Let's Drive West
I'm going to tell you a secret. Adventure terrifies me.
I love adventure because I love the end product of it all but when I stare it in the face I'd rather run. I push myself to do hard things over and over again because I know in the end I will love it.
With all of that being said the idea of driving west and going to the Grand Canyon with two of my best friends actually scared me to death. I'm a person who needs a good plan. I want someone to be with me who knows what is going on. None of this was going to happen on this trip.
I got back form Toronto at 6:30pm and immediately drove to Nashville to meet Eden. We woke up early the next morning to fly to Dallas and meet our Kenz who had been at camp for the last two months. We then drove nine hours to Albuquerque. We stayed in the cutest little adobe Airbnb house with Tom and Norma. They had a warm breakfast ready for us in the morning complete with homemade muffins and freshly brewed coffee.
We then drove six hours to the Grand Canyon. The first glimpse we got of the canyon our jaws dropped to the ground and we screamed with excitement. We pulled over and and sat next to the edge and felt small. Words weren't spoken because what do you say? That morning Kenz and I were talking about how we only get a small taste of the glory of God here on earth but oh man when I saw that piece of art that God created I saw His glory in the most beautiful way.
We got to the canyon without a place to stay. It may have been stupid but we knew we would figure it out. All of the campsites were taken so we decided to do some good old dispersed camping. What's that? Yeah we didn't know either. It is basically that you can put your tent up in the woods and camp where you want. It was slightly scary but there were other people around us that were doing the same thing so that made us (and our boyfriends) feel better about the situation.
We are outdoors women. We can build a fire, set up a tent and pee in the woods. We made pancakes (thanks B) eggs, and the best bacon ever for dinner.
The next morning we got up ready to hike. We hiked down Blue Angle Trail drinking a lot of water along the way. Hiking back up wasn't easy but we did it with the help of our (mostly E's) friend Henry. He joined us on the hike up and loved to tell us how hard it was and how he had some extra beef jerky if we needed some protein.
We did it. Our shirts were covered in sweat. Our shoes were full of dirt. Our necks were extremely sunburnt. But we did it.
We got up early the next morning to watch the sunrise. Talk about seeing the glory of God.
Then we drove to Phoenix because after three days of roughing it and no showers we had a night booked at a resort with the most beautiful pool and a massive bed but most importantly a warm shower. After sitting by the pool for hours, we ate at the Tookers and laughed and left with full bellies.
I'm proud of us for doing this. Kenz, Eden and I drove 60 hours in six days. We ate a lot of peanut butter sandwiches, listened to Cold Tangerines, sang a million songs, and grew closer as friends. Kenz's car was a sanctuary where we worshiped, a kitchen were we ate, a room where we slept, a space for conflict and resolution, a back porch where we laughed and danced but most importantly a place where were grew closer as friends.
Kenz and E, thanks for knowing me and loving me. Thanks for showing me Jesus and pushing me to do hard things. I love you, I love you, I love you.
