The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

This was such a nice day in a canyon.  If someone asked me for a canyon recommendation in Moab, I wouldn't say, "OMG, do Granary!" (For the record, I would say "Lost and Found.") But it was easy and scenic and just a fun day with friends.  The upper part really wasn't that interesting. A few rappels, a small natural bridge, and it opens up to a nice view of the La Sal Mountains. This is the part of the canyon where I just really enjoyed the conversation, especially getting to know my new friend, Sarah.  The beta was odd because it said that, when the canyon opens up, you jump over to the next drainage over, which is Lower Granary. We forgot about this and cruised along until we came to a bigger rappel and saw no signs of an anchor. But this was my favorite part of the canyon. Oh my holy, the view! I think we were standing on a giant arch. And as Brian traversed the rock, he stopped and said, "Look at this!" It looked like just a crack in the ground

Our day started off like most North Wash days do- in the parking lot of the Hog Springs rest area. (The Sandthrax Campground, social hub of the North Wash area, does not have a bathroom. So, everyone drives 5 miles down the road to the rest area.) I always love to chat with other groups and find out where they're from, what they're doing, etc. The group I met that morning was headed out to do Blarney and questioned why on earth we'd want to do the Maidenwaters. They made a compelling argument for why these canyons would be filled with water. It was cold, and I was tired and cranky. I considered leaving right then. Brian insisted he had never seen much water in the middle fork (the first canyon of the day), and I'd already decided to leave before they did the south fork later that day. So I reluctantly agreed to do the canyon, but I was sure I was going for a swim.  The approach hike was scenic and not too difficult, although I was slower than usual that day

After everyone parted ways, Sarah and I decided to keep hanging out. She ditched all her plans in Phoenix, because it's not easy to voluntarily leave the beauty of southern Utah. We wanted to do something technical but were aware of our limitations. So, we chose Goblin's Lair at Goblin Valley State Park. An easy hike on a well-defined trail with just one rappel. Goblin Valley is such a unique place. I love looking at the hoodoos and imagining what they look like. Despite the maze of rock formations, it was easy to find our "canyon." It isn't even really a canyon, more like some scrambling with a cool rappel at the end. We found ourselves at that rappel all too soon. I think we were both a little nervous. Sarah is very new to canyoneering, and I'm somewhat experienced, but used to having someone check my work when I set up rappels. We couldn't see the ground from the top of the 100 foot rappel, so we decided to throw down much more rope than we thought we&#

I was tired the day after Granary, so I hung out with Allison back in Moab while the boys ran more canyons. I took Allison to see the Courthouse Wash rock art panels, and she took me to see some dinosaur tracks. Then we stopped by my favorite bookstore ever, Back of Beyond Books. I could spend hours and hours in there; poor Allison. I chatted with the lady working there about my love for Everett Ruess, and she led me back to the rare books section and showed me an original edition of On Desert Trails, signed by his parents. The price was $750. Maybe someday... Allison has a friend from high school who is a ranger at Canyonlands. We hung out at his house in Moab and drank beer and did yard work. (Well, Jake and Allison did work. I supervised.) It was a fun,  chill day.

I visited Hal's accident site on my way home from Utah yesterday. I sat on a rock and drank a beer and told him all about my small group's friendship with the Syrian family and how much we miss him. I wanted to leave something, so I built a rock cairn to indicate that this spot was sacred. I left a note with the Easter account from Matthew:  The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." #hope #resurrection #lovewins #emptytomb As I was about to leave, I thought to myself that I hadn't felt any type of energy in that spot, and that was strange. I tend to be sensitive to that type of thing; when I visit places where tragedies have happened, I can feel it. Somet

This was a weird birthday because I was sick. So, I alternated between sleeping and doing my favorite things.  I took a sick day on Friday, my actual birthday. I relaxed all morning, then went to the Cubs game with Sia, then relaxed some more. I think I was in bed by 9:00 because I really wasn't feeling well.  (I can't find my pics except on Instagram, so I just took screenshots. Sorry I am technology-illiterate.) I was supposed to do Shake Tree with Kristin and Adam on Saturday, but Adam was afflicted with the same thing I had. He stayed home, and Kristin indulged me by going on one of my AZ Bucket List hikes. The hike to Atascosa Lookout was fantastic! Amazing scenery in every direction. I didn't take many pictures, but I would highly recommend that hike to anyone. I love how different the landscape is in southern AZ; it transitions from desert to grassland. (Kristin doing yoga on the hike) (The summit) (Photo taken by Kristin) After sleeping for 11 hours (I really

"The day is our oyster!" was the theme for our day trip to Joshua Tree. The original plan was a simple day hike on the east side of the park so I could collect my stamp. But as we drove, our plan changed. Hannah had never been to JTree! How could I cheat her out of the best part of the park? We had to do this right. We started with lunch at Natural Sisters Cafe because I am obsessed with this place. This is an extremely unflattering picture of me licking the applesauce out of the container; it was that good.  Not long after we entered the park, we found a spot to pull over and explore. Hannah took a million pictures, and I climbed on rocks. Our hearts were happy.  We went on a few short hikes and posed by Skull Rock. (When I took my parents here, my mom said, "Pretend I'm a giant booger in its nose!" Like mother, like daughter.)  (BTW, Hannah coached me here and told me my face needed to look like I was a booger.) We observed this guy slacklining wa