A Birthday in St. George

Look, COVID is not a great time to travel, we know. No matter how careful you are, there’s a risk. But the risk (and discomfort from the COVID test) was worth it. Seeing my grandpa on his 90th birthday and spending a few days in Utah was exactly what I needed.

On the long drive out, we saw a herd of bighorn sheep on the side of the highway, but other than that it was uneventful. I took a series of photos with my GoPro of the drive out and turned it into a timelapse (check it out below!) though the camera died before getting into Glenwood Canyon, which had just reopened from the fires that ravaged Colorado for months (though it was mostly unremarkable from the highway).

We spent a few days hanging out, going to the Red Hill Desert Garden and taking long drives. Anna and I also took a 19 mile bike ride from Ivins to the top of Snow Canyon, then all the way back down again. See the video below for my second attempt (the first attempt had a bad angle on the camera), which unsurprisingly gets cut off seconds before my tire pops and I hit the ground really, really (really) hard. I survived, though I did see stars for a while and bruised my ribs pretty good, among some other injuries.

It was a notable trip, despite a little physical harm, and it was awesome to see my grandfather!