Amaris and Fox awoke before 7am MDT for 9am EDT work calls with the goal of getting the "boring part" of the day over with as quickly as possible. The cool, dry, desert morning air flooded through the windows as they dressed and made single serve coffee. Most of the morning was spent on pointless calls with strangers while walking around the well kept apartment. The clean patio was full of critters enjoying the early morning sun, western air, along with songs of Birds and Bees. Amaris was able to enjoy some lunch and an afternoon beverage at the Peekaboo Canyon Wood Fired Kitchen attached to the hotel.
Early afternoon passed and the Overlord's grip loosened, they quickly loaded into the 4Runner, and ultimately headed west on Utah Highway 9 towards Zion Ponderosa. Heeding the advice of a local from the night before, a more rugged route was taken around the eastern side of Zion National Park via N. Folk County Rd. Although the route does not require 4 wheel drive a relatively higher clearance is advised. Hills rolled along as the dirt road wound through mountains and Zion Valley could be seen on occasion with the sun to the west. Along the route a few cows said hello during their afternoon graze.
At a campsite outlet we pulled off, strolled into the woods and quickly met a serene glade. A comment was made about a picture, no camera was available, an embrace under beams of sunlight and fluttering critters filled our hearts with joy. A deep breath, kiss, and smiles had us walking back to the truck with interlocked fingers. The rugged road continued into the unknown with no information other than "drive on this road" and you will have a great time. The path turned west by north west as it snaked along the northern side of the valley. Unbeknownst to us we were passing underneath the south west side of Andy Nelson Peak and Navajo Mountain, which the latter should not be hiked without invitation due to requests by the Navajo Nation. The Andy Nelson peak is a 3.7 round trip from the trail head on its north side that will be a great activity when we return to stay at the Navajo Lake Lodge.
After some hesitation and a brief break to enjoy the pines we reached a paved road, FR 1672, with the only option being a right turn to the east. The two of us were in awe as we approached a place neither of us expected to see, Navajo Lake, with its crystal blue waters gently reflecting in the slowly falling sun. A road to the left presented itself and we were quickly parked at in the quarter full lot. Amaris dashed out of the truck onto the floating walkway of a dock and began taking pictures with a wide grin across her beautiful face. Fox followed her and said hellos to boaters returning from a sun filled day before sharing an intimate moment alone on the lake.
The Navajo refer to this lake as the "Blue Mirror of Heaven" and that is certainly a fitting name. Below are a few Navajo Proverbs we found especially thoughtful.
"You cannot wake a person who is pretending to be asleep"
"If you want to see what your body will look like tomorrow look at your thoughts today"
"When a man moves away from nature his heart becomes hard"
"One rain does not make a crop"
After a nice conversation with the owner of the lodge, his father, and each other the time came to depart. With hearts already longing to return, the engine roared and shimmering blue water crept into rear view. One final stop was made to survey the slightly better than primitive camping options.
The two of us were in a romantic mood following the adventure through the Dixie Forest and decided on a late dinner at the accommodating Sego restaurant, located at Canyons Boutique Hotel, where we ate on the patio while another group enjoyed cocktails around the fire pit. The tapa style meal was a perfect coda to the most wonderful day and Sego's high quality should not be missed for those traveling through Kanab, UT.
As another wonderful day came to a close we returned to the room to settle in before an early morning followed by a six hour drive from Kanab to Telluride, CO and the Mountain Village where we would spend five nights and have the opportunity to settle in.
^^ What the actual F is that ^^
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