Yes it is 2017 and this trip is long over, but I want to still capture a few more memories while I still remember. And my goal to do this in a timely manner is already gone (oops).
October 19: Drive to Vegas!
Yes I hit Vegas on my cross country road trip, but not how you would think. Dad wanted to keep me company driving through the desert so he booked his flight out of Vegas. It was on the way to Zion so it worked perfectly. It was around a 8 and a half hour drive and from what I can remember, it was pretty boring. Sadly, I had run out of free days so that meant no time to stop in Sequoia National Park or Death Valley. So Dad, Callie, and I got started somewhat early so we could get to Vegas in time to watch the Cubs (yes, we were obsessed). We made it to Sam's Town KOA, which is not on the Strip. I did make a wrong turn though and we were able to admire the Strip from the highway. The whole trip I was able to get pull-through trailer spots since I didn't know how to back up with the trailer. This is the first stop it didn't work. The KOA was packed so the only spot left was a back-in. Luckily, one of the managers there came to the site and told me exactly what do to. He took the time to explain why I would turn the wheel in a certain direction (opposite what you would do without a trailer) and I found it very helpful. More importantly, I successfully backed it into the spot without taking too much time. I would later use his instructions to back the trailer into my parent's driveway successfully.
With the site set up, it was time to watch next door to Sam's Town (a very nice casino resort off the Strip) to find a place to eat while watching the game. We quickly found a TGIF and asked for a table right in front of a tv with the Cubs game on. It was nice to be able to watch the game on a normal sized tv instead of a small phone. Once we were done eating, we moved to the sports betting area and watched a few more innings on the really big screens. It was such a fun game since the Cubs were easily winning. I left an inning or two early to go keep my pup company in the trailer (still listening to the game on the radio).
It was definitely not a normal trip to Vegas. My Dad did hit the slots a little but I wasn't even tempted to try. I wanted to get a little rest before taking the trip on my own. Dad flew home the next morning and Callie and I hit the road early.
October 20: Zion!
Again, this trip needed so many more days so I could have seen Lake Mead and stopped for a day or two at the Grand Canyon, but that wasn't meant to be. I have seen the Grand Canyon and will go back another time but this trip was about seeing new places. It was about 3 hours to my campsite outside Zion. It was a small campground with only 10 spots and was mostly on someone's backyard. All that mattered to me was it was a pull-through spot and close to Zion. I set up camp and decided to take Callie along with me to Zion. It was early enough that I thought I could leave Callie in the car for a short hike.
Now, this is where it would have helped to write this immediately since I hit 5 parks in Utah and they started to run together. Zion was beautiful, but honestly it wasn't my favorite. I might have hit National Park exhaustion by this point or was just plain exhausted since I had been with someone and on the road for 3 weeks straight. The road into Zion was beautiful with red rock formations and I had to go through a one lane tunnel through the mountain. I guess it is a two lane road, but during the busy season, they make it a one-way road and just hold traffic. I enjoyed the drive in more than the drive through the park. Most of the park I saw was actually outside the gates. Sadly, you need to take a shuttle to get pretty much anywhere in Zion and it was a decent wait to get on the shuttle. Well the shuttle didn't accept dogs and I couldn't leave Callie in the car since it had gotten too hot. So I missed most of Zion. We were able to park at the visitor center and take a path along the river for a bit which provided some nice views. We walked for about 2 miles and then called it a day. I was happy to get enjoy the drive back and call it an early day.
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| Only park that I had to take a selfie with the sign. |
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| The drive into the main part of the park was beautiful |
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| My walk with the pup |
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| It was a hot day for a walk |
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| Sunset from my trailer park |
In hindsight, Zion was beautiful and I did miss most of the park, which I am sure had even better views. I think I was just exhausted from the trip so far. It was my first day without another person traveling with me. I got back to the trailer and made myself a nice taco bowl and enjoyed reading a bit. I watched the Cubs game (when the wifi was working) and got to bed early. I forgot how much I enjoy some "me" time and this was truly the first time I had that all vacation. I do want to go back to Zion and see all it has to offer including a hike through the Narrows. It definitely isn't the park to go to with a dog either.
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| A delicious dinner while watching the Cubs game |
October 21: Interview?
Before hitting the road for the next park, I had a Skype interview scheduled with Evans Incorporated. I had put out resumes a couple of months before leaving for this trip to see if I could get a new job. Amazingly, I heard back from Evans Incorporated, a small consulting firm in DC, right as I started the trip. Good timing, I know! It was entertaining finding wifi and places to connect with the different rounds of interviews. My first phone chat was in Seattle in the Chateau St. Michelle winery parking lot. The first round Skype interview was in the community room at the Redwoods KOA. This morning was my second round Skype interview and probably the most important to make a good impression. I had gotten the wifi working relatively well the night before and it was an early interview so I was hoping people wouldn't be on the wifi yet. Right as Evans was calling me, the wifi started to waiver in my trailer. So hoping it would be better closer to the router in the office, I grabbed my bright pink down jacket and ran outside with my iPad. I did the entire interview outside in 50 degree weather with Zion in the background. The best part was a random cat decided it liked me and rubbed against my leg for most of the interview. Oh and the wifi cut out three times. It was definitely a memorable interview. And spoiler alert...I got the job! More to come since the rest happened after I was home. Definitely a fun way to remember the interview process though.
See the next post for the rest of my adventures in Utah.
