We had the most comfortable Walmart camp I’d ever experienced. Cleo had a nice sleep in and we were best friends again, she was obviously grateful for a nice place to sleep uninterrupted with her favourite guy and didn’t mind me sharing. I went in to Walmart to use the facilities and buy some bacon and we were set for yet another pancake, egg and bacon breakfast. Dan was all over the chefing, starting off with hot chocolate followed by main course. We even set out Dan’s new table which I’d dumpster dived for in Moab. With a bit of MDF on top, it was the perfect sturdy top.
Dan put on a great Bill Withers playlist to wake us up slow. When we were ready to head, Cleo wasn’t having any of it. As much as Dan tried to coax her into the Presidential Lounge, she didn’t want to go anywhere. Just for fun, as I was standing by my open driver’s door and encouraged Cleo to get in and she hopped right to it, sitting herself down on my passenger’s seat. Yeah, we’re best friends again, Dan was a little hurt!
The sun cleared and we had this last day together before going our separate ways so we drove off (Cleo in the Presidential Lounge) to make them most of it. The best nearby hike I knew about was the one Vanessa and I had done a few weeks ago called Cathedral Wash so that’s where we made headway for. It was a forty-five minute drive that was totally familiar to me since I’d done it so many times over the last few weeks, but I didn’t mind. I listened to more Elon Musk and switched to music when I got into phone service. We stopped at the Navajo Interpretive Center at the bridge over the Colorado to park up my car. It meant no one had to pay to enter the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area if we only took one car. I packed a bag and kept Cleo company while Dan used the bathroom, then we were off, leaving my van and solar panel to soak in the hot sun.
The trailhead was only a couple of miles away and since I had enough snacks and water for both of us, we were on our way pretty quickly. There were a few other cars parked at the trailhead, but we didn’t see a single person our whole hike in. The wash was a lot drier than it had been a few weeks ago, but it was no less impressive. Cleo had a heap of fun running around of her own volition, free of a leash and chasing lizards left right and centre. Dan and I both lost it when we watched an extensive chase of a lizard who struggled to find a hole to crawl into. It involved a wall run, multiple u-turns and the jamming of a paw and whole nose into a small rock crevice. As always, Cleo missed the bait. It was the best chase we’d both seen yet.
We carried on into the wash, not having to avoid as many muddy spots as before, getting deeper and deeper underneath the top of the canyon walls. Turns out Cleo is a great jumper, nonplussed by most things and only needing to be carried down a few sections. Every time Dan helped her down a steep rock, she would sit with her head bowed, as if ashamed that she hadn’t be able to make it on her own.
We came upon the river in no time at all, hearing it well before we saw it. I was astounded to see that the water was crystal clear. Last time I was here with Vanessa, there’d been a recent rain so the water flowed brown and yucky. Now though, we could see the bright green moss waving gently on the rocks below the surface. I didn’t think the view could have gotten any better but it just did.
We managed to find a little mud and prettied up our faces Rambo style before finding a sweet spot on the rocks where we could enjoy the view. I surprised Dan with four cold beers which we cracked on the top of the boulder and watched the water rush by us. I stashed the remaining two beers in the cold water to get them as icy as possible.
Cleo was the first to get in the water, thanks to Dan throwing her in. She cooled down immediately and found herself a shady spot underneath a bush. Dan watched as I stripped down for my first dip. The water was colder than I remembered but I guess it was most likely just about the same. It took all my will power to dunk my head under in front of a boulder to make sure I didn’t float away in the process. I was straight out again and back onto our sunny boulder to let the sun and wind dry me off. Dan eventually followed suit, stripping down and contemplating a short swim out into the current where he could feel the force of the Colorado and catch a boulder to stop him being swept into the abyss. He stood at the water’s edge for ages, trying to build up the courage to get in the freezing cold water. While watching and waiting, one of the beers I’d stashed floated in front of me so I jumped in to save it. Obviously I hadn’t lodged it well enough between rocks. It would happen once more and be saved once more before we consumed it.
