Southern Utah, 2002

Since I just visited Bryce Canyon this week, I thought I would blog about the vacation the last time I went there.

If I recall correctly, it was June of 2002, a month or so before I got my tonsils taken out.

We set up our tent trailer at Ruby's Inn Campground and hooked it up to the electrical outlets. I can't remember if we took a TV or if I just thought about how we could have had a TV. I do think we had a TV, but we couldn't get any channels on it.

We had bathrooms with plumbing and lights. I remember one time when I was washing my hands. I had wet my hands with water and left the water running while I rubbed soap on my hands. This guy told me that I shouldn't waste water because we were in a drought. I just ignored him. One morning, there was a middle-aged mustachioed man wearing a shirt and a Speedo walking into the bathroom.

I was an awkward thirteen-year-old and liked show tunes. I remember once singing "Shipoopi" from The Music Man outside our trailer; my mom and sister said they didn't like that song.

There was a little store near our campground. My parents wanted to ride a little train-like shuttle to get to it, but Susanne and I just walked over there, thinking the shuttle was dumb. But we rode the shuttle back to our campsite. At some point in that gift shop, we bought a night light made with a polished rock.

We were able to take showers at our campsite. I remember one night my dad and I were walking to the showers. I overheard some teenagers yelling some very profane words, and I said, "Watch your phraseology"--a quote from The Music Man.

One day, my dad and I (and I think Susanne) hiked from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point in Bryce. It was very hot and steep coming out of the canyon. Our hike led us to sing "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof.

We spent a day in Zion. We visited the Weeping Rock. My dad and sister and I started on a hike near the Narrows (not planning to go in them, of course), but I got really hot, so we stopped. (In addition to being awkward and liking show tunes, I was also quite chubby.) We bought a Narrows magnet in a gift shop, and I think we also bought Zion playing cards.

When we were driving home after the trip, I was sleeping in the car. I was snoring, and once I snored so loud I woke myself up. Susanne thought that was really funny.

My more recent trip was more interesting than this one was. And my more recent trip was surely more interesting to read about.