Day 1 to the last day was so incredibly different, I'm still gathering the remains of my jaw dropping to the ground. After exploring we hit the legit OPEN road heading back to AZ. Tip #12: Always always make sure you get gas, water and have a charged phone. The cell service is bare, as are the amenities or service areas. We somehow had no car issues or roadside mishaps and I'm SO thankful.
We arrived back in AZ for the night to camp out at Lake Havasu State Park. Holy moly it was beautiful. We came to find out it was a popular spring break site, but very quiet in the heat of summer. We visited the London Bridge and then set up shop just in time for sunset over the lake.
Day 9: We woke up and started our drive back to Phoenix. Tip #13: use this time to reflect, prepare for the depression that will ensue as your epic trip comes to a close, because it will. We arrived in Phoenix and thankfully had Brian's cousin's house to crash at. We showered, got much needed pedicures and then went to a yoga class in Scottsdale! We enjoyed the most delicious Mexican fare and continued to reflect about our adventure.
Day 10: I started preparing for my flight and Brian for his continued bike tour. We took one last trip to the grocery store for Brian's to stock up and then we parted ways. Such an amazing experience and I'm so happy I followed through on something that was piquing my interest as it as VERY WELL WORTH IT.
I will make sure to write about how to recover after an adventure like this because I was not prepared or expecting such a turn of emotions to take place. For now, I'll leave you with this because I'm off to teach!! Love you, LP.
