Week 7: Zion, Bryce Canyon, and the Journey Home

DAY 43: June 30th

6,885 miles driven; 88 miles hiked; 12 states

I’m not in the mood to write this right now, but that’s honestly reflective of my day. After dragging myself out of bed, attempting to plan, and packing up, I set out to drive to Zion National Park. Unfortunately, upon trying to look up directions, I discovered that the main road through the park was damaged yesterday in extensive flash floods. As a result, what would normally have been a 2.5-hour drive turned into a 4-hour drive that crossed state lines four times! This isn’t a big deal. I’ve been incredibly lucky to avoid the heatwave and to just miss these disastrous floods. But particularly when I’m not feeling well mentally, when I’m exhausted and sad and in pain, small setbacks can be devastating. Due to the delays and the time change (losing an hour is much less fun than gaining one…), I didn’t end up arriving in Zion National Park until around 5:30 PM. I decided to push hiking back to tomorrow and set up camp. I mapped out the rest of the trip(!!) and had great Zoom calls with my parents, grandparents, and Angelina. I’m ready to get in one more solid day of exploring before the marathon drive back home!

DAY 44: July 1st

7,025 miles driven; 92 miles hiked; 12 states

I had an awful night of sleep again. There’s something here that’s making my allergies terrible. Being constantly congested isn’t new, but having watery eyes, an irritated runny nose, and sneezing uncontrollably is not pleasant. Combined with the heat, which left me sweating under my thin sheet, I had a very difficult time falling asleep.

Due to the aforementioned allergies and rough night, I had a slow morning. Unfortunately, this meant that I ended up not being able to find parking in Zion National Park. After circling many parking lots with no luck, I ended up continuing on a couple of hours to Bryce Canyon National Park.

I made the right choice – Bryce Canyon was gorgeous and the weather was better farther north. I went on a 3-mile hike (Queen’s/Navajo Combination Loop) through the canyon. There were incredible views around every turn. It was so surreal! Unsurprisingly, climbing out of a canyon is far more difficult than climbing down! After two inactive days, it felt great to exercise again.

After my hike, I drove back an hour to Duck Creek Campground. It’s hard to believe that this is my last night camping (I’m staying in hotels for the next two nights)! This is a lovely one to end on. I still can’t breathe and am always on the verge of a sneeze, but there are lots of birds and adorable chipmunks to keep me company.

It’s starting to sink in that I’m actually going home. I have mixed feelings. This trip has been incredible and I’m sad to see it come to an end. I’ve loved living minimally and having agency. It’ll definitely be an adjustment to go back to living with my parents! On the other hand, I can’t wait to be back with the people and kitties I love. I’ve missed hugs! And having access to a flush toilet and shower whenever I want?! And a bed?! What luxury!

DAY 45: July 2nd

7,155 miles driven; 92 miles hiked; 12 states

I still have terrible allergies and woke up in pain with my shoulder subluxated again, but overall today was a nice day to slow down and relax. After packing up camp, I drove two hours to Page, Arizona. Because Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, I ended up changing time zones again. I didn’t realize this when I left (I didn’t have internet and drove without directions), so I ended up with unexpected time to kill before I could check in to the hotel. I ended up working for a few hours at a local library, which had a great view from the window!

Once at the hotel, I worked out, showered, and prepped for the drive. I’m still around 1,100 miles from home and have at least 17 hours of driving in the next two days (and will lose two hours to time zone changes). I’m not thrilled at the prospect of driving 8+ hours a day, which I’ve found to be quite difficult on my body, but the driving shouldn’t be too challenging and I’ll be home at the end of it!

DAY 46: July 3rd

7,665 miles driven; 92 miles hiked; 12 states

Today was a full day of driving. It wasn’t the most comfortable (my joints are acting up so I’ve been in a decent amount of pain), but the driving was easy. Driving for hours upon hours through flat desert isn’t the most interesting, but it’s far less work than winding slowly up a mountain on narrow roads! Once I finally arrived at my hotel in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, I had a good long run on the elliptical and a nice shower. After sitting for so long, exercising felt wonderful.

The drive home from here is at least nine hours, not counting the time needed to stop for gas and bathrooms. I’m not thrilled at the prospect of another long day in the car, but at least I have my kitty and parents at the end!

DAY 47: July 4th

8,245 miles driven; 92 miles hiked; 12 states

This is it! I had another full day of driving. The first stretch, 3.5 hours to Lubbock, was the most difficult. I didn’t sleep particularly well, nor for as long as I would have liked. Driving drowsy can be just as dangerous as driving drunk, so I ended up taking a power nap and getting some coffee after filling up on gas in Lubbock.

The remaining 5.5 hours were uneventful, if long. The Texas trees all seem so short after being in the Pacific Northwest! It’s surreal to be surrounded by Texas license plates again and driving on roads I know.

It still hasn’t hit me that I’m home. I find that I’m often quite disoriented after driving long distances (particularly when crossing time zones or state lines), and that’s only magnified by my routines and environment also changing. It’ll definitely take a few days to recharge, unpack, and get settled again!

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Well, this is it! I have a couple more reflective posts planned, but the journey is done. Thank you so much for following along and for the supportive comments!