As promised, the details of my trip, or "How I Spent My October Vacation":
Day 1. Las Vegas: Crazy ass suite at Mandalay Bay overlooking the Strip. Confirmation #1 that, while very nice, money spent on accommodations that one spends so little time in are so not worth it to me. Decide to blow a whole $20 playing roulette. Win $70 bucks on the first spin of the wheel. Play for awhile and manage to walk away still up $30.
Days 2-3. Zion: Favorite park. Lots of variety. Great places to eat in Springdale. Confirmation #1 that I am, indeed, afraid of heights. At least when stability is an issue. I learn this when I make the mistake of looking down on the way up to Angel’s Landing.
Day 4. Bryce Canyon: Its beauty is somewhat marred by the fact that it is f*cking freezing. Wake up to take pictures at sunrise and almost 1 hour later can no longer operate my camera due to my fingers being about to fall off. Also, confirmation #2 that I am, indeed, afraid of heights, as the gusty winds force me to sit down in the middle of a viewpoint thinking that I may be blown over the precipice at any moment. Craxy.
Days 5-6. Boulder: The surprise of the trip. I wish we had factored in more time for both Grand Staircase-Escalante and Capitol Reef. Must go back. If you are anywhere nearby, run, don’t walk, to the Boulder Mountain Lodge and its restaurant, Hell’s Backbone Grill.
Goblin Valley: Another pleasant surprise. Crazy, random, mushroom-like stone shapes in a valley between Capital Reef and Moab. Like wandering onto the cheap set of an early Star Trek episode. The kids there are clearly delighted, running around all these bizarre shapes.
Days 7-8. Arches: Beautiful, but hiking fatigue has set in. Too many tourists. Too many kids that are clearly bored out of their minds with all the walking. I can’t imagine what this is like in the summer. Also, confirmation #2 that, while very nice, money spent on accommodations that one spends so little time in are not worth it. Despite superior lodgings at the ultra swanky Sorrel River Ranch and Spa (Sparky, I thought of you), this is the least favorite spot of all three of us.
Day 9. Monument Valley: After leaving my friends in Moab to drive the car back to Vegas, I make this stop alone in homage to my late father, a big fan of Westerns. I thank my lucky stars that I decide not to drive myself, as the road (and dust) is probably worse than that on the worst African safari ever. Run out of film at the end of the tour just at sunset. Decide to wait to buy more until I’m on the road. Kick myself when I realize that the view of the Valley from my room at sunrise is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
Day 10. Grand Canyon: A bit of a disappointment after all I’ve seen. The scale is amazing, but it’s not nearly as pretty. I again wake up to hike down into the canyon and get sunrise shots. Not cold, but I am so intent on setting up a shot that I don’t notice that a Bighorn sheep has come up behind me and is about to knock my tripod over the cliff. Incredible.
Last Meal: Pine Country Restaurant, Williams, AZ. What can I say but: Try. The. Pie.