Utah Camping Trip - Day 4: Virgin, UT => Tropic, UT

Daily Highlights:

• We broke down our Zion camp site, packed everything up, and hit the road

• We snagged some fresh coffee and brekkie at River Rock Roasting Company

• We then made the three hour drive to Tropic, UT for our new high end glamping spot

  • Made our way through Dixie National Forrest

  • Stumbled upon a volcanic lava rock deposit and picked out a winner to take home with Connor

  • Made it to our glampsite, which is a high end teepee/ tent beds, and then went into Bryce Canyon National Park 

• We hiked the Queen’s Gambit Trail and Navajo Loop Trail

• Once we got our fill of the hoodoos and hiking, we cruised back into town and snagged dinner at a BBQ spot

• After we polished off the BBQ, we got a few beers, and then went back to play chess until we went to bed

Utah Camping Trip - Day 5: Bryce Canyon National Park

Daily Highlights:

• We slept like kings and leisurely woke up. Once we were fully awake, we cruised to the local coffee shop to snag some lattes, a little brekkie, and plan our day

• We drove back into Bryce Canyon, parked at the far end of the park, and hiked to Inspiration Point along the rim of the canyon which was well worth the hike

• We had a princely lunch of PB&Js with apples where we used a David Bowie knife to make our lunch and made everyone in the parking lot curious/ on edge

• We retired to our campsite for a midday siesta to beat the heat

• We got a bit restless laying in the tent which was 95 degrees in the shade. So we ended up snagging an early dinner at a pizza spot

• After debating what we were going to do for the rest of the night, we finally landed on going to a local rodeo and it did not disappoint.

  • Seeing as this was both our first rodeo (pun very much intended), we did not really know what to expect.

  • They started off with Bronco riding and the first guy out of the gate, fell off the horse, got stomped on by this massive animal, and then had to be carried off because he could not walk. We instantly looked at each other and telepathically said “Jesus, so this is a rodeo?!”

  • Over the coarse of the rest of the rodeo, four or five more people were injured or carried off. However in order lighten the mood a bit, in between the bronco and bull riding, they let out five year old children with very large helmets riding sheep. Apparently this is a thing. It’s supposed to help them build up to bull riding as they grow up. It’s one of the strangest and cutest things that we never knew about.

• After our first rodeo, we went back to our campsite and passed out.

Utah Camping Trip - Day 6: Virgin, UT => Scottsdale, AZ

Daily Highlights:

• We leisurely woke up, packed up our things, and then were on the road again

• We snagged some lattes and brekkie at the local coffee spot then made our way back to Flagstaff, AZ

• After several hours of driving with different podcasts ranging from how Ben & Jerry’s got started to the current political climate in Israel, we finally arrived in Flagstaff, AZ. 

• We deftly returned the rental car and loaded all our gear into the VW van, snagged some great local BBQ and spam musubis, and made our way down to Scottsdale, AZ.

• On our way to Scottsdale, we quickly noticed that we were right by Horseshow Bend in Page, AZ which we both were eager to see

  • It was a short 1 mile hike from the parking lot and after all the hikes that we have been doing, this was a complete dunker.

• We finally arrived into Scottsdale, AZ in a VW van with no AC which was hot, damn hawt. 

• Once we got to Connor’s family’s Airbnb, we both cooled down with a jump in the pool and some great home cooked food. They graciously let myself, this dust covered dirty stranger, in with open arms. It was the perfect end to a long day of driving. 

Utah Camping Trip - Day 7: Scottsdale, AZ 

Daily Highlights:

• Woke up with the sun again, read a book, and played some pool

• Once I went into the house, I was greeted with breakfast already made which was delicious 

• We spent the rest of the day lounging around the pool, drinking a few beers, playing pool, and working on getting sunburnt

• The dinner for the last night was a plate of grilled brisket with all of the fixings, which was delicious and knocked mostly everyone out cold

Utah Camping Trip - Day 8: Scottsdale, AZ

Daily Highlights:

• I slept in which is rare, but was much needed

• I awoke to everyone already awake, eating breakfast, and getting ready to leave. People working on packing up their things, trying to get rid of left over food, and cleaning up the house

• Once everyone got everything packed away, we took pictures, said our goodbyes, and all headed onto our next stop.