Hollywood to New Orleans

Last I left you was in Santa Monica. On Tuesday, June 8th, Chrissy and I left the Clarity Condo around 11am to venture into Hollywood. We did the typical touristy things such as wandering the Walk of Fame, taking pictures of hand/footprints outside Grauman's Chinese Theater, and looking at the Kodak Theater that is across from the Hotel Roosevelt. We then drove around and stumbled upon Beachwood Drive and wound our way up into the Hollywood Hills so that we could get a good picture of the Hollywood sign. Ironically, we happened to be listening to Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus at the time and when she said, "When I looked to my right I could see the Hollywood sign," that was where we saw it (yes I know we are easily amused). Following that adventure, we drove through the Mojave Dessert to get to Las Vegas. I was really excited to see the Bellagio Fountains because they were in the end of Ocean's Eleven. After watching the fountains, we went to the Buffalo Bill Saloon and Casino for some gambling. Played the quarter slots followed by blackjack. Blackjack was a lot of fun and really easy to pick up on. The dealer was really nice, as were the people from Alaska playing with us. Even though I lost all of my money, I enjoyed myself in the process.

After being up the majority of the night, I drove us to Death Valley at 5am so that we wouldn't roast in the heat, and so the truck wouldn't either. We stopped at the Badwater Basin, which is the lowest point in the United States at 282 feet below sea level. It's mildly creepy that there is a sign in the cliff indicating to where sea level is. Following our Death Valley adventure, Chrissy and I drove to the Leeds' RV Park to check in before our hike. The woman was very nice and helpful and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We went to Zion National Park and, for some odd reason, I thought it would be an excellent idea to do the Angel's Landing hike. The beginning is a windy trail up to one point where you think that you are done until you realize that you have to cross a narrow ridge holding onto chains in order to reach the actual Angel's Landing, which is 1488 feet off of the ground (pretty high for someone who hates heights). My best analogy is imagine being on top of the Empire State building and having the surface be smooth sandstone with patches of sand and needing to cross a two foot wide ledge while holding onto chains. Doesn't that sound like oh so much fun? I figure that conquering some of my fears is all in the experience. Truthfully, I wouldn't have made it without the help of Chrissy and some other random folks encouraging me as I slowly inched along. Afterwards, lyrics from the Sidewalk Prophets "Words I Would Say" came to mind, which state, "Be strong in the Lord, and never give up hope. You're gonna do great things, I already know. God's got His hand on You, so don't live life in fear." If I lived my life in fear, I would have never made it to the pinnacle of Angel's Landing, though the last half mile did take about an hour.

June 10th brought us to the Kanarra Creek slot canyon in Kanarraville, UT. This hike was positively amazing! The trail zig-zagged along the Kanarra Creek and across it at points. We also had to climb ladders at waterfalls until we couldn't go any further. It was very refreshing given the hot, sunny day. We then went to Bryce Canyon National Park, which is by far my favorite park. We hiked the Peek-a-boo Trail down into the canyon and back up again. After the hike, drove to Shady Acres campground in Green River, UT.

June 11th we drove most of the day. Since Aspen Seals Sledging was closed for the season, we went to Mile High Stadium in Denver because Chrissy is a Broncos fan. The weather was extremely bizarre. There were torrential downpours, followed by hail that piled up to about 4 inches in spots. This unfortunately kept the water trapped on the road, turning it into a lake. After the stadium, we drove to our campsite in Pagosa Springs, CO.

June 12th we found ourselves driving to Four Corners Monument. Unfortunately, it was closed due to construction, so we ventured to Goosenecks State Park to take some pictures. After that, we drove through Albuquerque, NM, before taking a quick nap. The next day we went to the Cadillac Ranch and each spray painted Bible verses onto the cars. Chrissy chose Proverbs 3:5-6, which states "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will keep your paths straight." I chose Matthew 6:25 which says, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Attempts to find a place to watch the Germany vs. Australia game were futile, so we made our way to Shrevport, LA, for the night. (Germany won 4-0 for those who are interested).

June 14th we slept in a bit and then drove, with much excitement, down to New Orleans for the night. As a surprise, I got us a room at the Inn on Bourbon Street with a Bourbon Street balcony. Chrissy of course thought that I was crazy, but extremely happy. I figured I was just channeling Randy Pausch by helping make someone's dream come true, which does have an amazing feeling to it. It worked in my favor as well because I absolutely love jazz and New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz. After checking in, we wandered Toulouse Street to Jackson Square to take pictures of St Louis Cathedral at my brother's suggestion, and then found the statue of Joan of Arc. The downpours started, so we found our way into the French Market restaurant for dinner. I had some epic grilled chicken while listening to thunder claps that

sounded more like cannons going off than anything else. It was raining so hard that the floor of the back room started flooding because the patio drain was clogged. The wait staff was entertaining and kept asking us if we wanted to go for a swim. Once the rain stopped, we wandered along the Mississippi River to the Jackson Brewery for a sampler before making our way back to Bourbon Street for some shopping. That wore us out so we topped off the night by drinking Sangria on our balcony and watching the world go by.