Traveling Applejax

Recovery

Posted by travelingapplejax on September 2, 2011 · 2 Comments 

I was going to wait until I had edited photos of Bryce Canyon before writing my next post, but poor Mike can’t keep up with my demands. He has a self-imposed deadline to finish editing a wedding he shot, so my blog pictures just don’t receive the attention they deserve. *Sigh* As a result, you’ll have to put up with a less mind-blowing post. On the upside, you will now end up with two posts where before you would have only had one combo post. Unlike my students, I know how to B.S. and buy some extra time before getting to the heart of the matter.

So, while Day 4 was not as epic as days 2 and 3, I hope I can interest you in some of the behind-the-scenes action that will make or break a roadtrip.

Already by Day 4 my careful organization of our supplies is breaking down

I mean, look at this mess!

We had wet canyoneering gear drying everywhere after our Mystery Canyon run

Upon our late return to set up camp after Mystery Canyon, we threw all of our wet, smelly gear on top of the car to dry overnight. The next morning (Day 4), we reloaded it and headed back into Zion where we decided to wash it out. We spent a couple of hours rinsing everything under a faucet we found near some ranger education building and waiting for it to dry. At least we had a lovely picnic while we waited. Unfortunately, not everything had dried by the time it started to rain. Ha! Oh well, most of it was ready to go, and the rest was good enough. We set off through Zion in the direction of Bryce.

Now, I’m not sure if you’re aware of this fact, but tourist-watching is almost as much fun as sightseeing — especially if you are out in nature where the ridiculous meets the sublime. Mike and I have a history of making fun of tourists (see our Machu Picchu tourist post), and we’re not about to give up this guilty pleasure. Sure, it’s a bit awkward when a tourist notices Mike pointing his foot-and-a-half-long lens at her instead of the scenery, but Mike never let a dirty look stop him from doing anything. Am I right, Sharon?

Dressed for a day of vigorous hiking in Zion -- you should have seen her 4-inch hooker heels. Also, I can't guarantee that she is not a transvestite.

You know you're dealing with a bus-full of Europeans when half the men are wearing capris and toting man purses. Damn you, Mike, for not photographing any of the capris!

The crowning jewel: a man wearing three (!!!) different camo patterns in one outfit! The Armani belt really adds the finishing touch.

Once we left Zion, we traveled through small-town, Utah to get to Bryce. Unfortunately, we had a run in with the cops, and Mike was pulled over for speeding:

Pulled over! Uh-oh!

"Sir, step out of your vehicle and keep your hands where I can see them."

Haha! Since when did Ken become the sheriff?

After all of our morning and afternoon shenanigans, we reached the outskirts of the Bryce Canyon tourist bubble by evening. Once again we opted for a free camp site on NFS or BLM land (can’t remember which). Before settling down, though, we went across the road to a pay campground and commandeered a shower. (Actually, we paid $2 in quarters for a 7-minute tag-team shower, but it was really nice to clean up after our sweaty Zion adventures. That $2 shower was worth every penny!) Back at our campsite I set up our tent and began cooking dinner (Mac & Cheese) while Mike played photographer.

Our Mountain Hardware Skyledge 2 tent is lightweight, well designed, and small. It is 4ft wide x 7ft long x 3ft tall. In other words, it's just barely big enough for two smallish people like us.

Mike's nighttime skywriting is the photographer's equivalent of pissing his name in the snow.

Perfection.

Now that I’ve managed to turn what would have been a few sentences of my Bryce post into a chunky post of its own, I feel like I have accomplished something. Bryce Canyon will be the next roadtrip installment, but depending on how long it takes Mike to edit the photos, I may throw in a present-day post from our upcoming Labor Day jaunt into The Jug. You’ll just have to wait and see!