It's Black Friday. Some of you may be out shopping for new things. Me? I'm blogging about all the things I'm STILL thankful for. Thanksgiving was yesterday and it's an easy day to reflect on all that you have and all that you're grateful for. But, Black Friday??? Well, that's pretty much the opposite.
This year, we did Thanksgiving on Wednesday night. We had some friends over. I cooked a turkey and all the sides. We drank. We talked. We ate. It was lovely. Mike had to work on Thanksgiving day and I woke up with a cold so I stayed home all day eating leftovers, relaxing, watching the parade, and leisurely putting up our Christmas tree. It was really great.
So, my blog title is "Thankful for New Things" because lately we've been doing some new things around here.
1) I tried a new coffee shop in the valley. I met a friend who I haven't seen in a while and we were able to catch up over a unique, spicy mocha coffee.
2) Mike and I built a new dining table which we were able to break in a little bit while my mom was here, but we REALLY broke it in on Thanksgiving.
THE TOP IS ALL RECLAIMED CEDAR BOARDS.
WE REFINISHED THE CHAIRS BUT THEY WERE FREE FROM A RESTAURANT IN THE VILLAGE! I LIKE FREE!
3) We mountain biked a new trail to Angora Lakes. And I liked it so much that I hiked it the following weekend with a friend and her pup.
ANGORA LAKES
SNOW COVERED MT. TALLAC
REFLECTIONS IN FALLEN LEAF LAKE
LOOKING OUT TOWARD LAKE TAHOE
WHEN I HIKED IT WITH MY FRIEND, THERE WAS A LOT MORE SNOW ON THE TRAIL AND THE LAKES WERE FROZEN. NO SWIMMING FOR THE PUPS.
4) We got a new Christmas tree this year. And... it's artificial. I kinda can't believe it. We've always had a real tree. Always.
But, our pup really likes this small fir tree in our back yard (he likes to chew on it's branches etc) so I took that as fair warning that if we brought a real tree into the house, it would be fair game for him to chew on.
Plus, I started reading how bad real trees can be for your puppy! They have toxins that can be really bad for the dog. So... we bit the bullet and we're doin' the "fake" tree this year.
It has been nice to explore new trails in this place that we love. I have so much to be thankful for this year. I'm always thankful for my friends and family. I'm grateful for my home and job. I'm thankful for this amazing place that we get to call home. My list goes on and on. I hope you all had a wonderful feast for Thanksgiving. We hate that we missed spending Thanksgiving with family but, we love you all and we are incredibly blessed and thankful for you!
We arrived to Zion in the late afternoon. Just outside of the National Park, we scoped out a few free campsites in hopes to stay there. One was WAY too far away from the park, the other was really exposed and it was super windy and dusty.
Quick side note: during our campsite search we did get to see the location of the Redbull Rampage. The day we were coming into town was the last day of the competition so people were starting to pack up and leave but still, it was pretty cool to see. Don't know what the Redbull Rampage is??? Take a look at this video:
Anyway, back to my story... none of the free campsites seemed like a good fit. We decided to take our chances inside the park with the first come, first served camping.
Well, as soon as we pulled up to the campground we noticed the CAMPGROUND FULL sign. However, we had seen some empty sites from the road and decided we should drive into the campground to check it out. It turned out that those sites were for group camping only and cost ~$50/night. No thanks.
But, we noticed a handicap accessible site that was vacant. We debated on whether or not we should ask the campground host... we drove around for a while, thinking about it... and we finally decided that it was worth asking. Right? You never know unless you ask.
Other cars were seeing the campground full sign and leaving... probably driving around endlessly until they found a place to park on the side of the road for the night. I wanted a site. I wanted a fire pit and a campfire. I wanted to cook dinner on our camp stove. And most importantly, I wanted to stay inside the park because there was road construction leading to the park and the wait seemed to take FOREVER. We knew we only had 1 day at Zion so I wanted us to be as close to the park as possible so we could get a jumpstart on the day.
It pays to ask.
The campground host happily offered us one of the handicap accessible sites (apparently there were 3 sites and all were available). It was late in the day and he felt sure that even if someone showed up and needed it, there would still be 2 others available. HALLELUJAH!
The only caveat was that we HAD to be off the site by 9 am the following morning... no problem here because I wanted to be inside the park and exploring by 8 am!
