Day 8

Rest area to canyons to campground in the mountain valley

Woke up around 6. Forgot I had stopped at a rest area for the night. Reorganized my car and camper somewhat better so I can pretty much just pull over wherever now and move 1 thing (my workout bench) and call it a night. I pack up and hit the road. Destination: Island in the Sky Canyonlands.

Pull in around 9:30-10. Take my first picture. An endless valley carved by water forming insane scars and crevices. It’s beautiful. A gentle cold breeze, glowing blue sky and the radiant warm sun make for a picture perfect day.

I hiked Aztec Butte, and a few others to a total of just under 7 miles. Wasn’t at much as I’d hoped to get in but time is always an issue. It’s the one thing we can never have enough of. No matter what you do or where you go time will always constrain you.

It’s the one thing we are always in handcuffs from. We have no choice. We can’t make more. I’m learning slowly how to use my time more wisely and use it to my best advantage. That’s one of the hardest things in life is to figure out where to use your energy and for how long on what to use it. It’s a problem we all have.

After the views and getting some great hiking in my legs were shot and off to another national park to find a campsite. Again, we got lost and ended up driving down a canyon. Vertical walls on each side. Pitch black out. I can faintly see a river to my left. No service. Internally panicking. “Well now what am I going to do?”

We push forward and try to find the site we have been looking for. I realized I passed it along time ago and now I’m completely lost. No service at all. In the bottom of a canyon on a highway I don’t even know the number of. But I do know it’s a national park and generally they have multiple camping sites. So I drive on for miles. Looking at each sign I pass praying it’s a camper symbol. And finally, slowly I see a small brown sign come into the light. It’s a campground. Fruita campground.

I finally find it after meandering through a bunch of switch backs and there I find a site. $20 dollars for the night and it’s already after 7 so I can’t use my generator. Time to be creative and master up a meal.

Let’s just say I didn’t sleep the best. Stressed about where I was. No idea where to go tomorrow and I know the highway I’m on is not on my US road map I have. Well, it’s time to try and sleep. Hit the journey again tomorrow and do a small meditation to relax and calm the nerves.

Until next time my friends,

Support the intended

Bryce P

#nationalparks #camperlife #moving #vanlife #journey #nature #positive #adventure