jason testing the ropes before jaycie tackles her first ascent

Beautiful view from the bathroom window



Jason enjoying the freedom that nature providesWe filled the house with firewood we found on the side of the road.

Left to die in the desert

So, sorry we have been so bad at keeping up the blog. We have been surprisingly busy considering we have no jobs and no real commitments, aside from being in D.C. for inauguration.

The truck has been running great since we left Joshua Tree. We are still missing 5th gear but over drive is something you rarely use driving a 4 cylinder RV anyway.

Joshua Tree needs to be put on the "must visit" list for anyone living in the vicinity, or anyone who wants an incredible desert experience. While we were there the temps were in the high 60's, the wind calm, skies clear, people scant, and the snakes hibernating. Most of the people at Joshua Tree were there to rock climb and were super friendly. W e met some pros and got to do a little climbing ourselves...fantastic! The rocks/boulders are big, round, sticky, and everywhere, having been moved off the top of the mountains ages ago by flash floods. After five days of being removed from the buzz of trailer life in the city we really found our groove in the desert and plan on spending no more that 1 full day in any city if possible in the future. We also have learned that while snow on the ground and below freezing temps are one thing, camping in blizzards are another.

After leaving Joshua Tree, we headed north to Sedona. We climbed up out of the canyon on a 4 mile(round trip) straight up hike to get a good look at the river canyon and surrounding forests. Once again, we didn't see a single person on the trail. At the end of the hike we braved the frigid water to get a quick bath before heading north to Flagstaff for a much anticipated sushi dinner.

In Flagstaff, we restocked the pantry with tons of food and headed north to cross the Grand Canyon at Lee's Ferry heading for Zion N.P. Lee's ferry is the access point for canyon river trips so you can drive right down to the river and witness its power as it starts to cut its way down into the earth. We made it to the east entrance of Zion at sunset as the full moon had already risen into sight. The east entrance is the higher elevation so as we got to drive down through the entire park as the sun set and the moon rose. Once again, the park was about 5% occupancy so we had the campground and all the trails to ourselves. We braced for the upcoming cold front by getting plugged into the grid for light/heat, drove into St. George to buy a bunch of movies and then settled into the park campground right next to our new friends the Yaks. The Yaks are a father-daughter-son threesome from Connecticut. They are taking the year to travel around the states in the deluxe mega trailer. What an inspiration they were. The kids were homeschooling and dad was obviously taking full advantage of his last bits of time with his kids before they fly the coop.

Snow in Zion is a rare sight so we eagerly awaited its arrival and arrive it did. What it didn't do was leave. The storm came through and then started to circle back for another round of white out conditions, dangerous hiking trails and bad road conditions. So we came to the conclusion that we would be best off if we saved the rest of southern Utah for next summer and head south to the warmth. Right now we are in Taos, New Mexico loving the clear cold skies and indulgent southwestern food. We are making a beeline for Texas now to spend Christmas with Brian O'Donnell and his family in Houston..