summer break!

It's summer break for Americorps and I'm on an incredible roadtrip with four other girls and my car Scrappy! Hoping to get some pics posted when I get to a faster computer. But I'll do a quick little update... Ok, it will probably not be quick.

Left last Friday after our last meeting in Denver and arrived in Moab, UT. Searched for a little while in the dark for a cheap campground and finally found a $10 BLM site down a curvy back road. Slept with bright stars above our heads for the first time in months and noisy boy scouts and a splashing creek beside us. It was our first night so I wasn't used to sleeping with bulging rocks and twigs under my back so I didn't sleep much.

Explored Arches National Park the next morning, like regular tourists would... drive down the road, get out to see balancing rock... drive some more, slow down to take pictures of random beautiful rock formations not worth stopping for... drive... stop at the Windows, hike to windows, take pictures in windows, take pictures for an old man from Pittsburgh traveling alone... drive... park at Delicate arch viewpoint cause we don't have 3 hours to hike it, walk to viewpoint, click... drive... park at Devil's gardens but not enough time to explore or to walk the short way to Landscape arch so we turn around and drive...

Drove to Bryce Canyon National Park that afternoon. It was the last day of Bryce's astronomy week. Stood at Sunset point for sunset and walked down alittle ways, taking way too many pictures of all the wierd hoodoos. Attended a ranger talk on the stars. Then attended a special star viewing at the parking lot. All the lights were off cause Bryce claims they are one of the last places in the US where you can get a great view of the stars and milky way. We looked through telescopes as rangers and volunteers showed us Jupiter and Saturn and the milky way and an exploded star close up. Camped in a beautiful spot right on the edge of the canyon. Woke up the next morning and sat on the hill above our campsite looking down into the eerie abyss below eating a pop tart. It was heavenly.

With shaking hands and hyperventilation, I drove us to Zion that morning. I was insanely excited to see my home again. I kept trying to remind myself that things might be different, that my favorite restaurant Oscar's could be gone or the rangers in the entrance stations could be unfamiliar or a huge rockslide could have changed a landscape. But luckily... Zion was pretty much the same... I loved it. I was actually hugging everybody, which is something I don't normally do, because I was so excited. Also hugged a couple rocks I guess.

Set up our tent at Mosquito Cove BLM lands outside the park because it's free and took off to see the park. As we drove back to our tent later that evening, a friendly cop with a huge smile on her face eating a giant rice krispie treat greated us in the middle of the road. "Oh, we evacuated Mosquito Cove. Saw your tent there... sorry bout that. It's about to burn. The wildfires are jumping across the road. You'll have to find somewhere else to sleep." Then she smiled again as she waved us on to turn around. I'd be lying if I said we were upset. With joy and anticipation we readied our incredible stories to tell everyone back in Denver about our tent and sleeping bags being lost in wildfire and how we got a free night's stay in a hotel. Except we hadn't arranged that yet. So we drove on into town to find our free hotel.

There's probably about 10-12 hotels in the tourist trap of Springdale, UT. We stopped at every one. Got plenty of offers to stay with creepy front desk attendents... one lady that I think had a thing for Erin and I. One man even stopped us and offered for us to sleep on the floor of his hotel room with his wife and 4 kids. I felt alittle guilty. We weren't that desperate. We could find a place to stay, I just wanted a good story. That's all. We ended up sleeping on the floor of one of the park service houses where my friend Rayne lives. We thought that was still a pretty good ending to our story, as long as the part where the tent burnt up still worked out.

Unfortunately the next morning we drove to Mosquito Cove to find that indeed the fires had pretty much destroyed the other side of the road. Everything was completely black, right up to the campground. Our tent was spared.

We did Angel's Landing and part of the Narrows of course because the girls needed to experience that. Ate at Oscar's where they still knew me and gave me the generous local's discount. A shuttle driver in town stopped in the middle of his route and yelled out the window, "Hey I remember you!" The mean man who works the photo shop in town that I always say bad stuff about remembered me and told me I could get a discount in his shop if I wanted it. We got extra glossy maps at the entrance station (which at Zion, is a big deal). Ate a nice Lodge breakfast for more than half off cause they remembered me. Had dinner and good times at Jock and Robin's house (the park superintendent) and I "jammed" with him on the guitars even though I could only do a couple songs. I had really missed them. Did lots more that I don't feel like writing cause this post is too long.

Anyway, I felt like a queen. Loved it. I love Springdale and how everyone knows you and how someone even recognized my car was in town and gave me a call to see if we could meet for coffee. I love Zion, have I mentioned that? And all the red rock towers and orange brown dirt that sticks to your legs.

When it was time to go, I got a chai tea at my favorite shop and drove one last time through the park and on to Page, AZ. The only way I could get myself to leave was to promise I'd be back, soon.

Drove to Page and did Antelope Canyon. The girls loved it. I told them it was worth the $21 and they finally agreed. Drove on to Grand Canyon that night, South rim, cause North rim is on fire. Camped there and enjoyed the canyon the next morning by ourselves. I realized it was the first time I've been alone for 5 months, except when I'm in the bathroom. In Americorps, you're never ever alone.

Left that afternoon for Tucson and here we are... soaking in the red hot sun and waiting til evening when the sun lets up so we can finally open our eyes and see the landscape around us.