***This post is from a trip I took at the beginning of the Summer, but I want to get the trip down in writing.***
Sunset at the wedding venue
Day One 6/28
Jacob and I headed to PDX around 4 am to catch our 6 am flight to Albuquerque. We arrived in ABQ around noon and caught an Uber to get our rental. Our Uber driver was an awesome lady who drove us to our destination and told us about the history of ABQ and the different neighborhoods. It was a great welcome to the city. From there, we picked up our rental car and drove about 45 minutes north, to Santa Fe. We went to New Mexico for my best friend’s wedding and Santa Fe is where the bachelorette party was happening. Jacob and I went our separate ways, me with the other ladies and him for an afternoon/night of solo exploring.
The ladies and I rented a cute little casita and Jacob stayed just down the street at Las Palomas Hotel (would totally stay at both again!). The gals and I got ready for the night and headed to Old Town Santa Fe, we had dinner at Del Charro and then got into a speakeasy at Coyote Den and had one of the fanciest drinks of my life. We stayed up way too late and eventually head back to the casita for bed.
Laura (bride) and me
Day Two 6/29
The next morning I woke up early, after not getting a good night of sleep. Since I was up I walked to the nearby grocery store and got some fruit and muffins for all the girls for breakfast. We all got ready, I got Jacob, and we all headed back to ABQ. The next event? Rehearsal and lunch. We wrapped up the walk through and lunch in the early afternoon, which meant Jacob and I had the rest of the day to explore old town ABQ. We walked around in the heat, popping into shops to get some AC. We checked into our hotel and Hotel Albuquerque and took a dip in the outdoor pool. (Shout out to our hotel in ABQ it was lovely and had some of the best soap in the rooms). After the swim, we were both so exhausted from the first day of travel we got dinner at the hotel and spent the night watching HGTV until we fell asleep.
Day Three 6/30
Wedding day!! Jacob and I woke up early, like we do, and went out to explore ABQ a little more until 1 pm (when wedding prep began). We grabbed some last minute things for the next stage of our trip and prepped our bags for leaving the hotel.
The wedding was happening at a bed and breakfast called Casa De Suenos. I can only describe this location as a magical whimsical garden. From the moment I arrived fell in love. This property had unique casitas, the little details were on point, had a beautiful courtyard, and so much more. It was perfect.
The bride and groom had arranged it so the bridal party had their own casita the night of the wedding and since I was a bridesmaid, Jacob and I got one of these rooms. We put our stuff in the room and I said goodbye to Jacob once more. I was with the wonderful women from the bachelorette party again and it was time to get ready.
The ceremony started at 4 pm and it was a hot 95 degrees. Even with the heat, it was the perfect ceremony: thoughtful, full of love and short. After the ceremony, the normal party festivities began. There was dancing, dinner, margaritas, and delicious cupcakes. We all danced, laughed, and had the best time. I was honored to be a bridesmaid for my beautiful friend’s wedding and her now husband is a lucky man.
Day Four 7/1
Today is the day, our trip shifts from wedding focus to adventure. We grabbed a delicious breakfast (I had a breakfast quesadilla) and the whole bridal party was there! We ate together and said our goodbyes. Jacob and I packed up our tiny rental car, which was a Chevy Spark we named Sharky and hit the road. Our goal was to get to Durango, CO.
Sharky in Colorado
The drive took about 5 hours with stopping and we got to Durango around noon. We checked into our Airbnb then headed to the downtown area where we spent the majority of the afternoon going to the shops and talking with art gallery owners. Eventually we started to get hot, and we saw the Animas river on our drive in and decided to head that way to cool down. We saw rafters a lot of rafters on the river and decided if we were to come back to Durango, we’d definitely want to do a rafting trip.
On the Animas River
Later that night we grabbed burgers and beer at Carver Brewing Co, went shopping for the meals that were to come over the next days when we were going to be camping.
Day Five 7/2
Today we woke up nice and early at 5:30 am, we had about an 8-hour drive ahead of us and wanted to make stops along the way. We listened to music, talked and were in awe of the new views.
