Tonight I thought about how ambitious I would be–I’d get home from work, change into my running clothes and go out for a long run around my Oakland neighborhood.

What I meant to do

But then, I got to thinking about gummy bears and my favorite SF Giants blanket.  Then I thought, I could blog about my next moto trip and that would be productive, right?

What really happened

So here I am, curled up in my blanket, popping gummy bears, running shoes tucked away deep in my closet.  But I am SO excited for my next adventure I just need to share a bit of what is to come.

The same awesome gang I went to Death Valley with last year, invited me to go to Zion Nat’l Park in Utah at the end of March.  This time it’s more of a road ride though, so instead of hauling a dirt bike, I’ll be leaving the driveway on Dirty Sally.I won’t get into all the details of how we’ll get there, but it will be a longer, scenic route.  Once in Zion, we’ll set up camp, take in some hikes in the early mornings, and then set out for rides each day.   A few places we’ll explore:

Coral Pink Sand Dunes:  Around 6,000 feet in elevation, it features red sand dunes beside red rocks and pine trees.  The sand is from the eroded red rock, which gives it the pink color.
Grosvenor Arch:  This is a double arch that sits about 150 feet off the ground.  The arch has a span of almost 100 feet.Bryce Canyon:  This is not really a canyon at all but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters with pinnacles that rise as high as 200 feet.  So cool!Toquerville Falls: At the end of a rocky, dusty, bumpy trail is a view of these cascading waterfalls fed by La Verkin Creek.  You can lay back in one of the rock recliners and enjoy the water or climb down the ladder to the lower swim hole .Little Black Mountain Petroglyphs:  What would one of my trips be without petroglyphs?  At this site they have over 500 individual carvings on sandstone.  It’s said that Native Americans used this site over a 6,000 year period for various purposes.

Photo courtesy of Rob Briggs

Hiking the Zion Narrows:  Probably the most popular hike in Zion, is the Narrows.  The trail is basically the Virgin River, so take off your leathers, you’ll definitely get wet.  But I’ve always wanted to see this for myself.These are just some of the places we’ll explore, some by foot and many by bike.  I am so excited because I’ve never been to this part of Utah yet, but it’s been on my list for quite some time.  Look for this adventure to begin on March 26, 2017.

And now with a tummy full of gummy bears, I’ll say goodnight with visions of looking at a starry night sky in Zion through my tent screen, and Dirty Sally parked close by, waiting for the morning’s adventure to start.

*all photos courtesy of Zion Nat’l Park with the exception of the petroglyph photo (Rob Briggs)