I know. I haven't submitted an entry since the end of my journey in August. There's a lot to write about, and I am playing catch-up. In the ensuing months from my last blog, I traveled to Canada, to a cousin's lakehouse for a bit of fishing, hiking, boating and barbecuing. I also hiked on some trails in the Lower Hudson Valley. And I ventured south to North Carolina and Tennessee for some hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains. There were spectacular views in each of those trips, such as the long, scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Highway in North Carolina and the awesome view 1,000 feet high from a peak overlooking the Hudson River. Sitting on a boatdeck in a lake with the sun shining and the sky as blue as the water was also memorable.
Still, I yearned for a return trip to southern Utah -- to travel along Scenic Route 12 that captivated my mind since I first traveled along the first 60 miles (and still does today). There are plenty of new places to visit and areas to see one more time because each trip will always be viewed differently.
When my friend said in late October that she had some vacation days to take by the end of the year, I didn't hesitate to tell her to take some time off and travel across spectacular Utah, because as the state's nickname implies "It's God's country." I had told her of my earlier plans to return there, and I had invited her, but the timing was off during September and October. She said late November would be possible, and I said it might be cold so prepare for wintry conditions. And so when she asked me to travel with her, I didn't hesitate.
So, to go back, at the penultimate night of that trip, on August 19, I ate at a Chinese restaurant, and a fortune cookie revealed itself to say this, in not-so-perfect English: "Ask a friend to join you on you[r] next voyage."
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