Off the Grid in Utah Adventure has a lot to teach us about preparing for the unknown and handling challenges STO RY BY B R E N DA B E R G R E E N
Rugged, winding and challenging paths are often the best ones. They are the teachers, the life changers and the character shapers. We simply have to trust our instincts, intuition and those ever-changing winds. After all, being prepared for anything is only helpful when anything can happen. Even the van wasn’t what I expected. As we bumped off along the road, the image of a relaxing road trip faded away into the orange sunset. My door never closed right, I usually had to slam it three times to get it to latch correctly. Buckling my seatbelt was another unnecessary nuisance. A typically easy task was made frustrating by the fact that I had to hold the receiver with my left hand while using my right to buckle it. If I let go, the receiver would fall to the floor out of my reach. I know, it’s a stupid thing to complain about, but it’s like a fly constantly buzzing around for attention. Of course, we never stop to think about what flies are teaching us. My husband, Marc, and I finally made the turn toward the Temple of Sun in Capitol Reef National Park, a remote 60 mile loop far from services and cell reception in Utah. We couldn’t wait. We had been dreaming of this trip for a long time. We had a vision of camping out under the stars and taking night photos while the kids slept soundly in the van. But I was already nervous. The van was making funny noises and my faith in it was limited. And we had already made a detour for an emergency tire repair when the tires wore down much quicker than expected. Our Utah road trip took us to both new and familiar places. We somehow found solitude in Moab, peace in Zion and endless roads in Escalante. Capitol Reef called our name and we obliged. We tried to keep our expectations for the trip low with two small children along for the ride. However, the Temple of the Sun was one destination that was high on our list.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY M A R C A N D B R E N DA B E R G R E E N
