On day 2 of our trip, we Googled recommended stops and then just explored. First was Belly of the Dragon, a long tunnel through the mountain. Then we searched for a spot with dinosaur footprints and found ourselves on a plateau overlooking the lush desert landscape. With the cloud coverage providing a much more relaxing environment than the day before, I think some of the boys actually fell asleep laying on the rock. 

Kanab yielded a pleasant surprise: Best Friends Animal Society. We decided to stop in, and the spontaneous trip ended in our friend Michael adopting a kitten that looked like his cat Suki. We may or may not have peer pressured him into it, but we know there were no regrets. Best Friends is a no-kill sanctuary that started 35 years ago in Kanab, where it now has many acres of land to help 1000s of animals!

 Dallin’s former groomsman Dallon has a family cabin down in Kanab. After our Lake Powell plans fell through due to rapidly declining water levels, we decided to visit the national parks of southern Utah instead. We were joined by our friends Michael, Jess, and Dallon’s dog Woodhouse. 

We drove down after work on Thursday and then Friday morning headed to Zion’s National Park to hike Angel’s Landing. It was mid September but still the sun beat down on us as we climbed the narrow paths through the red rock. Angel’s Landing is treacherous, and much of the way we had to pull ourselves up using the chain embedded into the stone. We packed a lot of water, but it wasn’t enough, and we had to conserve the last of it.  We almost turned around, but how could we miss this chance?! When we reached the top, the view was astounding—360 degree view of corral-and-white streaked mountains plunging down into the green valley below.

 The way back down I got in trouble with Dallin for jogging ahead most of the way. Sorry love. When we reached the bus, we convinced the driver to wait just one second while we sprinted to the drinking fountains for some much-needed water.