Capitol Reef National Park- Utah

The drive to Capital Reef was so refreshing. I loved seeing such little civilization and getting lost in my thoughts. We arrived at the next spot on BLM land about 20 minutes from the entrance to Capital Reef National Park. It was down Beas Lewis Flat Road in Torrey. It was pretty busy, but we ended up finding a nice turnout giving us some shrubs between ourselves and the fellow travelers. One of my favorite sights, extra firewood left from previous campers right next to the fire ring. Beautiful. I am becoming a slight perfectionist with my fire rings, so I made it look a little prettier before unloading everything. I took Dobby on a walk around the land, and we could see Capital Dome from the park where we were exploring. THIS is what it is all about. "Be present", I am constantly reminding myself. 

The next day driving to the trailhead for my hike I noticed my brakes were squeaking. Immediate flashbacks to my goofy smile after I picked up the fixed trailer, thinking all my mechanical problems were left in Springdale. Fuck, Tommy my reliable stead! I was beginning to feel his wear from the miles we’ve traveled so far. I made plans to get them fixed in Moab since Capital Reef is really in the middle of open land without any brake mechanics near. I enjoyed my hike on Hickman Bridge Trail to see the massive arch with black waves throughout the rock. I had a sandwich sitting on some rocks staring at the arch. This was one of the first times I was just going to be doing a National Park in one day and moving on, so I tried to take in as much as possible and pulled over to all the information plaques throughout the park. The next day it was time to head to Moab to Arches National Park, our last stop in Utah! 

DropBox Link for Capital Reef: Capital Reef NP

Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park - Utah

Maya, Dobby and I cruised into Springdale and found a spot on some BLM land between some cottonwood trees, about 25 minutes from the entrance to Zion. After we unhitched and arranged everything, Maya and I went into the town of Springdale to get a much needed shower, then drove to a larger town about 35 minutes away to stock up on groceries for the week. Once we were settled in, it was time for our nightly routine of dinner by the fire. 

For our first hike, Maya planned for us to go to the Narrows. Despite all the people around us walking in huge waders with giant sticks getting in the way, we knew our casual hiking gear and books would suffice for this adventure. Maya was fully embracing the mountain man mentality with me. That being said… the water got above the nipples and was feeling a bit chilly when trekking through the shade of the canyon walls, but we survived and thrived! My heart went out to the man doing it with no shoes, he is the true mountain man. 

The second day, we took it a little slower and took Dobby on the Pa'rus Trail, which is the only dog-friendly trail in the park. We got to walk along the river and ate lunch next to the water. As the days were breezing by, I was glad to have a slow moment like this with Maya before she left.

The third and final day in the park was planned to be hiking Angel’s Landing, but we both didn’t get the permits via the lottery so we settled for hiking at least the closest we could get before the permit was required. I was huffin and puffin up those switchbacks! It was easier though, since the majority of the trail was paved, which I found disconnecting and sad. I want by feet on the native dirt and rock. Maya and I enjoyed our PBJ’s, staring in awe at the cliffs surrounding us. It really is Godly. I genuinely wish that the park itself didn’t feel like we were at Disneyland. It was the most congested, poorly managed, and rudest people I have come across yet. I was honestly disappointed I would be stuck for another week after Maya left while I waited for my axel to arrive for the trailer.

After some tough goodbyes again, I dropped Maya off at the. St. George airport and returned to camp. When we were initially driving to the park, I was immediately astonished at all the mountains and rocks around. The color is so vivid. I decided it was time to break out the bike for the season and take a cruise with Dobby to the park to have some lunch. Most people close to me know my reluctance to wear a helmet on a bike, but I recently saw a video online of someone being run off the road while skating, and it made me think twice. I bought a bike helmet immediately. I was not going to take the risk of fucking up this beautiful mind of mine. I biked 14 miles to the park when I realized I had left my National Park pass in the trailer, so I stopped at a park outside the entrance to lay down and enjoy the sunshine. 

The bike ride felt so great, I missed it so much. I checked out some options for dogs in Bryce Canyon, but again and understandably, it was limited. I decided to take Dobby and the bike up to Bryce Canyon for a day trip, where we biked from Bryce Canyon to Red Canyon and back for a total of 30 miles. After not biking for months, then doing two rides back to back made my legs shake, but in the best way. I was so happy to have Dobby on my back for the rides. 

