Besides from people watching, I find an interest not in eavesdropping, but rather over hearing other people’s conversations. At times, we hear the most ridiculous, and at times we here the most sublime. At Yellowstone, I over heard a twelve year old girl said to her Mom “I DON’T LIKE NATURE.” Subsequently, Marilyn heard the same girl tell her mom while they go into a river hot spring “THIS IS BORING.” I would have slapped that child instantly if she was mine. I can only imagine what kind of trouble her parents did to get her to Wyoming. Perhaps they drove thousands of miles like we did, or they paid an outrageous amount for an airfare. Bottom line, that child needs to learn how to appreciate what her parents are doing for her.
Our road trip seems so long time ago now. I’m going to try not telling into full details how Hang fell off a log while crossing a creek and Marilyn busted out laughing. Or, how Hang and I played the ultimate gas game driving through the I-70’s 110-miles stretch with no gas station. Not even the fact that I almost got arrested for urinating in public in front of the police. But what I wanted to share is the sheer beauty of the places we’ve visited, and, how fun a true road trip with couple good friends can be!
Going backcountry at Yellowstone is clearly a must do. Trekking along, we saw few thermal baths and geysers. We even bathed in a creek where its cold water is mixed with the thermal bath’s 170-degree Fahrenheit water. It’s almost surreal to hike through miles after miles into a dense forest of dying trees. At the first night, we camped by the banks of the glorious Heart Lake. No can be found within 10-mile radius. Well then, we party. We finished a bottle of Jack I carried in my backpack for 12-miles. As it poured rain all night, we got wasted in our tent scaring off the bears. This debauchery continued on night after night. Nature eh?
After our backcountry experience, we explored Yellowstone by car. Witnessing the Old Faithful erupts was pretty darn cool. But after a while, all the geysers and hot thermals all started to look the same. Yes, I know the thermals are hot, and we are indeed walking on a live volcano - hip hip horay. We then drove to Bozeman, Montana. There is something lovely about Bozeman. The people perhaps? The people in Montana are probably the friendliest amongst the states I’ve visited.
We fled Jackson Hole, Wyoming from being arrested after yet another night of consuming an excess amount of alcohol. After a night of heavy drinking, we made Marilyn drive us from Jackson Hole to Salt Lake non-stop. She was pissed off and irritated that we not once offered to drive. Hang said he was dizzy, and I was in the back seat passed out. I suppose “I’m sorry” is due. We opted not to stay in Salt Lake since the place we originally booked a room was a piece of crap, but we managed to see a few things such as the Mormon church, the Mormon Village, and the states Capital building. After dropping off Marilyn at the airport, Hang and I drove to Moab, UT to see the Arches.
Starting of our exploration in Utah at the Arches National Park was just right. Why not start with a bang eh? I know I should never compare places I’ve visited, but it’s so hard not to compare the Arches to the sights I’ve seen in the Middle East. The weather, the landscape, and my scarf - it’s so easy to reminisce. Take note - visiting and paying $20 to go into Dead Horse National Park was a scam! You dive up a mile to go to a view point and nothing more. After that, we got scared to go into Canyonlands because it’s probably the same sh$t. Yes, we were park-OUT! The next day we visited Bryce Canyon. I didn’t care for Bryce that much. Again, maybe I was just park-out, or tired. But seriously, after a while, all these canyons started to look the same.
Our last stop in Utah was Zion National Park. Again, at this point we were done with the parks and just wanted to get to Vegas. We got to the east entrance of the park and we were so cheap to pay $25 to enter, and decided to leave. After contemplating for some time, we realized that going through Zion is the most direct way to get to Las Vegas. We succumbed and paid the fee, and it was worth every penny. I’ve seen many beautiful places in my travels. Let me tell you - Zion will rank to be one of the best. Driving through a narrow zigzag road at the base of 2,000+ feet ancient sand dunes was intimidating. The grandness of these hardened sand dunes in my book is incomparable, at least for now.
We finally made it to Vegas. Our friend Mike delivered and booked us a hotel room that opens up to the pool. Score! The funny part about being in Vegas was – we didn’t feel like partying. Maybe we were just exhausted after days of partying in the woods. The next day, after we had dim sum for lunch then proceeded to California to see Death Valley, the lowest point in Northern America. Ha! I can now say that I’ve been to the two lowest points on earth (Dead Sea and Death Valley). It was excruciatingly hot, but worth the visit. The highlight was the Sand Dunes. I again reverted back to my memories of the sand dunes in Quarzazate, Morrocco. I guess I can say: same same but different. The drive home from Death Valley was just unreal. It’s a place where silence can easily take a hold of you. The valley overlooking the mountain range is a work of art. I wish you could have been there with me.
The places I’ve visited for eleven days can be described with infinite superlatives. There were moments such as viewing the glorious sunset of pastel colors at Yellowstone Lake that will forever be painted in my mind; or the memories with Marilyn and Hang offending our two Californian neighbors in our campground that we can only reminisce amongst ourselves without offending anyone. We all travel with the purpose of satisfying ourselves. Yes, some prefer to go abroad, some local, some likes to be frugal, and some likes to be extravagant. But as long as you're having fun, that’s all that matters. And indeed, I had a blast!
