hoodooed

[Super long post with boatloads of pictures ahead. Proceed with caution.]

Road trip! Road trip! Road trip! (I'm just a little bit excited.)

After a really long time of not going anywhere and doing nothing but staring at computer screens (either to write or to code or to study or do whatever it is computer geeks and legal nerds do (use your imagination)), we dashed off to Bryce Canyon for the weekend (more like sauntered--we took our time getting there and coming back).

Saturday we hiked a combination of the Navajo and Queen's Garden Loops. David had never been hiking in Bryce before, so it was fun to see his reaction to all of the awesomeness. Unfortunately, Wall Street was closed, but we got as close to it as we could.

Also, it was cold. And a bit snowy. And windy. Not hurricane-I'm-gonna-blow-your-house-down-windy, but windy enough that I had six rats' nests in my hair. It was lovely.

But the hoodoos were awesome (and yes, that is the official name of the statuesque pillars of rock peeling away from the earth). So awesome that David thought a peregrine falcon's view would be appropriate. I'm pretty sure this picture is now famous in China and France (if my guesstimations on the languages of the tourists surrounding me and snapping photos of David are correct).

After our hike Saturday, we snuggled up and watched Frozen. Did it snow? Of course it did, which was highly appropriate (or inappropriate, considering the fact that we were on vacation).

Sunday was bizarre, in a good way. After waking up and clearing snow off of the car, we dashed off to church. But when we arrived in Tropic, the closest town to Bryce Canyon, the church was empty. Open, but empty. So we drove to Cannonville. And Henrieville. And the churches were empty and closed. 

By this time, we deduced that the southern Saints must be having stake conference (basically, a meeting of a group of local congregations). But we drove on anyways, eventually making it to Escalante. We finally found a church that was both full and unlocked, so David went inside to do some more super sleuthing. He met a very nice lady who told him that yes, it was stake conference today, and yes, the meeting had just ended, but why yes, do you want to come to our potluck, because yes, we would love to have you.

David came out to the car to conference with me, but the nice lady followed him out and invited me in, too. How could we say no to both southern Utah hospitality and cooking? (We couldn't.)

We followed her in and enjoyed a feast. Everyone was so friendly. I'm sure we stuck out like sore thumbs because the towns are so small that everybody knows each other, but both David and I were impressed at the number of people who introduced themselves to us. We even met the St. George temple president and his wife, both of whom had spoken at the meeting we had missed.

I think everyone got a laugh out of the fact that we kept driving past Tropic and Cannonville and Henrieville (although I don't know if anyone would blame us for wanting to keep driving on Highway 12. It isn't called a scenic route for nothing). But what can I say? We're persistent.

In any case, it may have helped that the nice lady adopted us for the day and introduced us to everyone as "her kids." From what David and I could tell, her children and grandchildren live far enough away that it is inconvenient for her to visit them often. Needless to say, she needed family that day. David and I don't think it was a coincidence that all of church in a hundred mile radius was cancelled and we made it to Escalante just in time for lunch (although it does sound funny that we partook of physical nourishment while completely bypassing spiritual sustenance). Heavenly Father definitely places us where he needs us and where we can be his helping hands. 

At the end of lunch, and after hugging our new found friends goodbye, we headed back to Bryce Canyon. Unfortunately we were lame and did not drive Hell's Backbone even though we were at its doorstep. That will be a drive for another day (and by another day, I mean a day in which we were not on the brink of a food-induced coma).

After a restful Sunday, it was time for an epic Monday. David and I hiked the Fairyland Loop. And it was fantastic. Although it was still on the coldish side and crazy windy (yay for more hair vermin!), it was great. The hoodoos and rock bridges and caves and just about everything was fantastic.

Another bonus was the lack of people on the trails (not that David and I have anything against people, it's just kind of nice to have red rock and blue skies all to yourself with only the occasional ski-pole wielding hiker to greet).

After switchbacking and looping around for several hours, we made it back to the rim of the canyon only to traipse uphill some more (my thighs were grumpy). But it was perfect, and we both were proud of the fact that our muscles hadn't completely atrophied despite sitting 24/7 at work and school.

At the end of the hike, we stopped by the Bryce Canyon Visitor's Center to browse. And the nice lady from Sunday was there! She works at the visitor's center, so we chatted with her a bit. She introduced us to all of her coworkers as "her kids," and again, everyone laughed at our persistence in trying to get to church. Still, it was fun to see her again. I have a feeling it will not be the first or the last time we meet up with her.

When we got back to the hotel, we crashed. And watched Citizen Kane. If you haven't seen it yet, you should. It's interesting. And a classic. And according to Wikipedia, it's one of the best movies of all time.

After a sleepless, phlegm-ridden night (huzzah for colds! And Rudolph noses! And coughing like a dying whale!), we headed home. On the way, we stopped at the Manti Temple and did a session. Neither David and I had been there before, so we were excited to serve there. 

We also found the pictures of my great-grandpas and great-grandmas who had served as the temple presidents and matrons back in the day. David was teasing me about coming back to my roots, but there really is something special about being where people I've never met, but who have shaped who I am and will become, walked and talked.

All in all, it was a great drive home (but that may be swayed by the fact that I won 20 Questions two times in a row with the words "mongoose" and "ghost town"). We made it home and collapsed in a phlegmy mess (after putting away all of our vacationing stuff, that is. Our mothers taught us well). 

And now real life begins again (for David that is. I feel like I merely pushed pause and delayed the ending of a crazy semester. The next few days shall be filled with paper writing and researching joy). But here's to an awesome vacation and the hopes of going on another one soon! Huzzah for brief escapades!