Catching up...

Ok,it's been a while, but I'd still like to tell you all a few more road trip stories. After hanging out with some of our incredible HKS friends in Moab, Jaime and I took off on our own Southwest adventure. We thought we had seen some rural areas in Kansas and Colorado, but nothing compared to the emptiness we saw in Utah, northern Arizona and Nevada. Long stretches of land without people, but marked by deep canyons, crazy rock formations, and the occasional sprawling military base.

The communities that live on the Colorado Plateau are pretty interesting. Jaime and I really enjoyed driving through the Navajo Nation, and were totally fascinated by our brief glimpse into the world of fundamentalist Mormons. I wish we had taken a photo of a small FLDS church we saw in southern Utah. The church building, which couldn't have supported a congregation larger than 40 or 50 people, was completely locked down. Gates, padlocks, the whole bit. We left town pretty quickly.

In other news, I am proud to report that Jaime and I managed to visit three national parks, complete a couple of beautiful hikes, and stay out all night on the Las Vegas Strip within 48 hours. Here's how you do it.

Step 1: Wake up at the Grand Canyon. Ooh and aah for a bit before heading the road. Gawk at the tourists, if you'd like.

Step 2: Drive north into Utah in time for a sunset hike at Bryce.

 Step 3: Drive to Zion after dark to camp. Wake up early to hike Angel's Landing. It's preferable to do this before coffee so you don't think too hard about how high how up you are, how certain death might be if you fall, etc. 

Step 4: Drive to Vegas. Stay up all night and watch the sun rise. Take a blurry photo. Fall asleep happy (and in a real bed).