October 4, 2012 - Jon Manuell

Waking up this morning was a truly unique experience. It was my first night sleeping under the stars. The weather was brisk, the air was dry, and my spirits were high. The desert land in Utah is a mysterious place full of exotic wonders. I cant help but truly appreciate the ever changing history around me of thousands and thousands of years of always changing rock formations, arches, and natural landscapes. After a wonderful breakfast we were back on the road towards Escalante. The drive was long flew by at the same time. The views around me were constantly changing around every bend down the road. Our first stop along the way was Capital Reef National Park. The visitor center was very neat but left me yearning to explore the land around me. Back in the van we then drove to our next surprise stop was at Anasazi State Park Museum. It was an incredibly small park that crawled cultures from the past. The museum did a great job of putting you into shoes "or lack of shoes" of where and when the natives lived. Once we departed the last stretch of driving was through beautiful mountainous desert land that sprawled miles and miles across the horizon. We finally made it to the Escalante campsite where we set up our kitchen and prepared for the nights meal. I felt extremely lucky to get some free time with Cody to explore our home for the night. After our adventure we retuned in time for a fitting hispanic meal cooked by Kelly and Sarah. As the night came to a close I am extremely excited to fall asleep once again under the majestic Utah sky.