April was going to be one for the archives! The plan was to meet up with some RV friends of ours, Luke and Jody, and hit the National Parks in Utah.
Before we met up with them, we had just a few things to do. First, we went to the Arizona Snow Bowl. This is a ski resort near Williams, and we just had to go check it out. We have never skied before and that would have to wait too. This was just a quick trip to go to the top, watch the skiers, and drink a beer. I am sure like any ski resort, it was beautiful!
From here we had a business meeting in St George at the weboost facility. We got the grand tour and were excited to meet our sales representative, Sherry. Weboost is an impressive company and we are happy to sell the Weboost cell boosters at our business site, www.technorv.com.
Now let the fun begin! Luke and Jody arrived in St. George, and we had a full month planned. Luke and I played a lot of guitar, and we all were broken in to the game “Cards Against Humanity.” Lets just say I pretty much dominated this game. (Note from Tami: He did not dominate. He won by a couple points.)
Together, we all went to Zion NP and Bryce NP. During the month, we had to split up for a week or so due to other obligations, and we hit Arches and Canyonlands without Luke and Jody. While we were apart, we stayed at the Colorado National Monument Park near Grand Junction, CO. Tami booked this stay, and it looked great on paper, but researching sites is not her specialty. She is more of a fly-by-night person. When we pulled into the road leading to the park, we were met with a sign saying we were WAY too tall for this road. After a couple of phone calls to the park ranger, we decided we would be okay since the measurement was taken at the shortest side of the tunnel. The route up the mountain was the worst time Tami and I had during RVing as far as road conditions go. We were on ledges which freaked Tami out to the point she closed her eyes. I was going through tunnels listed at 10″6″ in a motorhome that is 13’0″ high. Not a good combination. Once we were in our site, the views were incredible, although we seriously considering hiring someone to drive us down.
The day at Zion was a packed one. It’s a unique park as cars are not allowed in it; visitors must travel the park in shuttles. As a quick break down, we only did one trail and one day at Zion, so we really don’t feel like we gave that park a fair shake. The trail we wanted to do (the Narrows) was closed also which was a bummer as we rode the shuttle to the very end of the park hoping to visit it. We did get to explore the area on ATVS which was a lot fun. Our guide was a riot! We were all pretty sure he sold drugs on the side and quite possibly was into swingers.
Off to Bryce, which was a much better experience for us than Zion. While at Bryce, we did the Queens Garden / Navajo Trail, and it was awesome. We literally walked into the canyon, and the views are outrageous. It was well worth the effort. Another highly recommended experience.
While in Colorado, we spent an afternoon in Canyonlands NP. It was very impressive, although we only saw the Island in the Sky section (There are 4 separate sections). We went in the late afternoon and the sunset views were spectacular! The canyon views from above while the sun was low added so much dimension to the landscape, and the shadows were mesmerizing. We wish we’d had more time to explore this park.
We spent Tami’s 44th birthday in Moab, Utah at the 51st Jeep Safari. We saw hundreds of Jeeps and hung out with Jeff and Deb from Dometic some. Tami found her “dream” Jeep, and we made the decision to start looking to find our own. It’s not easy to do when you are on the road since we don’t stay anywhere very long, but we are on a mission now. Tami has been wanting a Jeep since the day she sold her last Rubicon 7 years ago.
Arches NP was one of the more unique parks. It was wide open in most areas and was filled with unique and interesting rock formations and arches. We did several trails in this park during our 2 days visiting. Although we saw the park 2 days in a row, the views were different as we went at different times of the day. The sun can really make a difference in what the rocks look like, and I recommend visiting parks at different times of the day to experience more.
During our month together, we rented UTVs many times with Luke and Jody and really got to see some great back country that most do not get the opportunity to see. We primarily rode in National Forests, and the views were spectacular. Again, we highly recommend renting 4WD vehicles to explore if you have the opportunity. It has added a lot to our travels.
Since we were headed north to Montana for May, we kept inching that way at the end of the month. Jody (the best planner around) booked us a double lot in Manti, Utah, at a state park, and it was one of the best places we’ve ever stayed. It was called Palisades State Park in Manti, UT. The lots were huge; they each had a gazebo, grill, and picnic table; and the lake views were great. We climbed a mountain inside of the park on a whim one day (still questioning that decision), and of course, we rented ATVs to explore the neighboring Manti National Forest. I can say we will be back to that park if we are ever in the area. It was that nice.
Over the course of the week at Palisades, Luke taught me how to hacky sack. I’m not that good, but it was an interesting game to play while nothing else was going on. We even played it on the top of the mountain we climbed. Man, I love my life. Hacky sack, friends, and mountain climbing…all on a regular Tuesday. What could be better?
We ended our time with Luke and Jody when we spent a few days outside Salt Lake City. It was a very nice park called Mountain Valley RV Resort. We drove to Salt Lake one day, and I guess I should have known, but there is actually a SALT lake in Salt Lake City! Apparently the salt content is so high that there are no fish. Not my kind of lake, and I bet it is hell on a boat motor. We all ate at a great brewery on the way back and headed home to most likely watch the Office. It’s one of the many things we have in common. You gotta love Michael Scott.
It was a little sad to say goodbye to Luke and Jody; we had such a fun time. Although you meet great people on the road while RVing, it’s not often you meet someone who you click with so well that even a month RVing together doesn’t sound long at all. I hope this isn’t our last adventure together! Good news is we will be seeing them again in August when we are at FROG.
Great times with great friends, now off to Glacier and Yellowstone in the Month of May.
Eric
For more of our April pictures, click here for our April Google Photo Album.