The first stop of the day was Arches National Park in Moab, UT. We arrived at the park around 11 am and waited in line just to get into the park for 1 hour. If we were to go back, I’d be sure to get into the park or late afternoon (when we left there was no line!). Once in the park, the frustration we had from waiting in line instantly went away, this was really our first time seeing the rock formations and canyons Utah has to offer. We drove to the end of the park to see Double Arches. This area was crawling with tourists, but it didn’t matter we were still able to appreciate everything. Trying to take the picture to the left below, was actually easier than expected. People waited for each other to get up there and then you could get your snap when it was your turn. We only had time to stay in the park for one hour, so we definitely didn’t get to see everything. Someday, I will be back there to spend the full day.
After Arches, we hit the road again. The next stretch of the drive the posted speed limit was 80 mph. Now let me tell you, while Sharky is cute he isn’t so mighty. We could barely go 80 mph and whenever a semi passed (yes we got passed by semi’s) the whole car would shake. To get a little break from driving we randomly decided to stop at Goblin Valley. This canyon was so different from anything that we saw on our whole trip, I’d definitely stop again it’s a great place to get a little break from driving. We hit the road again and didn’t stop until we got to Bryce Canyon.
We arrived at Bryce Canyon – Sunset Campground (where we stayed) around 8 pm and set up camp. Once set up we were hungry and started to set up our stove, but there was a problem. The stove wasn’t lighting. We tried different things for about an hour but still no success. After I got pretty frustrated we came to the conclusion something was wrong and the stove wouldn’t work tonight. Luckily, Bryce is a big enough park there was a lodge with a fancy restaurant and a pizza place (Valhalla Pizza). We settled for the cheapish pizza place. While we waited for our pizza we walked to the rim of Bryce Canyon, this was our first time seeing it. I immediately was in love. It was unlike anything I had ever seen and completely different from the PNW. We watched the sun go down and scurried back to the pizza place. When we got back to camp it had gotten dark so we went in our tent, and ate our very mediocre pizza, and called it a night.
Bryce Canyon at sunset
Day Six 7/3
The alarm went off at 4 am this morning. It was dark and quiet, we shuffled our way to the car and drove for 1.5 hours. The plan today? Zion National Park. I started driving but quickly realized I was too tired to drive and there were far too many deer hanging by the side of the road, so Jacob took over and drove. We arrived at Zion at the east entrance and got to drive through the park just as the sun was rising. There were few cars out on this side of the park, it was a magical feeling to see the color on the silent canyon walls.
Our thought of getting to Zion early was to get on an early shuttle to start our hike. We had heard stories of how busy it can get and thought if we got on that first 7 am shuttle things would be okay. Boy, were we wrong. We arrived at the 7 am projected time but there was already a long line, we waited in line for about an hour until getting on a shuttle to go into the main section of the park. We only had a day to explore Zion so we decided to skip the tourist-filled Narrows and Angels Landing hikes and do Observation Point instead. This hike is 8 miles with an elevation gain of over 2,100 feet. The trail was well maintained, definitely had some steep inclines, but also had some stunning views of not only the main canyon but Echo canyon too. This was our first hike in the desert and it was hot. If you are ever going hiking in this area bring a lot of water. We both had 2L camelbacks and a Nalgene bottle each. For every hike we did, we both finished our water.
We arrived at the top and it was beautiful. There were people up there too, but not crazy crowded or anything. I peered over the edge while Jacob cringed at thinking of going close to the edge (he has a fear of heights). We ate some food at the top and stared at the vast canyon.
Top of Observation Point
When we got back to the trailhead we jumped on the shuttle going back to the lodge, grabbed a sandwich and headed to a grassy lawn to eat. When we were done eating we both realized we still had time to squeeze a tiny hike in, the shuttle driver had gone on and on about how beautiful the Emerald Pools were, so we gave that a shot. It was only a 1/2 mile to the first pool. When we arrived at the pool it was far from Emerald, instead, more of a mud brown color. We turned around and weaved through the slow walkers back to the start of that trail. There was a great swim hole here, we both stripped down and jumped in. This was the best, we didn’t have a shower back at the campground so not only did this dip cool us down but it also washed all the trail dust away.
