Vacation 1
20240102.dailywriting
The trip to Grand Canyon was equal parts tiring and thrilling.
Though I was told about the length of drives between destinations, I was unprepared. 3 to 4 hours driving in the East Coast means you drive through several towns and cities. 3 to 4 hours driving in the Arizona / Utah/ Nevada area means long stretches of desert plains and little else.
The views continued to be breathtaking from the moment we hit the road. But the monotony made the drive challenging.
We landed in the Vegas night. What a sight. It lit up the night sky and made itself known before the plane landed. It was bright.
By the time we checked into the hotel and settled, it was past 10:00. We had a dinner reservation; now lapsed. Everyone had spoken of In-And-Out burgers, a local fast food joint, as a *must try*. There was one close to us in Las Vegas Blvd. Little did I know how crowded and obnoxious this place is. Driving there was madness. Parking was madness. The number of people out at night in this tiny road, madness. The place was colder, due to it being a wind tunnel.
Yet, we made it to the iconic burger place. Again, crowded. My mask stayed on the entire time. The restaurant was a packed sardine can. That did not surprise me at this point. What did, was the rate at which people were cycling through. The entire machine was *efficient*. It lived up to its name, in and out.Food came out of the kitchen at the same absurd pace that customers came in.Fast food, indeed.
Our order was the basic double and fries. The taste was nothing to write home about (it’s a burger), but the fast service and low cost knocks it up a few notches.
We broke fast at Blueberry Hill the next morning. It was a wholesome local breakfast joint. I had read about it before and went expecting a west coast iHop experience. It was better than that. Less corporate, more family oriented (and a tad more religious than I would have preferred). But it was to be expected. The food was quick and the folks were nice. Who could ask for more?
We departed towards Zion National Park soon after. It was going to be a scenic - but as mentioned above- long drive. And it was. By the time we arrived, it was nearing 3pm. Enough time for a drive up to the top, and a quick hike. By this point, I thought I was accustomed to the mountains and desert colors. Nothing prepared me for the absolute transformation it takes when the sun sets. Everything shines like gold.
To say it was breathtaking is not an understatement.
It was.
We drove through the Dixie forest towards Bryce Canyon. The drive this time was exhilarating. It was through the stone arches and by the cliffs. I am convinced this was the most beautiful drive of my life. Every sight was another natural wonder. I feared that this awesome view would distract me to our death - the cliffs were a steep drop. My wife agreed.
The thrill of this drive did not lessen when the sun set. When it got dark, it got dark hard. I could turn off my headlight and see the stars in the sky. Unreal. And, unwise to do in a steep, twisting and turning, single lane road as the lonesome car without any cell signal.
We were fortunate in that we stopped by in Cedar City to grab a quick dinner, because we learned late that Bryce Canyon does not offer much in terms of late night cuisine. Unlucky, that it was Christmas Eve and our first dozen picks were closed. Lucky that a tiny Japanese Hibachi restaurant remained open.
We arrived at the next hotel much in the same fashion as the first one. Late. Close to the final hour of check-in. This trend continues throughout the trip.
The trip to Grand Canyon was equal parts tiring and thrilling.
Though I was told about the length of drives between destinations, I was unprepared. 3 to 4 hours driving in the East Coast means you drive through several towns and cities. 3 to 4 hours driving in the Arizona / Utah/ Nevada area means long stretches of desert plains and little else.
The views continued to be breathtaking from the moment we hit the road. But the monotony made the drive challenging.
We landed in the Vegas night. What a sight. It lit up the night sky and made itself known before the plane landed. It was bright.
By the time we checked into the hotel and settled, it was past 10:00. We had a dinner reservation; now lapsed. Everyone had spoken of In-And-Out burgers, a local fast food joint, as a *must try*. There was one close to us in Las Vegas Blvd. Little did I know how crowded and obnoxious this place is. Driving there was madness. Parking was madness. The number of people out at night in this tiny road, madness. The place was colder, due to it being a wind tunnel.
Yet, we made it to the iconic burger place. Again, crowded. My mask stayed on the entire time. The restaurant was a packed sardine can. That did not surprise me at this point. What did, was the rate at which people were cycling through. The entire machine was *efficient*. It lived up to its name, in and out.Food came out of the kitchen at the same absurd pace that customers came in.Fast food, indeed.
Our order was the basic double and fries. The taste was nothing to write home about (it’s a burger), but the fast service and low cost knocks it up a few notches.
We broke fast at Blueberry Hill the next morning. It was a wholesome local breakfast joint. I had read about it before and went expecting a west coast iHop experience. It was better than that. Less corporate, more family oriented (and a tad more religious than I would have preferred). But it was to be expected. The food was quick and the folks were nice. Who could ask for more?
We departed towards Zion National Park soon after. It was going to be a scenic - but as mentioned above- long drive. And it was. By the time we arrived, it was nearing 3pm. Enough time for a drive up to the top, and a quick hike. By this point, I thought I was accustomed to the mountains and desert colors. Nothing prepared me for the absolute transformation it takes when the sun sets. Everything shines like gold.
To say it was breathtaking is not an understatement.
It was.
We drove through the Dixie forest towards Bryce Canyon. The drive this time was exhilarating. It was through the stone arches and by the cliffs. I am convinced this was the most beautiful drive of my life. Every sight was another natural wonder. I feared that this awesome view would distract me to our death - the cliffs were a steep drop. My wife agreed.
The thrill of this drive did not lessen when the sun set. When it got dark, it got dark hard. I could turn off my headlight and see the stars in the sky. Unreal. And, unwise to do in a steep, twisting and turning, single lane road as the lonesome car without any cell signal.
We were fortunate in that we stopped by in Cedar City to grab a quick dinner, because we learned late that Bryce Canyon does not offer much in terms of late night cuisine. Unlucky, that it was Christmas Eve and our first dozen picks were closed. Lucky that a tiny Japanese Hibachi restaurant remained open.
We arrived at the next hotel much in the same fashion as the first one. Late. Close to the final hour of check-in. This trend continues throughout the trip.