Once we left Carefree, we picked up our pace again, bouncing quickly first to Acrosanti as it was somewhat on the way and fit the themes of counter-cultural living that we’ve been exploring. From there we passed through Jerome and took a stretch break in Sedona. Then it was onto the Grand Canyon. We scored a last minute campsite in the park (a big deal!) and were immediately treated to several elk and deer. There was much squealing on the part of Kim. We parked quickly and hustled to the rim to make it in time for sunset. It was crowded and for good reason. It’s hard to explain the feelings that come over you at the Grand Canyon. Your brain tries to comprehend time and space and your place in all of it. We are so small. We are so fleeting. We are so insignificant. It’s incredible to witness.

The next day, May 3, we hiked the first 2 miles of Bright Angel trail down into the Grand Canyon. Even more impressively, we hiked the steep two miles back up. Along the way we were treated to a mountain goat and her baby. After that morning hike we booked it to Zion as a bit of a lark. Sure we had been there before, and we hadn’t exactly planned to do repeats, but when you are this close to that kind of glory, it’s hard to not go. Especially when it’s not like we had plans to be anywhere else. The scenery for the drive was beyond description. And as we got into Zion the storm that was brewing released its rain and it was glorious. It’s a rare blessing to have rain in the desert. The low clouds made everything saturated. The rain on the ground – pertichor – was heady.  We got to our excellent campsite (once again, last minute score within the boundaries of the park and in the shadow of the Watchman formation) and made an incredible steak dinner in lieu of a sunset stroll, as it was too cloudy and still windy and rainy. We shared a bottle of wine, listened to music, danced in our kitchen, destroyed a pint of ice cream, and laughed like a couple of kids who were getting away with something. 

The following morning we walked to the village to rent e-bikes. We then proceeded to ride them up and down the canyon. It gave us so much joy the last time we visited, and it once again delivered one of the best ways to experience Zion. We picnicked along the little river, surrounded by cliffs and mountains, and ancient rock formations. We had a beer at the lodge and had excellent conversations with Barbara and Angelo from NJ. We walked the river trail leading to the Narrows. It was a beautiful, cool, clear, comfortable day. In the evening we headed back to our campsite for an early bedtime.

We wanted to be up and out early in order to get onto the far side of the tunnel before the rangers started managing traffic. We did the Canyon Rim hike, and continued to stop at scenic outlooks on our way out of the park. It was all staggeringly beautiful and defying description. We stopped by the bison for our second pot of coffee. The herd was sleepy but a bus full of Chinese tourists brought a lot of entertainment. We stopped for gas and Kim ran into the famous Thunderbird Restaurant for two slices of their famous “ho made” pies. Then we went to Red Canyon to play in a slot canyon. Rock scrambles, bracing your back on one wall and your feet on another in order to climb up the canyon walls was so much fun. We still had literal and figurative gas in the tank. And as we revisited our favorite things about Zion, it seemed only fair to do the same at Bryce. Again, we had no plans to revisit this park, but the Queen’s Garden hike might just be our favorite hikes, and being so close and so loose with plans, it seemed the most logical thing in the world to do. It was absolutely worth the time. We ended our day checking in to the Kodachrome Basin campground, where we were complete pre-teen boys taking photos with the phallic sedimentary pipes, and once again, enjoying a striking sunset. 

A slight aside: an observation or two that we made while re-visiting these three kings of the National Parks. One: America is so incredibly rich in natural beauty. It’s beyond belief. Two: We heard so many different languages while in the parks. So many families from all over the world still come to experience these wonders. It makes me proud. And hopeful. Three: We are not as divided as the media and government would have us believe. People as a whole that we came in contact with were polite, kind, generous, and happy (well, maybe not the young kids in meltdown mode on the trails). Larry made a point to ask as many people about that as he could and universally, every person with whom we made a human connection agreed that we all have more in common than not.

We did the Angels Palace hike in the morning on May 6. We enjoyed an excellent shower (maybe the best campground showers ever?), and then we hit the road. Our successful streak of repeating the best from our last visits finally hit a dead end when we tried to get pie at Capitol Reef but alas they were sold out. Larry had plans for us for the evening, so we traveled down Rt 12 and Rt 95. Both were so incredibly scenic, that we eventually ran out of words. Larry navigated us down the Moki Dugway, a winding, narrow, gravel, switchbacked road to the Valley of the Gods where we boondocked on BLM land overlooking Monument Valley. The stars were spectacular! Larry continued practicing with the new video time lapse features of the go pro. We slept with all the shades open as there wasn’t a soul around us for miles. We were alone in the desert, sleeping under the stars.

The next morning started beautifully. We slept with all the window shades open so we woke at dawn and watched the desert light up around us. We even both enjoyed coffee in bed. I did not know it was going to be the most stressful day of the trip to date. We left the Valley of the Gods by heading south. Ten miles of gravely, narrow, pitted, dipping, and steep road. It was tense but manageable until we came across a road rally of sports cars coming from the opposite direction. A parade of porsches that made our passing damn near impossible. Kim removed herself to the back of the van to allow Larry to concentrate on getting Louie out of a very precarious position. He did great. It was scary. We were both shaking for a while afterwards, but boy! Did we feel alive (and grateful for it). We swung through Monument Valley making sure to get pictures at the Forrest Gump Hill.

Onward we drove to Mesa Verde National Park. Part of our original plan? Nope. Was it out of our way? Yep. Was it worth it?Absolutely. The architecture and artwork of the visitors center alone was worth the drive. We toured the Balcony House which had its own adrenaline inducing elements: 130 metal stairs, 32 ft tall wooden ladder, 18 inch wide crawling tunnel, 60 foot climb up near vertical cliff face with toe holds and chains, and then two 17 ft ladders to exit. We also got to see a mama cinnamon bear with two cubs. That was also exciting! We camped at the park’s campground, took a nice relaxing after dinner walk that turned into an uphill march! We had another lovely chat with some fellow campers. They told us we missed a snowfall by one day! Good timing on our part. After that very exciting day, it was nice to snuggle up in Louie for a good night’s sleep.

The morning of May 8: one month on the road. It went fast. We departed Mesa Verde campground (dumped and filled). We headed back to Utah along very pretty roads. A lovely, long drive brought us to the Goblin Valley. We enjoyed wandering in the stone playground there. We’ve never seen anything like that. Then we found our second dispersed camping site. While navigating up to the sandy, pitted path to the site, Larry observed and I concurred that Louie’s front tires looked pretty worn. Therefore we chose to pivot away from our next slot canyon activities and instead made an appointment to get Louie new tires. In the late afternoon we hung out in the van at our very picturesque site trying to stay cool in the very hot desert. In the evening we sat and watched the bats come out and then the stars. It was phenomenal. 

Once again, isolated, we slept with all the shades open which meant we slept under the stars and woke very early to a gorgeous sunrise. We buttoned up the van and took the long road trip to Salt Lake City to get Louie new tires. Then onto Midway, UT to Wasatch State Park where we had a fine campsite and an even nicer private (reserved) sauna and plunge pool. 

May 10th, Mother’s Day. We talked with the moms and the kids while having coffee. We had a great al fresco van workout at our perfectly level, clear, and private campsite. Then we prepared to say goodbye for now to the southwestern states. We drove to Idaho Falls, ID, to camp by the Snake River and do some light re-provisioning. Thick gorgeous green grass and a little field of dandelions at the campsite were the most memorable part of Idaho Falls. It was a quick overnight, and dump and fill, and then another push to get to Great Falls, MT, where we camped at a KOA and prepared for the next phase: crossing the border into Canada.