Hoodoos are the main attraction at Bryce Canyon National Park. When Anna-Sophia was little, she played with this magnetic sand that would create these drip-like towers…that’s kind of what the hoodoos remind me of, except hoodoos also will frequently have huge boulders resting on top. Everything in Bryce Canyon feels precariously balanced – as if a strong wind could send the whole thing tumbling down.

We started the day with the Navajo Loop Trail hike. 1.3 miles down into the canyon, surrounded by hoodoos and tall pine trees.

Then back up through a slot canyon called Wall Street.

Friends of ours are in Utah and so we met up for a bit in the afternoon. We got some good tips from them since they had just been to Zion (our next destination) so we modified our plan for the next day.

This stupid coronavirus pandemic is trying its best to prevent people from traveling, but anybody who knows me understands that this is a battle I’m willing to fight because staying home for a year+ is simply not an option.

Back in May when it was obvious that our trip to South Africa and Mozambique wasn’t going to be possible, I began researching domestic trips. I know – a domestic trip! 😱

So that is how we find ourselves in an RV in Utah.

The flight out here was maybe half full (Delta still isn’t booking middle seats), which I definitely could get used to! It was such an early flight that we mostly just slept and watched movies – same as usual. What caught me by surprise is how empty the airport was. Exactly 0 other people in the TSA security line. Only 1 other gate boarding when ours was. Weird.

Anyway, after collecting our belongings we went to get the van – Big Bertha. It’s a pretty cool little rig. Just big enough to have everything we could need (generator, coffee maker, toilet, shower), but small enough that I can drive it. Just don’t ask me to take tight corners.

Lunch was the first stop. We noticed In-n-Out Burgers along the way and had to introduce Anna-Sophia to them! She agreed that it was a pretty perfect fast food burger. I had a veggie burger which sums up how most fast food sees vegetarianism in my mind – it was a regular cheese burger without the burger. Bun, cheese, lettuce, tomato. Not exactly a burger, but it beats nothing, I suppose.

The drive from Salt Lake City was boring, I’m not gonna lie. Lots of wide open high prairie/dessert with mountains in the distance and the occasional cattle ranch. But then, after 3.5 hours, you come around a corner and are rewarded with the first view of the Red Canyon. The landscape is otherworldly, and I know that it is just a tiny appetizer for what we are about to see on this trip.