White Rim

At the end of the summer, we drove the White Rim Trail through Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah with the Nelsons. It's a 100 mile drive through the park that loops around a mesa top. I did not want to go, and neither did most of my family. I was nervous about going, it seemed like a lot of work, and it was the last weekend before school started. But, it turned out to be such an amazing trip and I'm so glad we went! Cameron planned the whole thing and Nate got all of our supplies. We drove two cars down so we could take Kent and Janet. Nate drove the truck and I drove our Sequoia. Kent and Janet, Cameron and his family, Darren and his boys, and a few friends came. I was so nervous about the trail, but I felt better being in the driver's seat so I was happy to drive the Sequoia. And Nate was super excited about driving the truck. The first day I was so proud of myself for getting through a few tough spots. But when we got to where we were camping for the night, I managed to high center the car on a huge rock that I couldn't see over the hood when I was making a turn. I was a little embarrassed to say the least. But, Nate and his brothers were able to lift the car up and pull the rock out, thankfully. I only had a little bit of pride to swallow after that. Nate went to a lot of trouble when he was gathering supplies to make sure we had something comfortable to sleep on. The air mattresses were fantastic and sleeping under the stars on the night of a meteor shower was something I will always remember. It was the highlight of my summer! I kept waking up all night and looking up at the stars and meteors. Because we were in such a remote place, our view of the stars was like nothing I have ever seen before. It was so beautiful and so peaceful! The next day we continued the drive. Everyone kept telling me the worst part was over after we'd get through a particular scary part, but they lied. The worst part was near the very end. There were several times when the thought that one wrong move and the car would go careening down the cliff kept racing through my mind. But, we finally made it out safely just before dark on the second day. I was so grateful to be done, but also so glad we went!