SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We arrived early enough to set up camp and aventure a little. You have to drive through a mountain tunnel to get into the park and it is so amazing. Checking in took a little longer and the drive into the park was a bit slow with traffic. But that is to be expected this time of year.
This is maybe the most beautiful place I have been in the United States.
The park is walled around, by steep cliffs and makes an oasis in the middle of the desert. I think my favorite spot was the Weeping Rock. I spent so much time sitting there in the cool, calm, alcove listening to the water dripping overhear.
For another cautionary camping tale…
When camping in the desert in summer, stay hydrated, be careful, and watch your friends for signs of strange behavior. I think my friend nearly had heat stroke during this trip. The temperature was up to 45C (113F) in the early morning. This was the direct temperature, and not the heat index. During breakfast, he started behaving a little strangely. I watched him take the rain fly off the tent and walk across it while mumbling. Ever the boyscout, always so careful with his tools, I knew this was incredibly out of character for him. Although a subtle sign to anyone unfamiliar with the person, I can say that after 20 years of friendship, this was enough of an indicator of confusion for me that I knew he needed to cool down ASAP. My Tiny Grown Up was red in the face already and acting tired. So I packed them up some bottles of water and marched them immediately down to the river.
I sat them in the shade, told them to put their feet in the water and drink the water. I returned to camp for towels and snacks and whatever else we might need to spend the day in the stream. When I returned, there were two completely different people waiting for me. Both were energized and refreshed. I told them to stay in the water anyway. We played in the water until the midday heat had passed.
PigTailz 