The Walls are Closing in Already!!!

High Desert Panorama

   So, based on the title you would think that I was already tired of being cooped up in a 60 sq. ft. trailer and that Tiny House Nation isn't for me, but you would be wrong.
    The third leg of our trip found us driving to the small town of Hurricane, Utah.  When we arrived around mid afternoon, we took a rest to beat the 105 degree heat.

View from the clubhouse balcony at Sand Hallow

    After our rest, we didn't waste any time.  We went to play a little golf at Sand Hallow Golf Resort.  When I say a little golf, I mean, we went and played nine holes on the par three course.  I wanted to get the girls warmed up to play golf, since they had not touched a club for the past two weeks.  We had a great time and it was a good start to getting ready for golf across the country.  We had a little competition to see who would have to do dishes that evening, unfortunately Taylor was the victim of a bad putter.  She is ready to trade in the one she has for a new one.
    Sand Hallow is an outstanding facility.  It is quality high desert golf.  They have a championship course, nine hole links course and the nine hole chipping course that we played on.  The cost in the afternoon is only $35 for 18 holes with cart.  By the way, the practice facility is outstanding as well.  I would love to run The First Tee of Hurricane at this facility.  Just kidding!

Taylor rocking the trail!!

    Returning to the trailer from our very competitive golf competition, we promptly switched out of our golf togs and jumped into our mountain biking gear.  I had done a bit of research and found some awesome mountain bike trails near our campground.  Along with easing the girls into golf, we did the same at the mountain biking area near Hurricane, in preparation for later mountain biking excursions.  The trails were outstanding and very appropriate for the ability of everybody.  There is nothing better than mountain biking in the high desert in the late evening.  The air and the sunset were spectacular.

    The following day, we made our way to the area that makes Hurricane similar to Oakhurst.  Hurricane is actually base camp for many people going to Zion National Park.  So, we made our way to the Visitor Center at Zion.  From there, we took the shuttle up to the end of the route.  This is the entrance to The Narrows.  The Narrows is the part of Zion, in which people hike through the river and the narrow canyon walls.  The trip was an awesome experience, but when we first started I was a little disappointed.  The canyon walls were not as narrow as I had imagined and there were way too many people for my taste.  Fortunately, the farther you go up the canyon, the narrower the canyon walls and a lot less people.  We even got to a section that had a small tributary coming into the main river.  After scoping it out we decided to take the tributary.  It turned out to be a great choice, because the canyon walls closed in upon us, so much so that it blocked out the sun and you could barely see a sliver of sky between them.  The other great thing was the lack of people and the extra bonus of deep pools and waterfalls.  Cecelia, the girls and I hiked up a ways and stopped for lunch near one of the deepest pools.
    Lunch seemed to just taste a little better than usual.  I don't know, I think it was the company combined with the atmosphere.  Completing our short meal, we explored up the creek a little more and then began to make our way back.  Overall, it was an outstanding excursion.  Unfortunately on the way back we had a couple of casualties.  Somehow, my water resistant phone and Claire's iPhone 6 got wet and refused to function any longer.  It wasn't like they were submerged or dropped, they just got a little residue on them.  So, if you have either an iPhone 6 or the new Droid Turbo don't get them near water.  Even with insurance it is going to cost around $300 to replace them both.  The worst thing about it is that we both had some great pictures that we wanted to share.  My phone even had the Blue Man Video that I was going to share with you.
    We arrived back at the trailer around six, and Claire, Cecelia and I decided to finish the day off with another bike ride.  I know, you would think that hiking through a river for six miles would be enough, but we're just crazy like that.
    Anyway, the three of us went up and rode a seven mile loop.  The ride was a bit tougher than we did the day before.  We should have known, because the trails were named Cryptobionic and Goose Bumps.  No, we didn't see the Terminator or Ghosts, but we did see an awesome three foot rattle snake next to the trail.  I didn't take a picture because I didn't have my camera and at that time of the evening it didn't seem like the smart thing to do.  Other than that, it was a great way to finish off the day.

Cecelia killing it on the single track!!!  This is one of the many reasons I love my wife!!!

   


    Until the next leg, we want the people in Oakhurst to know that we are praying for you and hope the fires settle down soon.