SUN SETTING AS WE SEARCH FOR A CAMPSITE
BEAUTIFUL MOON AND WISPY CLOUDS AT SUNSET
We set up our campsite just as the stars were coming out. It was perfect. We got to take in a crystal clear sky full of stars while surrounded by a dramatic rock landscape with a blazing, warm fire in the fire pit and a delicious hot meal in our bellies. I was happy.
Another bonus: They had heated bathrooms with flush toilets and running water!!! After several days of using pit toilets, this bathroom seemed luxurious! Take my $20!!! It was well worth it.
After a good nights sleep, we woke up the next morning before the sun was even up. We fixed breakfast with the deer. They will literally walk right up to you. They have no fear of people and would probably take your food if the opportunity presented itself.
EARLY MORNING BREAKFAST WITH THE DEER
You have to take a shuttle to most of the scenic stuff in Zion. Initially I was a little bummed about this but it was totally fine. The shuttles run SO frequently that there's hardly a wait. Even though I felt we were up pretty early, our shuttle was pretty full. We decided to head to the back of the park and work our way toward the front... just like we did in Arches.
I'm SO glad we did it that way. Almost everyone on our bus got off at the stop for Angel's Landing... a steep hike to a scenic viewpoint of the canyon. It's arguably the most popular hike and consistently rated as one of the scariest hikes because of the narrow trail and SHEER CLIFFS on either side. Anyway, we decided we were probably going to skip this hike because 1) it was a Saturday and therefore likely to be super crowded, and 2) our legs still hurt from mountain biking and there is 1500 feet of elevation gain on the hike.
So, we headed to the back of the park to the riverwalk trail and the Narrows. The riverwalk trail is super easy... paved... relatively flat... and SO SCENIC! The riverwalk ends at the start of the Narrows which is a "trail" that is literally just a river. You just walk right up the river. That's it. No trail. Just walk IN the river.
It's arguably one of the coolest hikes I've ever done and we only did the TINIEST portion of it.
VIEW FROM THE RIVERWALK. THERE IS A BABY DEER CROSSING
THE RIVER TO FOLLOW AFTER IT'S MOM ON THE OTHER SIDE.
ANOTHER AMAZING VIEW FROM THE RIVERWALK.
THE ENTIRE PATH FOLLOWS THE RIVER.
I COULD'VE TAKEN 1000 PICTURES HERE.
IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL.
THE NARROWS TRAILHEAD.
LOOKS LIKE A TRAILHEAD, DOESN'T IT???
<sarcasm>
THE NARROWS!
STOPPING TO HYDRATE AT ONE OF THE SMALL
ROCKY BEACHES
A MYSTERY WATERFALL COMING DOWN THE ROCKS (RIGHT SIDE OF THE PICTURE)
PEACE OUT NARROWS...
WE WILL BE BACK FOR SURE!!!
The hike through the Narrows was AMAZING but, we really hadn't done our research ahead of time. In order to really hike it during this time of the year, you really should be wearing a dry suit and booties to keep your feet warm. We just took our water shoes which weren't sufficient.
Although I would have LOVED to have kept going... it wouldn't have been smart so, we turned around after having a little taste of what the narrows has to offer.
It's better to be smart (even though mildly disappointed in not being able to go further), than to push ourselves and end up regretting it (or worse... needing help to get out). We get frustrated at people in Tahoe who climb mountains ill prepared and end up needing to be rescued... we didn't want to end up as one of those people in Zion.
Back in our warm, dry boots, we headed back down the riverwalk...
MIKE AND A BUCK EATING BREAKFAST BY THE
RIVERWALK
Just to the side of the trail on the riverwalk was this little bubbling natural spring. It was so cool to see the water just bubbling up from the ground.
Next stop was the weeping wall. A short (but kinda steep) walk on a paved trail leads to this:
The water literally just seeps out of the rock.
Plus the view from here was pretty awesome:
Next up was the hike to the Emerald Pools.
A BEAUTIFUL CANYON VIEW...
... AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO CLIMB ANGEL'S LANDING
TO SEE IT!
WE CLIMBED OVER "PIMPLE-Y" ROCKS TO
FIND A GOOD, SECLUDED SPOT NEXT TO THE
UPPER EMERALD POOL FOR LUNCH
UPPER EMERALD POOL
UPPER EMERALD POOL WITHOUT OUR HEADS IN THE WAY
BREATHTAKING VIEW ON OUR HIKE TO
LOWER EMERALD POOL
WALKING BEHIND A SMALL WATERFALL
BEAUTIFUL FALL FOLIAGE
THE END OF OUR LAST HIKE IN ZION... FOR
THIS TRIP ANYWAY.