I eventually got sick of waiting so jumped in again to try Dan’s idea. I swam out a few meters then freestyled with all my might upstream to warm myself up. According to Dan, I remained perfectly still, travelling in neither direction despite the amount of effort I put in. When I stopped paddling and turned to follow the downstream current, I was quickly directed into the path of a boulder I’d lined myself up with. The boulder was slippery and I couldn’t stay behind it long, getting pushed off to the bank-side where I swam like made to the bank where I grabbed a submerged rock to stop myself floating downriver. It was daunting as I started to get swept away so I was grateful to find a good handhold on the rock, enough that I could pull myself out of the river and back onto the sunny rock. One more beer rescue later and Dan was in the water. He jumped right in and did exactly as I’d done grimacing with a mixture of pain and joy the whole time. He got swept off the boulder same as me and saved himself in the same way.
More beer! We sat on the rock, sunning our bodies and drinking our second round when we noticed life upstream. There were two big blue tour boats slowing themselves down north of the rapids. We contemplating putting some clothes on, then decided we didn’t care so stayed put on our rock as we watched the two boats approach. There were at least twenty people on each raft, straddling the sides of the huge rafts as they motored down the river. They both gathered speed before entering the small rapids just downstream of us and made the whole thing look very mellow. The middle- to old-aged crew on the boats didn’t give us so much as a second glance. Maybe our white and brown bodies camouflaged us into the rocks.
I’d packed a deck of cards so we prolonged our stay on the banks of the Colorado, trying out a few different boulders until we found a spot that worked for laying the cards out. It would be our last game for a while so it was fitting that we tied for the win.
We stayed in our oasis for a good two/three hours before realising the time and heading back. The hike out felt longer and Cleo lead the way with confidence. She made some gnarly jumps without even a second thought while we clambered along behind her.
We saw our first people near the exit of the wash and assured them that they would have the river to themselves just as we had done. The Presidential Lounge was just where we left her, sweltering in the sun but the AC was soon cranked and we were comfortable as we drove back to collect my car.
It was here that Dan and I parted ways for the foreseeable future. I said goodbye to Cleo, putting my nose to hers and hoping that we would remain friends, then hugged the shit outta Dan. I’ve never known someone for such a short time who had such an impact on me. He was an unexpected friend and lover and we were both glad that Kevin and I stopped at his campsite by the creek so long ago. The adventures and experience that came out of that one decision are disproportionate to a moment in time and ones I’ll never forget. I’m sure we’ll rage again some time.
My chest felt heavy as I drove away, me heading north, the Presidential Lounge heading south. I managed to snap a photo of my last glimpse as the white van disappeared behind some rocks. Who knows when I’ll see it again.
My progress to Zion National Park was momentarily short lived when I came upon some roadworks that put me at a standstill for half an hour on the hot highway. I listened to Elon’s story while I waited, pissed off that the roadworks crew felt the need to use a pilot car instead of a few cones to direct traffic. After I passed that, I drove non-stop through the Vermilion Cliffs and back into Utah. I left Dan at about 5pm, so I knew I was going to be late into Zion, especially considering I had to do a laundry and shopping before I got there. I didn’t let it bother me though, I finished off the Shit Town podcast, disappointed that there seemed to be no real ending, typical of the “This American Life” crew.
I drove ten minutes out of the way to the town of Hurricane where I tried to be as efficient as possible, putting some laundry on at the Laundromat, then driving down the road to Walmart for a huge shop, then returning to the coin laundry to eat dinner while I waited for the dryer. It all went over smoothly. I was stoked when Mum and Dad called as I started the last bit of driving into Zion National Park, which was only half an hour, but I was already beat. They kept me awake and excitable so much so that I could ignore the bright headlights in my rear view mirror. I was driving into the ever-familiar Springdale before I knew it.
Derek sent me a message confirming their campsite just as I as driving in so he was waiting for me as I drove slowly around the huge campsite looking for site D24. I spotted the familiar red car and reversed in next to them, Derek guiding me so I avoided the logs on the ground. Derek and Kylie are friends from Melbourne that happened to move over to the States within two weeks of me doing so. We’d been hanging out ever since and they’d graciously put me up while I kitted out the van for this life. I hadn’t seen them since Day 1 of my journey and now we were all together again! They’d been planning to a trip to Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon for a while and I always thought I’d be well on my way to the east coast by now, so never planned to join them, but, here I am!
We chatted a little, but it was late and so not long after I parked up and said a quick hello to Kylie and the kids, I snuggled up in the van. I didn’t have the best sleep, most likely because I was sleeping without a warm body next to me for the first time in a while.