And Now for Something New…
You know that thing your wife does when she has a “great idea?” The one that initially sounds really good – then, you start to think about it? Yeah, that one. The latest great idea in our household revolves around visiting a series of national parks in Utah. In this case, that would be all five – Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches. I would call that interesting, but ambitious.
Beginning in Moab, she is set on hitting the big three. I woke up yesterday to the realization we don’t have a plan as to what we will do and when. I’m a planner; she pretty much likes to wing it. This could get interesting.
Distractions will do that to you. I’ve got other things going on, as does she. We leave in a couple days. I only know where we’re staying and for how long. Other than that, bring your e-bike, hiking gear, golf clubs (and what ever else she can think of) and let’s go!
I have no doubt we’ll have a good time but, as always, the weather in the shoulder seasons can be unpredictable. Right now, Moab is supposed to mainly be in the 70s with light winds and a slight chance of showers. Hopefully, no thunderstorms, but you never know.
St. George, near Zion and Bryce Canyon, is forecasting mid-80s to lower 90s, while Bryce Canyon is lows in the 30s and highs 55 to 65 degrees. Zion is somewhere in-between. That’s quite a range to pack for. I’m already vacillating.
For one thing, I’m not a big hiker. Never have been. Some people enjoy walking. My wife loves to walk, and walk quickly. She would have made a great race walker. My best man was a race walker. The two of them should get together. They’re both competitive. I’d like to see that. Haha. Makes me laugh just thinking about it.
I’m a lolly gagger walker. I like to saunter along, enjoy the view, take in the sights and the smells, take my time. I don’t need my primary reason for walking to be exercise. I figure that will come with the act of walking all by itself. Not everything needs to be done with some sort of performance goal in mind.
That’s always my conundrum when we go to a national park. Last year we spent a week in Yosemite. Beautiful. We floated the Merced River, hiked some of the trails, and I got a little bitchy about somebody calling one trail moderate, that ended up crowded and full of switchbacks. Not that much fun for a guy who’s been through nine major knee injuries and operations, and three knee replacements. You smart alecks don’t need to ask where the third one went.
We stayed in a cabin in the valley, next door to friends and family. It really was nice sitting around having early morning coffee, eating in a group setting, and constantly chasing the robber squirrels away from our food. Those little buggers never give up.
This year, we are hoping to use our trick e-bikes on some of the trails, but having done some research it doesn’t really sound all that possible. We’ll see. I am getting a little excited to sit out at night and see the Milky Way.
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to adding to my list of national parks. I’ve never been to Canyonlands, Arches, or Capital Reef. That’ll make twenty-one parks if we make them all. Plus, we’ll get to do some golfing and Utah is a very picturesque place to do some of that. All in all, I’ll put up with the hiking, hopefully not freeze or fry my ass off, play golf decently, and generally enjoy all our time there.
Sometimes, though, for a grump like me, that might be too much to ask. Yes, my wife, bless her, still puts up with me. I’ll probably challenge her patience at least a couple of times this trip. I’ll let you know if we’re still talking at the end of it. Onward, ho.
