In the midst of a long and cold post-covid winter, the seasonal depression and boredom got the best of me. Being a photographer and loving beautiful sights and landscapes, it’s only natural to want to dedicate time to photographing some of our nations National Parks. I decided to go west and discover Utah. (Before I did my research I definitely only thought that it was home to Mormon’s and skiing.) This beautiful state is home to 5 national parks. I wanted to visit all 5. Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. Thanks to the the glory of unplanned intricacies, I had to skip Capitol Reef to handle Rental car issues.

Once I took my first solo photography trip out to Colorado, I was sold on this as a tradition. I gained so much confidence planning it on my own, having my mind space to myself, waking up when I want, shooting what I want and not worrying about if anyone else was having fun or I was bogging others down with my photo habits. Not only was this the most epic of trips I have taken, but it was the lengthiest and the one that tested my independence the most.

All the best laid plans-God laughs.

My first day in Zion was amazing. I got to the park at the crack of dawn to do the infamous Narrows hike. I thought that I was playing it smart by getting there at 5:45 to get in line for the shuttle at 6am. Needless to say, the line was wrapped around the park. It was still the best time to go.

After finishing the Narrows Hike, I did watchman trail and was about gassed out. Very similar to how my rental was feeling when I got back to my car after a stifling 107 degree day of sitting there since 5:45 am. The battery died, and thanks to our parks wonderful ranger service, I was able to get jumped.

Instead of spending my next day doing the hike that I had planned for since the winter, I got to explore Hurricane, Utah’s most spacious Autozone to get a new battery.

*Me Jokingly* " As long as it gets me through the rest of my trip.”

*Autozone Worker* “Yeah, you can get at least 4 days out of it.” ://

Avis is not recommended. Neither is booking the cheapest car you can on a cross state road trip. Half my bad.