Zion National Park

My great friend and college roommate came to visit and it felt like a vacation for the both of us! She's awesome because she's really supportive and mindful of my restrictions of living The No Food Fun Life.

For our first day together... we got some delicious Dim Sum for breakfast. She took the hit and ate most of the more carb-loaded morsels - like the savory sticky rice. I was still able to mostly enjoy yummy Shu Mai, Shrimp Dumpling, Chicken Feet, Tripe, Short Ribs... and a few other delicacies. We watched Jupiter Ascending in a luxury theater. And then for dinner we headed to The Container Park to eat & share a bunch of small things to some great live music... tacos, corn on the cob, raw vegan zucchini "pasta," unfiltered fresh ginger ale, and bought some beef jerky for the next day.

For our second day... we ate at The Divine Eatery just a couple blocks from my house. I ate eggs, sausage links, and we shared some Nutty French Toast, yum! I figured some carbs would be appropriate in preparation for a full day of physical activity. We drove to Zion National Park (actually, she drove while I napped... sorry!) and hiked to The Emerald Pools as our first choice. It was sooooo beautiful and the pools are absolutely breathtaking in their tranquility. I took the first leg (Lower Pool) like a champ, the second leg (Middle Pool) was challenging but manageable with steady breathing, but the third leg (Upper Pool) was killer! The incline was tough - but it was good practice for Scale The Strat... more information on that in a later post. We picnicked once we reached the top - pistachios, beef jerky, and sugar-free dried fruit. She bought and packed it all... see how considerate she is? :)

After we got back down, we took the Riverside Walk trail to get up to the beginning of The Narrows... it was too cold to wade into the water to go any further, but it was my favorite part of the entire day. When the canyon narrowed to a point where the riverbank disappeared, it really feels like you're a part of the river and the canyon. It's hard to describe, you just have to experience it - and I recommend that you do! Lastly, we returned back to the car and drove to the final spot to go to The Weeping Rock. I'm not going to lie... I posted a lot of resistance. I had walked harder and higher than I had in a long, long time. My legs were achy, my lower back & right hip were starting to lock up a bit, and all I wanted to do was drive home and eat dinner. But my friend wouldn't take no for an answer... she even dropped me off at the bathroom right at the head of the trail and then drove off to find parking - which, in retrospect, I think she did on purpose so I couldn't get back in the car and whine until we drive away. LOL. I am so glad she was there to push me when I felt weak and ready to give up. We're all capable of so much more if we can just remove our own mental blocks. And it was worth it! There was so much magic in the air when I stood under the rock over hang... looking up at the little sprouted plants hanging upside down and listening to the gentle droplets of ancient water falling to the majestic backdrop of the canyon... breathtaking!

When we got back that night, we cleaned up and went to Ceasar's Palace and each had a hard-earned beverage to relax... then shared some Carpaccio, meatballs, and fried calamari. We also stopped by the gas station and picked up some chocolate covered ice cream bars... but I felt very justified in consuming it... no regrets!

She left this morning, after we went to Lulu's bread & breakfast cafe and The Juice Standard. I am going to miss her so much! I'm glad we shared such a great vacation together... and I'm so happy I we shared a full day at Zion National Park!!!