A Solo Road Trip Through Utah

River water drips from my can back to the stream I snatched it from – nature’s built-in refrigerator saves the day once again, chilling the beer that was baking for hours in the back seat of my rental car under Utah’s hot sun. “Cheers!” we all said through smiles, waist-deep in a hidden swimming hole in the heart of Zion National Park with a full day of exploration under our hip belts.

This morning we were strangers, each hiking Zion’s red rocks for our own reasons from hometowns stretching sea to sea. But if there’s a place that can bring people together with its beauty, magic and the promise of adventure, it’s Zion.

As much as I want to assign some profound reason as to why I embarked on this three-day solo road trip through Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, there isn’t one, other than finding myself with a few free days to fill, a thirst for adventure and a cheap flight to two destinations that have been on my must-list for years. So, here’s a collection of meaningful moments from my short excursion, but as Anthony Bourdain once said, “It’s an irritating reality, that many places defy description.” However, “in the end, you’re just happy you were there – with your eyes open – and lived to see it.”

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