Saturday was a turning point for me. After sleeping a hard 10 hours, I was first out on the trail in Zion National Park. It was a short hike, but just what I needed after 5 days of driving.

After the hike, I was able to drive through Zion to the East entrance and through some pretty crazy tunnels through the rocks. The roads were winding, but I felt a new confidence in how to navigate them.

After getting out of the park my surroundings suddenly turned John Wayne movie meets Road Runner/Wiley E. Coyote. Glen Canyon was so vast and, well,  grand. It’s hard to describe as words don’t really capture it. Neither do pictures. This was my favorite drive so far.

The amazing drive continued into Arizona, and on to the Grand Canyon.

I was not expecting to take to the Grand Canyon like I did. Again, no words. And surprisingly, no weeping. I just felt happy. Incredulous and happy.

This big ol’ hole gave me pause. I was also comforted by the symbol of the canyon being my turnaround point for this trip. When I got to the town of Flagstaff, I decided it was time to slow down. While I planned on visiting Sedona (an hour south of Flagstaff) on Sunday, I made the easy choice to take care of some loose ends in town here, then take a leisurely drive to Albuquerque. Having the freedom to make that choice is a great feeling. I’m excited to head east today.