In a canyon at Observation Point
We dried off and got back on the shuttle to head back to the car. Once back, we drove to the town of Springdale, we were in desperate search for a camp stove since our appeared to be broken. We found a camp shop and picked up a brand new MSR Pocket Rocket 2, we cheered and headed back to Sunset Campground at Bryce. Just as we were almost out of the park we noticed a whole family of bighorn sheep munching away, we had seen signs for them while in the park and were both so excited to actually get to see them. When we arrived back at the campground we made some dinner, drank beer, and talked. It was a perfectly relaxing evening.
Day Seven 7/4
Happy birthday USA! Today we finally got to stop driving and spent the whole day at Bryce. We woke up with sunrise and got ready for the day. Today we’d be hiking the Fairyland Loop trail, which is about 8 miles and only 1,700ft of elevation. We started early to beat both the heat and other hikers.
On Fairland Loop Trail
This was by far my favorite hike, this hike brought you down in the canyon so you could look up at the hoodoos and the formations. The hike had very little shade but the high was only about 85, so it wasn’t too bad, but again, bring water(!!!!). This trail wasn’t very populated at all, and most of the times people were passing us the other direction. We zig zagged our way down the canyon, wandered the canyon floor and then huffed and puffed our way back up to the rim of the canyon.
When we were done with the hike an ice cold beer sounded perfect. We made our way to Valhalla Pizza and asked for a beer. We quickly found out that in the state of Utah at a restaurant establishment you can’t order alcohol on its own, you have to get food with it. So I saw a bowl of fruit and asked if that counts as food, they said yes so we split an apple with our beer.
Fairyland Loop Trail
After our beer, my feet started to hurt really bad. Jacob still had enough energy to do one more hike so we parted ways. He went off to the Navajo Loop trail and I went back to camp. When back at camp I wiped off the trail dust with a wet cloth, attempted to wash some clothes, drank some more beer and read in my hammock. It was a great way to spend the afternoon after six very busy days.
Day Eight 7/5
Another early morning today. We woke up to see the sunrise over Bryce Canyon, we were told that this was a must while you were at the canyon. We made our way over to Sunrise Point and waited. It was a lovely morning and when the sun came up over the hoodoos, the whole canyon lit up. Wow. It was beautiful. I 100% recommend seeing the sunrise at Bryce, I’d get up again at that ungodly hour to view it again.
Sunrise over Bryce Canyon
After the sunrise, we made our way back to camp and started to pack up, it was our last day at Bryce. We packed lightly so we left mid-morning and got back in Sharky. We waved goodbye to Bryce but were both excited for the next stop, the Grand Canyon.
The drive to Grand Canyon felt long, but we went through some cool canyon areas and then experienced some of our first flat deserts since New Mexico. We stopped here and there but our only planned stop was at Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ. I had seen this spot pop up on my Instagram feed and was so excited to see it in real life. We hiked the 1/2 mile through the hot sand and dodged tourist, but it was worth it. The river was this beautiful green blue color and the way it turned was stunning. Even though this was only a short hike bring water, it was HOT out there, you need it even if you think you don’t.
Horseshoe Bend
When we got back to our car we realized we were going to get to the Grand Canyon much earlier than expected, around 2/3 pm (aka the hottest part of the day). I noticed the city of Flagstaff, AZ wasn’t too far and had good things about it before. So, to avoid the 100+ degree heat, we decided to detour or drive and head to downtown Flagstaff. The first thing we did was get some iced tea at Steep, it was hot and this cooled us down. We then walked around the town, checked out different outdoor shops and explored. All our exploring made us hungry, so we went to a local brewpub, Dark Sky. They specialize in new/different kind of flavors of beer, like lemon drop, smokey beer, strawberry shortcake stout and so much more. If you are ever in Flagstaff, I’d definitely check it out. We each got a beer, had some tacos and were happy.
