Ryan's birthday came and went, and we were chillin at home one night, looking forward to the weekend, when we got a call from my family. The next Kropelnicki Roadtrip Extravaganza was underway, and it was a doozy. I've written about these things before, and a few examples are here, here, and here. Most of them happened during my high school years, though, and never made it onto my blog. The basic criteria are two things: multiple all-nighter drives, and going through at least three states in the process. This particular one would include the necessary three states (Utah, Nevada, and California), two national parks (Canyonlands and Great Basin), and several stops in the Bay Area.
My favorite thing more recently about these trips is Ryan's reaction to them. It is utter, unabashed incredulousness and it makes us Krops just chuckle. [: This has been a way of life for us! Carpe diem! Unfortunately though, due to work, Ryan and I couldn't go on the full-blown week of adventures, but we did get to spend two days in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park with my family.
Canyonlands National Park is divided into three "districts" - Island in the Sky (most easily accessible and touristy), Needles (much more isolated and very undeveloped), and the Maze (extremely undeveloped and purely backcountry). Needles was the perfect destination for the weekend. We hardly saw a soul on the trails, while the rest of America's national parks were bursting at the seams with people taking advantage of President's Day weekend and free access to the parks. It's always been my favorite area of Canyonlands, and it has sentimental value after this dendro trip almost two years ago and the events that ensued the night I got home. [:
Anyways, the weekend was perfect. The weather couldn't have been better, our campsite was BOMB, the stars were breathtaking at night, and we spent every minute hiking and talking and laughing. What better way to spend Valentine's than with red rocks, my cute husband, and family?
Oh and speaking of Valentine's Day - the latest installment in the Krop tradition of magazine cutout Valentines. Always a hoot.
The first look. The final word. From conception to birth.
Wise words indeed.
