In which I voluntarily do stuff outdoors

Day 8 had us awake slowly in Kanab, relishing our chance to use internet one last time before disappearing into the abyss of the National Park System. Kanab won our seal of approval for having not only a coffee shop, but a movie theater. You’d be amazed how many towns don’t.

We then went through amazing canyons that are part of Zion National Park. The place is gorgeous. And yes, I went hiking. Shockingly. There wasn’t really anything else to do in the park but hike, so I figured, what the hell. It was nice. The last, steep bit almost killed me, and this was a moderate hike, but it wasn’t bad. It didn’t help that Erin and Adina are probably in much better shape than I and practically ran up the last night bit, yawning and laughing at my gasping. As soon as we got back I discovered the Zion lodge had a lounge, and then found my backup plan in case they made me hike again. Luckily, we went instead into town to the Bit & Spur restaurant, which the lodge worker who was flirting with Adina recommended. And as I had just found out that not only were we going to camp again, we were camping at a place with no showers, I needed a drink.

Springdale, the town directly outside of Zion, exists primarily as a place for Zion tourists to stay in and eat at. It’s pretty, though, and apparently the Bit & Spur is also the only bar in town. This being Mormon territory, restaurants can’t serve people alcohol unless they order food. Bars have creative ways of getting around this, but you might want to keep it in mind if you ever go to Utah. We stayed after dinner to make friends with some of the locals. The trend in this town seemed to be outdoor enthusiasts who came for three months and ended up staying there. They all had grand schemes for wherever they were going next. During our conversation with Justin and Brodie, who both worked odd jobs so they could mountain climb, I saw a giant, elephant-sized black bug crawl past the glasses at the bar. “What’s that?” I pointed out.

“Huh? Oh, that’s a cockroach,” They said non-chalantly, then returned to their conversation.

“Wait, what? That thing is huge, and I live in New York, I know cockroaches.”

“Eh, that’s nothing. You’re in the desert. You should see some of the bugs that are crewing around here. Some are probably in your tent right now.”

They were helpful. Anyway, camping we went. I managed to muster the enthusiasm because the money I saved from that is letting me go horseback-riding today. Yay horsies!