I had planned out a month long summer road trip in the beginning of the winter. When the plans fell through, I set into a short phase of self loathing. "I'll just stick around here this summer, work a lot, it'll be fine" I convinced myself. But I had the time off of work, I am young, single, and mobile- I had to take the opportunity. I had to see the desert. I thought of "slowmo" as I booked the flight to Las Vegas. I did exactly what I wanted, and after a few minutes the reality sunk in that I was traveling to a region of the country I had never been to before with not a single person I had ever met..... this might be a little weird.....
The trip
"Traveling alone is good for the soul" said Katie, my vacation tour guide as I buckled into the front seat of the van. I couldn't agree with her more, but due to the fact that I had been alone for the last 3 days starved of any real human communication I only nodded briefly at her comment. In the hours that passed, we traveled to Zion National park. Our conversation lasted almost the entire drive. In the previous 3 days with all the traveling, running, and new experiences I had made- I didn't really register how alone I had become, how downright weird and awkward I now was. Gushing out my life story to a complete stranger in an oversized van- it was absolutely what I needed.
I arrived to Vegas on June 15th at 10 am and headed straight to Red Rock Canyon in my tiny red rental car. The sun was hot, the air was dry, and the colors of the desert were magnificent. I hopped out of my car at the first stop of the scenic loop and went for a jog. The sandy soil felt great on my feet. There was not a single person on the trail, I had her all to myself. Its a miracle I didn't trip- I was looking all around taking in the sights. The large red and white rocks that looked like they had been placed there by aliens surrounded me. The cacti and bushes that brushed my legs asI ran by them gave me a pleasant rush of adrenaline. I was in total sensory overload, and loving every second of it.
After 8 plus hours of exploring the park, I headed over to the campground/picnic area to watch the sunset. The grounds were noisy. Lots of young families were starting fires, playing games, and singing loud songs. I became a tad irritated with the noise as I watched the sun set. I decided that if I couldn't get peace and quiet I might as well continue to experience sensory overload. So as the sky became dark, I packed up my car and headed to downtown Las Vegas.
In my sweat filled running singlet, bright green sneakers, and short shorts I would have stood out in many a crowd. Vegas was different. No one batted an eye at my goofy attire.
The lights and architecture of Vegas are mesmerizing. Such a stark contrast from the natural wonders I had seen earlier in the day. Walking around the strip at 2 am on a Sunday night felt like walking around a busy street in Buffalo at 8 pm on a Friday night, with probably 4 times the amount of people. And due to the lax open container laws in Las Vegas- almost everyone I encountered that night had some form of alcoholic beverage in their hands.
Skip ahead to the next day at 11 am. I am finishing my tour at the Hoover Dam and looking at my watch. I have run the scenic road into the dam area, taken pictures and conversed with employees of the dam, and had a large breakfast. With no further plans for the day, I decided to head to the Grand Canyon.
I arrived at the Grand Canyon around 3:30 and rushed out of my car. My legs were half asleep, so when I actually got close enough to see the canyon the jitters that started in my stomach radiated down my legs and made them feel as though they were about to explode. It was a weird rush, I loved every second.
I ran the rim trail of the Grand Canyon for about an hour and a half and walked back with my camera at hand. I took lots of pictures, but nothing could really do justice. I closed my eyes and took a mental snapshot. I also convinced myself that I must return someday. Maybe it will be the Grand Canyon ultra, or a Rim to Rim run, or a hike down into the canyon with some friends.
That night I scored a motel room in a nearby town called Tusayan. They had a nice little continental breakfast from which I grabbed three bananas, a bagel, peanut butter packets and small box of cheerios for the day ahead.
That morning I ran and hiked in the grand canyon- this time going down into the actual canyon as a opposed to just going along the rim. After a few hours I hopped back into the little rental car and headed to Vegas once more. That night I met up with my travel group and went down to the strip with them. ::What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas::
From here on out the vacation became a blur. I was with so many new people, talking, exploring, and hiking in these exquisitely beautiful parks. The drives seemed so much shorter with people to talk to- and a driver doing the actual driving. We packed our days to the fullest, some days waking up at 4:30 am to make it to a park on time or to see a sunrise. Although I returned home to Buffalo a zombie for a few days, the sleepless nights were one hundred percent worth it. So not to make this blog entry 100 pages long, here were some major highlights.
-Angels landing trail, Zion national park
- Bryce Point and Fairyland, Bryce Canyon
-Sunset at Dead horse point, Moab
- Late night ice cream at the Moab Diner, Moab
- Off Road Hummer tour, Moab
- Sunset at delicate arch, Arches national park
-The Needles, Canyonlands national park
- Pow wow, sleeping under the stars, and experiencing a sunrise in navajo nation, Monument Valley
- Antelope canyon tour and cowboy dinner, Page UT
- Petroglyphs on cliffs, Capitol Reef State park
-Karaoke at Ellis Island, Las Vegas
-Shark Reef at Mandelay Bay, Las Vegas
- Running, essentially everywhere
Running in the heat
One of the most wonderful things about canyons, especially the Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon, is how far you can see when standing on top of them. At Bryce point I felt as though I could see 50 miles ahead, watching the red desert sand turn to lush cattle fields and then to bluish grey mountains. In the Grand Canyon I looked down as saw the red and orange rock formations that patterned the canyon floor. The greenish blue river that runs through the Canyon is very visible from the top- its color almost a complete opposite to everything else in the Canyon.
But when you head down into them, it gets hot- quickly. The bright angel trail in the Grand Canyon was my first canyon hike/run and boy did it wake me up to the realities of canyon running. Luckily, there is a water bottle filling station right at the trail head, so I had a full bottle of water as I headed down the trail.
Running in the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park, and Page Utah was incredible. I abandoned my gps watch, split times, and workout schedules and just cruised along the trails. I stopped when I wanted to and took in the sights. The runs were like quick tours of the area, I was killing two birds with the same stone. They were also some of the only times I ventured off alone from my group. After almost two weeks of running completely alone, I missed my training partners back in Buffalo.
Go it alone
I could go on and on about the things I saw and did on this trip, but I'd rather just convince you all to go out and experience them for yourself. Go to experience a pow wow in monument valley, sleep under the stars, and get woken up by wild horse at 2 am. Look down into the cliffs of Dead Horse point Utah and watch the sunset. See the desert, touch the sand, feel the heat. Its seductive in its own special way.
I'm not going to lie, I got very lucky. Our group bonded almost immediately. The fellow travelers were from all over the world- Australia, Germany, Switzerland, England, and Scotland. We all brought something different to the table, but we acted very well communally. All of our destination times were met. When we had 45 minutes to prepare a meal we had it done in 30. We all took hikes and went on excursions together. I can say after a week of living in close quarters with these people they became my friends.
I fell deeply in love with the desert, I tell anyone planning a vacation to strongly consider it as a destination. My parents even switched there summer plans to fly down to Arizona and see the Grand Canyon, I guess I can be pretty persuasive. I also boosted my own self confidence about traveling alone and I took the sound advice from the anonymous old man that inspired "slowmo"- I did exactly what I wanted (in a positive way). If your young and looking for an adventure, I urge you to go to the American Southwest. Do it now, do it before you can't. You'll thank me when your older.
A very special thanks to Alyson Duffy who told me all about Moab Utah and got me salivating over the pictures of delicate arch. Also a special thanks to my Intrepid guide Katie Regan who was a vital part of me seeing so much on my vacation. Last thank you goes to Mike Wach who last years took a road trip with me to Wyoming and Colorado. You got the "travel west"bug in me and I cannot thank you enough for it.
Be safe- and always run your own race :)
