Seconds With Steff

I’m not really one for magical moments. For me, they tend to happen in California, if they happen at all. Driving south into Big Sur. That deer that led me into 17 Mile Drive. You can see it on video somewhere in this blog—I’ll link it. But this morning, as we stepped off the shuttle bus at The Temple of Sinawava and I somehow became the unofficial leader of a full bus of hikers on the mile-long walk to the start of The Narrows, we were met by a deer. Just standing there. And then walking with us. For quite a while. It felt like a beginning.

I had no clue how to prepare for this hike (got a lot of help from Bucketlist Bri). I was terrified. I hate blisters. I hate standing in lines. And I hate not knowing what I’m doing. There are plenty of places to rent gear in Zion, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of waiting around with Hunter. So I bought neoprene water socks. Best decision ever. They kept our feet warm and dry—until the water went above the socks, and even then, they held their own.

So there we were: me in my hiking shoes, Hunter in his sneakers, both of us in swim trunks and long-sleeved hoodies, and armed with trekking poles I’d shipped to Sabrina during Prime Day 2024. We hiked the mile to the river’s edge, and the people around us stepped into the water saying, COLD! We took our first step in, and it wasn’t bad. Thank you, socks!!! The trick was to navigate the riverbed between the larger rocks and stay on the smaller ones. At one point, I thought, so the Long Island Sound prepared me for this. Three cheers for glacial recession! Hunter and I made it up past the Weeping Rock, but the people ahead of that were starting to go from mid-thigh to waist-level water, and I was not interested in that, but I was pretty proud of us, so we turned around and headed back, soggy, proud, and still standing.

As we made our way out of the canyon, back toward the shuttle, there was another deer. I’d like to think it was the same one. Just sitting there behind a tree, waiting for us.

Back at the lodge, we took quick showers and hit the road. The scenic drive out of Zion is stunning—though apparently it’s even better if you take it into Zion. Hunter begrudgingly took video, but I cannot get video to load tonight.

A quick stop at the Checkerboard Mesa pulloff…

Then we got our Zion National Park sign picture because yesterday’s sign was in a spot no one could stop for!

And finally it was time for lunch! I have seen this restaurant all over YouTube and other travel sites! Thunderbird Restaurant, Home of the Ho-Made Pies. There’s a whole story of the original owner’s husband not having enough materials to make Homemade and making the sign salacious on purpose, but ultimately, it was a good lunch, and we got pie to go, which we just finished, and it was delish!!! Our waitress, Jersey, was also a fantastic treat in the middle of a long day!

We stopped for a short hike called Belly of the Dragon. I think the pictures explain the name better than I ever could.

It was during the drive to that trailhead that a pebble kicked up and put the tiniest pit in my windshield with just two slight hairs on either side. The kid at the rental counter gave me a really hard time Friday night about not getting the rental insurance, and now …ugh!!!! I’ll call my Allstate agent and figure it out. But seriously … it’s a Jeep, which means every part is inexplicably expensive. I think I could get a Safelite melt-down repair, but they’d know. They always know.

After that, we tried to do a hike that would’ve been shorter if we had parked at Moqui Caves, but the shop was closed. So we went to the actual Sand Caves Trailhead. I don’t even know how long we charged through sand before climbing up something I don’t have words for. At one point, I had to cross an area where I literally saw my life flash before my eyes and Hunter tumbling to his doom. That was it. I was done. We turned around. I slid down the mountain on my butt. No shame. We never made it into the caves, but I do have pictures from the ground.

SideNote – We did not go (wish we had instead of that torture), but Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is right at the entrance to the trailhead. It is the largest no-kill animal shelter in the United States.

We drove through Kanab, which is adorable. Elizabeth and Nick lived there for a while during COVID, and I get it. We checked in early and took another shower cause we were gross and checked out the Kanab Visitor’s Center right next door to our hotel where we realized that although we are in Utah, my phone was on Arizona time!!! Apparently, that happens here a lot because they are so close to the border.

So with time now NOT on our side, we had to shake a leg because months ago I booked a tour of Peekaboo Slot Canyon with a local adventure company (I mean Christmas time). I originally wanted to go to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park so Hunter could surf the sand dunes, but they don’t offer tours on Sundays. So, I found this local tour company, and they accommodated a 4:30 tour, which was not on their schedule but had asked us to arrive at 4:15. We pulled into the lot behind all their trucks. No office. No people. But okay, we were early. Then 4:15 came and went. Then 4:30 came and went. Finally, John showed up at 4:50 … they had forgotten about us. I had made an off-time reservation in December, confirmed it in April, and never went back to it. When I got the feeling no one was coming, I called and emailed … the owner emailed me back, but I didn’t check it … anyway, it was fine! We had a blast! Peekaboo Slot Canyon was beautiful, and once again, the pictures just don’t do it justice!!!! John was super-knowledgeable and wonderful with Hunter, showing him how to see fossils in the rocks and climb the canyon walls.

And because Hunter tore through the canyon so fast because of course he did, he even showed us a few other local spots.

We ended the day with dinner at Escobar’s Mexican Restaurant which was on my radar, and John highly recommended. I’m not even sure what I ate, but my god it was delicious!

Unreliable Summary – A hike through water, an unfinished hike, and a slot canyon hike…and pie!