After finally having my axel on the trailer fixed, it was a wrap on being in the Springdale area and time to continue east with a stop at Capital Reef next. 

DropBox Link for Zion and Bryce Canyon National Park Pictures: Zion and Bryce Canyon

Sedona and Grand Canyon - Arizona

I was able to make my way into Phoenix the day before picking up Maya from the airport. YAY! I parked at Planet Fitness to take Dobby on a walk and got a workout and shower. After Dobby and I were gone for about 20 minutes, I walked back to the truck and a security guard was knocking on the trailer door. He told me he got a complaint that they saw someone sleeping in the parking lot. After explaining that I was just going to the gym, he was chill and left. It wasn’t the “Welcome to Phoenix” I wanted, but I’m realizing I will likely not get that often. I finished up all of my reset day tasks, and found the perfect spot to park next to a park surrounded by some apartments only a little ways from the airport. Dobby and I spent the rest of the evening and night just walking around the busy park, people watching and reading. I think I wanted to walk around so much because of the nerves and excitement I was feeling from finally getting to see my lovely lady again. 

I cannot say this enough, I am so thankful for Maya. When I was letting everyone in my life know my plans for hitting the road, so many responses were ‘what about Maya?” I was able to just smile and brag about how rad of a partner I have that she’s going to continue her life in Bend, while I continue mine on the road. The cool part is we’d do that while still loving each other and being together. When we had initially met, I disclosed right away my plans. At that point, I felt confident in what I wanted and the type of person I would want along for this journey of life. I think she was impressed, and maybe even a little jealous she didn’t have the idea to do it first. As our relationship progressed, I would periodically check in and softly remind Maya of my intentions of being on the road for several months in the future, and despite where we would be in a relationship, I needed to do it by myself no matter what. She always did support this idea, and continues to now in ways I didn’t even realize I would need. That is one of my favorite things about the love I share with her. She teaches me so much and it is always while having my back. 

Waking up in the morning I took Dobby on our morning walk and then got to play the fun game of finding Maya at the Phoenix airport with a travel trailer. After the awesome game, Maya joined Dobby and I on the road for the next week and a half! The start of our trip started with a rushed brunch and bad news from the tire shop, but after navigating it all we were off to Sedona to begin! The first campsite we arrived to was only about 15 minutes from downtown Sedona at a free campsite called Windmill. It was pretty busy, which was understandable given its location and the views! The drive to the site gave Maya a good taste of the bumpy ride she was in for. With help from my perfect co-pilot, we pulled The Tank in to a small but nice spot. Having Maya there made the set up process fly by in half the time, which gave us plenty of daylight to explore Sedona and grab some dinner for our first dinner date in months! While we camped in Sedona, we ended up becoming neighbors with a large group from Brazil who came to Sedona to paraglide using a paramotor attached to their backs. They were weary to ask if that would be okay with us due to the loud noise of the motors, but Maya and I were just excited we would get a sick live show to watch at sunset with our dinner. If you have never seen this before I highly recommend looking up a video because it is dope. 

After a couple of nights in Sedona it was time to make our way to the Grand Canyon! Maya and I have been attempting to get to the Grand Canyon for two years, so for it to finally be happening was so fulfilling. We cruised into Tusayan, which is a small town just outside of the entrance to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We found dispersed camping spots on a road called N Long Jim Loop, which was pretty busy but we managed to find a great spot away from other campers with the perfect hammock trees! We got everything set up and it was time to relax and read our lives away in the hammock. On this adventure together, Maya and I decided that I would plan hikes for the Grand Canyon and she would pick the hikes for our next destination: Zion National Park. For our first day at the park, we went on a walk along the rim trail so that Dobby could join us and bask in the beauty. The following day we went on a hike to Dripping Springs using the Hermit Trail on the south rim. Not to brag too much, but we killed it on that hike barely breaking a sweat! The springs were amazing, offering a small patch of greenery within the red rocks.

We spent the nights making the best fires and checking out the stars. The Grand Canyon is at the top of my list of best parks along side Joshua Tree. I will definitely be coming back. For now, we are making our way into Utah to Zion National Park! 