After Dark Sky, we both felt ready to head out and get our campsite set up, so we hit the road again. We arrived at the Grand Canyon in the evening and got camp set up at Mather Campground on the south rim. We were excited to see the canyon so we hopped on the shuttle and made our way to the Visitor Center. We arrived just in time for sunset and both just stood there for a while. The canyon is HUGE. You can stare at it for hours just watching the colors change and finding something new. After the sun went down we got some burgers at Bright Angel Lodge then headed back to camp.
Sunset over the Grand Canyon
Day Nine 7/6
We woke up real early this morning in hopes to catch the sunrise over the canyon. We made it to the shuttle stop but missed it by a couple minutes, when it’s really early the shuttle only runs every half hour so we missed the sunrise. Once the second shuttle made its way to us we hopped on and stayed on until the Bright Angel Lodge stop. We were told we needed to be off the trails by 10 am, which is why we got the 5:30 am start.
We decided to do the popular Bright Angel Trail and our goal was to make it to the three-mile resthouse. Going down the trail was a breeze, I can see how people could go too far and get in trouble. We got lucky with the weather this day. It was predicted to be a hot 100+ degree day, but the morning was forgiving by providing us with some nice cloud cover. We made it down to the resthouse in no time, ate some food and chatted with backpackers that were down on the floor of the canyon the night before.
View from Bright Angel Trail
We noticed the temp was starting to rise and decided to head back up. In comparison to the hike we did at Zion, the elevation gain wasn’t too bad for us so we hiked up rather quickly. We made it back up to the top and got some delicious milkshakes to celebrate.
When we got back to camp we were also rewarded with 8-minute showers. This was the best shower I’ve had in a while. At this point, we hadn’t had a real shower since 7/2 and had been hiking and camping for all that time in between. After we were clean and for the rest of the day we explored the visitor center, ate some pizza at a restaurant and hung out at camp.
One thing I was shocked by at the South Rim is a number of elk there are. In the middle of the desert seeing and elk is the last thing I would expect. I learned the elk are actually transplanted from Yellowstone. When you’re on the shuttle going through the park you’ll always see a handful of elk meandering about. Even in our campsite, they would hang out, some even got a few feet away from me while I was reading in my hammock. So, if you ever go to the South Rim, keep an eye out!
Day Ten 7/7
Phew, day ten, our final day of camping. This morning we were determined to see the sunrise, so instead of waiting for the shuttle we took Sharky and drove to the Visitor Center. We found a nice spot among the others that braved the 4 am sunrise and waited. The sun started to rise then promptly hide behind a cloud. While we were disappointed, we laughed it off and saw the sun rise over the huge cloud.
Sunrise over Grand Canyon
On the way back to the car we were reviewing all the animals we had seen on the trip (prairie dog, deer, elk, chipmunk, squirrel and bighorn sheep). When in the Visitor Center we saw a film talking about the rare California Condor, and just as we were discussing the animals and how neat it would be to see a condor, I swear, one flew right over our heads. It was the perfect way to saw goodbye,, watching the California Condor fly away into the canyon.
We packed up our camp and headed out. The goal today was to get to Buckeye, AZ where we would stay at my grandparents until 7/9. On our way, we stopped in Sedona, AZ for a quick bite to eat and stretch our legs. We then jumped back in the car and wrapped up the 5-hour drive. During the drive, Jacob saw his first sequoia cactus and we discussed the trip highs and lows. When we arrived at my grandparents’ house it was a blazing 120 degrees but we were happy to be back in a house where we could relax for a couple of days.
——–
Overall, this trip was amazing. I’m so thankful I was able to experience this amazing part of our country. During this adventure, I was able to celebrate my best friend getting married, grow closer to Jacob, rent my first car, see Colorado for the first time, problem solve, and explore four major national parks.
Magnets collected throughout the trip
If you ever get the chance to do this trip, I highly recommend it. There are definitely ways to make it cheap, we ate out a good amount, but if you cut that out, it’d be very cheap. You can also (and should) get the America The Beautiful Pass, it’ll get you into all the parks at $80 a year for the pass, rather than paying each park’s $15-30 entrance fee.
Love this life and love yourself!
-Mallery
To Be Mallery 