LAST STOP ON OUR WAY OUT OF THE PARK:
THE COURT OF THE PATRIARCHS.
Zion National Park is seriously stunning. We will definitely be back to hike the Narrows again, and hopefully to hike Angel's Landing. If you get a chance to visit this park: DO IT!
The night before, while sitting by the campfire, Mike suggested that after our day in Zion (if we weren't too tired), what if we got a jumpstart on our drive home by going through Vegas to Death Valley. Genius idea!
We had a 2ish hour scenic drive to Vegas from Zion.
SCENERY ON OUR DRIVE FROM SOMEWHERE TO SOMEWHERE...
IT'S HARD TO KEEP IT ALL STRAIGHT SOMETIMES.
In Vegas, we opted for tacos and beer at a place called "Tacos And Beer."
(The name of the restaurant drew us in... and it did not disappoint).
We did a quick drive down the strip because, well, how do you visit Las Vegas and NOT drive the strip?
#VEGASSTRONG
SO MANY LIGHTS
And then we headed to Death Valley to camp for the night.
In our true fashion, we arrived late and there were NO campsites available anywhere. If we've learned anything this trip it's that there are usually parking spots near the bathrooms in almost every campground. So, we pulled into an empty parking spot, crawled in the back of the truck and crashed for the night. It was SUPER warm out. We had to break out the fan (which I was really glad I brought along).
We were up and outta there early in the morning.
We ate breakfast below sea level.
SEE THAT LITTLE WHITE SIGN UP ON THE HILL???
THAT SIGN MARKS SEA LEVEL.
NOTHING BUT SALT FOR MILES.
BADWATER BASIN.
282 FEET BELOW SEA LEVEL.
Mike's idea to drive to Vegas and Death Valley took 4 hours off of our drive time to get home on Sunday. We only had 6.5 hours left to get us back to Tahoe and our sweet puppy! We went straight to our friends house to pick him up (thanks again Joe and Danielle - you guys really are the BEST for taking care of our sweet fur baby and for giving him a bath!!!).
Well folks, that concludes our fall break adventures. Thanks for reading. We had a blast on this trip and we feel so fortunate to have been able to see such beautiful things in a world that seems pretty ugly right now. We love camping and traveling but being mobile has its challenges and always makes me grateful to return home.
For the second half of fall break, Mike and I took a road trip to Utah. We left Tuesday after dropping my mom off at the airport and took highway 50 (also known as "America's Loneliest Highway") all the way to Moab. It took us about 11 hours total driving time.
SCENES FROM HWY 50
RANDOM SAND DUNES (IN THE LEFT OF THE PICTURE) AND
DESOLATE ROAD THROUGH MILES OF ENDLESS DESERT
We arrived to Moab around 12:30 in the morning. We didn't have a campsite because all campsites are first come, first served. We quickly realized that ALL sites were filled when we started noticing camper vans parked in pull outs along the road (obviously camping). I read somewhere that you could get a ticket for doing that so we took our chances inside one of the campgrounds.
There was a truck taking up 2 sites, but only one of the campsite posts had a tag on it (meaning the other site wasn't claimed). We couldn't really pull in beside his truck but we could park just across from the site (near the toilets) and being that it was almost 1:00 am, that's what we decided to do.
SEE THAT LITTLE BUILDING?
WE PARKED BESIDE IT AND SLEPT FOR THE NIGHT.
WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT AN AMAZING VIEW WE WOULD HAVE
IN THE MORNING!
We woke up early the next morning and decided we better start early to find a place to camp for the night. We headed down the road a little bit...
THE SCENIC DRIVE WHILE SEARCHING FOR
A CAMPSITE
... and at 7 am, just a few miles down the road, we stumbled across this little gem:
A RIVERFRONT CAMPSITE!!! RECENTLY VACATED!
This awesome riverfront campsite became our home for the next 2 nights. Super glad we snagged it at 7 am. As we were getting set up, lots of people stopped to ask us if we were leaving. Campsites were in high demand.
SUNSET VIEW FROM OUR CAMPGROUND.
Having safely secured a place to sleep, we could finally relax a bit and we headed to Arches National Park to begin our adventures.
IT WAS STILL PRETTY EARLY, AND PRETTY
CHILLY SO WE STARTED AT THE
BACK OF THE PARK TO DO A LITTLE HIKING
TO WARM US UP.