DropBox Link for Pictures of Sedona and Grand Canyon: SEDONA - GRAND CANYON

Saguaro National Park - Arizona

As I was cruising through the mountains and passing Saguaro on the side of the highway, I started to notice at my stops that the tread on The Tank was looking pretty whack (wayyy more worn on the inside of the tire). After checking the weight at a weigh station to confirm I was good on all of my axels, I realized I was dealing with the wonderful lesson of a bent trailer axel. By the time I was pulling into Tuscon it was dark and I needed somewhere to park. I found a Home Depot parking lot without any “no parking” signs, and it was right next to a Costco making gas in the morning easy. I spent the night looking for local RV repair places to have my rig looked at and hopefully fixed quickly. I arrived in Tuscon on March 31st and needed to be in Phoenix to pick up my girlfriend Maya from the airport by April 9th. I figured it wouldn’t be that difficult, but oh did I speak too soon. 

I spent the following day at a local park’s parking lot on the phone and visiting various trailer and RV repair shops to get this axel replaced. After I finally was in person with someone who could look at it and offered to do the work in 24 hours, we went back to look up the part and came to find that it is a rare sized axel. No one in the state of Arizona had the axel I needed. After fighting the anxiety going through my head, I realized I would be staying put in Tucson for the next week waiting for the part to be delivered from Texas. Ideally I was told it would be five days, which I was disappointed about but it did mean it would get fixed before Maya joined me for the Grand Canyon. It in fact was not five days… I called the shop to ask for an update on when the part would be arriving where I was then informed, “well the part needs to be made, so I doubt it’s even been shipped yet”. Rage, welcome back. After using coping skills, some “good”, some “bad”, it was time to pivot. I asked for the part to be shipped to Utah, which was my next destination, because get me out of Tuscon NOW. 

Throughout this stressful week, I did attempt to do little tasks which I had been putting off previously around The Tank. I was able to work on resealing the roof, tighten some loose screws around cabinets, mount my cell booster higher, etc. I spent one day hiking during this time, which looking back is slightly disappointing. I hiked to Wasson Peak using the Sendero Esperanza Trail, which took me through some huge Saguaro and other desert vegetation. This trail was not dog-friendly, so Dobby stayed home this afternoon to stand guard. 

After spending a week and a half in Tuscon, it’s time to take Tommy and The Tank slowly up to Phoenix to pick up Maya! 

Here is where you can check out some of the pictures I took in the park! : DropBox Saguaro 🔥

Petrified Forest National Park- Arizona

Driving through the high desert landscape of Northern Arizona has been giving me a deeper appreciation and connection to the Earth and the ancestors that came long before me. When I’m driving I will typically have a podcast playing, but my mind of course begins to wander as the voices of others disappears. I have this debate in my mind constantly, where I wish that I was observing the land around me naturally before it was colonized, but then think of how I probably wouldn’t be in this exact place having this awe inspiring experience without it. Where on this piece of land would I have been settled? Would I have still had this yearning to explore and see what else is in the world? As I am pulling closer to where camp will be for the next few nights, I see large pieces of yellow, black, and orange petrified wood. “Imagine seeing that for the first time without a large gift shop and highway next to it…” is my first thought. I need to get out of my pessimistic mindset sometimes. I am indeed seeing this for the first time so I need to remain present, and appreciate my experience for what it is. Fuck, it is hard sometimes to rewire the brain. 

Crystal Forest Campground, you are clutch! For anyone that is interested in camping in your rig right outside Petrified Forest NP, it is perfect. I pulled Tommy and The Tank next to a small square concrete slab and unhitched. My view was of the fence to the park entrance, perfect! Dobby and I set up to spend the next few nights at the site. Dobby was able to come on most of the hikes around the park so we were both hyped.

This is an incredible park where I saw some of the most elaborate color combinations inside the fossilized wood. It is so mind bending to look around and think of how long ago and where on the planet these massive trees were living and thriving. What a privilege it is to have access to witness this! There would just be a large hill of rock smoothed out from weathering with a huge chunk of fossilized wood just poking out more and more over time. Not only was the wood beautiful to see, but the petroglyphs on my hike to Martha’s Butte were striking. I needed to trace my fingers along all of the carvings silently just feeling the wind blow around me. 

After staying for 3 nights, it was time to hit the road south toward Saguaro National Park. 

Check out some pictures on this link: DropBox Petrified Forest ☮