Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick; You Will Go Far

I would just like to start this post off by tipping my hat to all of the Mormon pioneers who were able to make their homes in the vast intimidating terrain of Utah.

Brave souls.

Utah will leave you speechless:  in a good way.

You assess the craggy rock formations, flaunting their hues of reds, yellows, and oranges with permanent indentations showing water levels where rivers once flowed and you think to yourself, "God made this."

Will's brother, Dan, described Utah as God's country.

We agree.

Unfortunately, pictures do not do this magnificent state justice.

And there is a man who lives in the caves of Utah.  

He quit money.

Truly.

He lives off of what's given to him and what he finds.  

His name is Daniel Suelos.

I read about him a few years ago and highly recommend the book:  The Man Who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen.

Anyway, he lives in Moab, Utah.  So when we passed this sign, I couldn't resist the picture.  Too bad we didn't have time to stop in the town for, perhaps, a chance to meet him.

From Utah, we drove into Arizona where we visited one of the world's wonders.

Thanks to Teddy Roosevelt, it's open to all of us.

The Grand Canyon.

It lives up to its name.

I cannot say enough about the Grand Canyon.  And I'd like to preface our observations by telling you all that I'm terrified of heights.  

Like nauseous on a ski lift terrified

For those of you who've never been, you cannot even see the bottom of the Grand Canyon from the edge of the parkway.

There are, of course, two public park entrances to the canyon:  the north rim and the south rim.

We entered through the north rim. 

Though slightly anxious about the hike to a viewing peak (literally a pathway to a rock platform without any guardrails- anywhere), with Will's positivity, we effortlessly climbed to the peak and could just faintly make out the -what seemed like- pencil thin Colorado river flowing below at the base of the canyon.

Like Utah, pictures may never in a million years do the Grand Canyon justice.

There's no way to really appreciate it without witnessing it firsthand.  

But here goes...

You may even opt to stay in one of these super neat cabins which overlook the canyon.

After our hike to the peak, we enjoyed a nice lunch at a picnic table overlooking the canyon.

Mac approves.

And as a bonus we saw a herd of bison grazing in the pasture on our way out of the park!

This was the first time I'd seen a buffaloe/bison outside of captivity.

Apparently, park officials advise visitors not to honk their horns at the bison for the risk of having an alarmed bison charge your car.

So, after we took a few pictures, we honked the horn and hauled arse down the road.

After the canyon we drove back through the town of Fredonia, AZ which hosts the Kaibab Paiute Indian reservation as well as the Pipe Spring National Monument.

It also hosts this funky little pottery shop housed in a former gas station.

We had to stop.

The odd little man who greeted us lamented to us about capitalism and how China has stollen all of our jobs and pottery.

Ok.

We purchased a few items from him including a pair of earrings made by a Sioux lady, a gemstone, and a piece of his fun pottery which expressly states on the bottom (next to his signature but in much larger letters):  NOT made in China!

Love it.

Next post:  Vegas, baby!