THE ROCK WALLS ARE REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
THERE ARE LOTS OF COOL ANGLES AND
THE SUN/SHADOWS ADD A DRAMATIC EFFECT.
THE HIKE LED US TO TUNNEL ARCH (BEHIND US).
THE ROCK FORMATIONS WERE JUST AS IMPRESSIVE AS THE ARCHES.
You may be wondering what forms these arches?
Well, the park sits on top of underground salt beds. Water, ice, extreme temps, and underground salt movement are responsible for the landscape at Arches. Well, all of those factors PLUS 100 million years of erosion.
In order to be designated an arch, the opening must be at least 3 feet wide.
OUR HIKE CONTINUED TO PINE TREE ARCH.
CAN YOU FIND ME?
OUR HIKE CONCLUDED AT LANDSCAPE ARCH... A 306 FOOT ARCH
FROM BASE TO BASE. ITS REALLY HARD TO SEE IN THIS
PICTURE, BUT IT IS JUST TO THE LEFT OF CENTER.
PARTITION AND NAVAJO ARCHES ARE JUST TO THE RIGHT
OF CENTER (THEY ARE MUCH SMALLER).
After our little morning hike, we started driving toward the front of the park, stopping along the way at all the scenic viewpoints.
FROM THE ROAD YOU CAN SEE SKYLINE ARCH.
FROM A SCENIC VIEWPOINT YOU CAN LOOK DOWN ON
"THE FIERY FURNACE."
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PERMIT TO HIKE IN THIS AREA AND/OR
YOU HAVE TO GO ON A GUIDED TOUR.
THERE ARE NO TRAILS THROUGH THOSE ROCKS AND
APPARENTLY PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN LOST AND DIED IN THERE.
The next hike we did was a 3 mile hike to Delicate arch. This is the arch I think of when I picture Arches National Park in my head. I feel sure it's one of the most photographed. The hike isn't super easy though. It's a mostly exposed trail that climbs 480 vertical feet in less than 1.5 miles.
The view when you get there though:
worth every step in the blistering sun.
THAT'S ME STANDING UNDER THE ARCH!
MIKE'S TURN TO STAND UNDER THE ARCH!
AT THE TOP OF DELICATE ARCH TRAIL WE FOUND A SHADY SPOT
TO EAT LUNCH. IT WAS NOT A BAD VIEW.
HIKING OUT FROM DELICATE ARCH, WE STOPPED
QUICKLY TO LOOK AT THE PETROGLYPHS.
We hiked to Delicate arch during the middle of the day; something I imagine might kill you in July or August. It was warm, but not too hot. Even though the temp was great, without any shade along the way the sun exposure is relentless. We kept telling each other how awesome it was that we planned this trip in late October and not during the hottest part of the summer.
Continuing our journey toward the front of the park, we came to Turret arch, the Windows, and Double arch.
TURRET ARCH ON THE LEFT.
NORTH AND SOUTH WINDOWS ON THE RIGHT.
WITH THE TURRET ARCH BEHIND US.
MIKE HOLDING UP ONE OF THE WINDOWS.
IS IT JUST ME, OR DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK THESE ARCHES LOOK
LIKE ANGRY EYES???
HIKING TO DOUBLE ARCH (BEHIND ME TO THE LEFT)
THIS WAS MY FAVORITE ARCH (OR ARCHES SINCE THERE ARE 2) IN THE WHOLE PARK!
THE VIEW FROM INSIDE THE DOUBLE ARCH.
MIKE KEPT SINGING THE MCDONALD'S THEMESONG WHILE WE WERE IN THERE.
Ba da ba ba ba... I'm lovin' it.
I KNOW I'VE SAID THIS ALREADY BUT...
THIS WAS SERIOUSLY THE PERFECT TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT!
THE WEATHER WAS SPECTACULAR AND THE FALL COLORS
WERE SO VIBRANT!
QUICK STOP TO VIEW BALANCED ROCK ON OUR WAY
OUT OF THE PARK AND BACK TO THE CAMPSITE.
Arches National Park is awesome and I highly recommend a visit. We see everything in the park, but we saw enough of it for one trip. After a full day in the sun we headed back to the campsite to shower, make dinner, sit by the campfire next to the river, and head to bed because we had to be up early the next morning to catch our shuttle for THE WHOLE ENCHILADA.
