Road Trip 2020

And just like that, Utah was over. Next stop Redwoods, but Great Basin National Park in Nevada was essentially on the way, so we gave ourselves an afternoon driving break. We didn't really know what to expect from Great Basin, but what we found was a hidden gem. Great Basin is home to the oldest living things in the world--Bristlecone Pine trees. Some of these trees are upwards of 4000-5000 years old.  Some numbers to put this scale into perspective: There has been life on this planet for ~2.5-3 million years. Let's go with 3. If a bristlecone pine is 3000 years old, it has lived for 0.1% of the time life has existed on earth. If you're 30 years old, you have lived for 1% of the time that tree has existed on earth.  Trying to comprehend numbers on such a scale reminded us of a fun article on the scaling of time that you can check out  here . New place, new time We climbed 4000 feet in elevation in 10 miles on our drive through the park

After we hiked out of Capitol Reef, we drove over to Bryce Canyon, which we spent the next day exploring. Bryce is known for its hoodoos, which are tall spires of irregularly eroded rock. The Paiutes (an Indian tribe in the area) have a legend that says the  To-when-an-ung-wa, or Legend People, lived too heavily on the land, drinking all the spring water and eating all the pine nuts the other animals needed. This caught the attention of the god Coyote, who was famous for being a trickster. He punished the Legend People by inviting them to an extravagant banquet where everyone would be able to eat their fill, but when the Legend People got there, decked out in their most elaborate war paint, he turned them to stone--the hoodoos you see today.  Bryce Amphitheater Notice the hoodoos Another cool shot A valley of pine  Abby: Utah has the bluest skies I've ever seen! Grey: I'd say you were hyperbolizing but like, you're not wrong When is n

After a day off, we were ready to jump back into the wilderness, which we did by backpacking a night through Capitol Reef National Park. Being one of the lesser-known parks, we didn't know quite what to expect from it, but Capitol Reef is vast in the sheer amount of options it has for day hikes and backpacking loops. Definitely not a park one can absorb in a day, but we tried.  We began with a slight detour to see the top of Chimney Rock: Not pictured: The 40-50 mph gusts that tried to knock us off the outlook Such an expansive view with virtually no evidence of humans One of Grey's favorite shots The landscape makes for a cool backdrop for a bright cactus flower We love Utah's color palette: So much red and orange, speckled with forest green bushes set against a brilliant blue sky I'd describe this landscape as "sweeping" Sweeping landscape ft. tree The photographer behind the views Layered cliffs never fail t

Zion National Park was incredible. It's the most popular national park in Utah, and it's easy to see why. It's definitely a must-return to--a lot of the park was closed, and what we did see just made us want to experience it all. We saw Zion from bottom to top by hiking the Narrows, which is a slot in a canyon cut out by a river, and finishing up the day with Angels Landing. The pictures are limited because we were hiking through a river, but hopefully what we did capture can give you a glimpse into how much Zion has to offer. Starting with the top views:  The sun going down between canyons creates some intense lighting shots The world below is so small An old couple took our picture to show their friends the "crazy hippie kids" on the edge  The canyon walls were so high and so sheer The valley at dusk Dark but breathtaking The canyons just keep going Headed back down Abby in two pieces Photo creds to