The next day was Mike's birthday and his only request was that I mountain bike the Whole Enchilada with him, and that I do so with a smile on my face. I DID ride the Whole Enchilada and well, I smiled approximately 95% of the time (and I made sure he didn't see the other 5% of the time).
The Whole Enchilada is a popular trail in Moab. It's 30 miles of pretty technical downhill mountain biking over some of the most awesome dirt and rock I've ever ridden my bike on. There is a reason Moab is popular for mountain biking... that sandstone rock is grippy and FUN to ride.
The shuttle takes you from the bike shop in town, high into the La Sal mountains and drops you off somewhere around 10,000 feet elevation. Near the start of the trail is a climb that takes you to 11,200 feet at Burro Pass. Y'all... my lungs felt every. single. bit. of that elevation.
It's really hard to push your bike uphill at 11,000 feet in case you were wondering. I would've pedaled but there is almost 1000 feet of elevation gain in less than 1 mile (that's steep).
Plus, a lot of the boys were hiking their bikes, so naturally I assumed I could hike mine too!
Notice I said a lot of the BOYS... that's because I was the ONLY girl on our shuttle bus. I did eventually see a few more girls out on the trail but honestly, not many.
AT THE TRAILHEAD... ABOUT TO START OUR EPIC ADVENTURE
SHORTLY INTO THE RIDE... BEFORE BEGINNING
OUR CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE PASS
I MADE IT!!!
I REALIZE MY SOCKS ARE RIDICULOUS.
I CARE ABOUT COMFORT... NOT FASHION... AND IT WAS COLD.
OFFICIALLY HIKED MY BIKE TO 11,150 FEET
The Whole Enchilada trail is so diverse. You start high in the mountains where there are evergreen trees and it's cold and snowy. Then you ride through a high desert landscape (think sage brush and gray rock). Finally you end in a low desert landscape (think cactus and red rock).
SNOW NEAR THE TOP!
THE CREEK CROSSINGS WERE A BIT DEEP TO RIDE... LUCKILY
I HAD A PARTNER TO HELP ME ACROSS.
HE CROSSED THE TREE... I PUSHED THE BIKES TO HIM...
THEN I CROSSED THE TREE.
EXCELLENT TEAMWORK AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE BOTH STAYED DRY!
RIDING THROUGH THE ASPENS.
WE WERE OBVIOUSLY A FEW WEEKS PAST PRIME FALL FOLIAGE.
ALL THE TREES WERE BARE AT THIS ELEVATION.
AMAZING DIRT. NOT THE SANDY STUFF WE HAVE IN TAHOE.
IT WAS HARD PACKED DIRT AND THE ASPEN LEAVES MADE IT
LOOK LIKE A STREET OF GOLD.
PICTURE DOES NOT DO IT JUSTICE.
RIDING THROUGH THE HIGH DESERT...
LOOKING DOWN ON THE LOW DESERT.
KINDA FEELS LIKE THE EDGE OF THE EARTH.
THERE WERE A FEW EASY CLIMBS ON THE WAY DOWN.
NOTHING AS STEEP AS BURRO PASS.
SIGNS MARKED THE WHOLE ENCHILADA TRAIL
PORCUPINE RIM TRAIL (TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE WHOLE
ENCHILADA TRAIL).
SUCH AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE.
The trail was amazing. My only regret was not getting into better riding shape before riding it. Despite feeling out of shape, I had a BLAST riding this trail and it's one I definitely hope to ride again someday.
The trail ended at our campground! How convenient is that?
But the truck was in town at the bike shop.
My amazing husband (knowing how tired I was) insisted that I stay at the campsite while he rode the bike path into town to get the truck (adding another 3+ miles). Moab is a super bike friendly town with really nice bike paths all along the river.
Being that it was his birthday, we opted to go out for dinner and when you've just spent all day on a trail called the "Whole Enchilada," you start craving Mexican food. Naturally, we had enchiladas for dinner:
YUMMY!
It was an early night to bed that night.
The next morning we packed up our camp and I played shuttle driver for Mike on one more (much shorter) bike ride.... PIPE DREAM.
I didn't ride this trail for several reasons:
1) I was still really tired from the day before.
2) I completely wore out my brakes riding the Whole Enchilada
(we're talking metal on metal).
3) Mike needed a shuttle driver. I dropped him off at the trailhead and picked him up in town.
THE VIEW FROM PIPE DREAM TRAIL
While he was riding, I did a little shopping in Moab and filled the truck up with gas so that as soon as I picked him up at the end of the trail, we could start our trek to Zion National Park.
