This morning I made for damn sure to get my buns outta bed at 6:56 (which is 5:56 our time, since apparently Utah is an hour ahead of our regularly scheduled programming) to procure our e-bikes for the day. I couldn’t pre-reserve them online on account of the holiday weekend.

Jen and I headed out for a little pre-bike-ride bike ride while the kiddo slept in a bit. We got our fancy helmets and a tutorial on how to use “Turbo mode” and we were off to explore the Pa’rus trail as the sun was coming up.

The kiddo started stirring around 9:15 and so we gave him a few to rise slowly and went to have our coffee by the river, as planned.

Then the fun really started. We revved up our electric engines and headed off to find the end of the road.

The plan here was supposed to be hiking hiking hiking, but I’m telling ya, I was not mad at all riding an ebike 20 miles on the shuttle road that runs along the river. I feel we really limited ourselves thinking only of hikes…don’t get me wrong, we’re still gonna get to The Narrows tomorrow, but the bike gave us an unreal perspective on just how massive and gorgeous this place really is.

To say I’ve been to Zion before is kinda true…a handful of years back I was on a “family” trip in the area visiting Bryce.

I remember riding the shuttle from the visitors center to The Narrows, but the river was too high and it was closed. So we splashed in the water for a bit and then headed back to the shuttle. I went shopping for a souvenir patch for my hiking backpack at the visitors center until everyone was ready to go.

I did not fall in love with Zion my first time here.

Jen and I have similarities in our past lives…she also visited Zion once…kinda. She took a helicopter ride and a scenic drive around the perimeter of the park. Neither of us had any agency or say in what we might’ve wanted to do or see while visiting. Both of us first experienced this place as part of someone else’s plans and we just happened to be along for the ride.

So, today on the bikes, we finally got to experience Zion the way we would’ve wanted…on the ground, in the air, passing through the shadows of sentinel rock walls, feeling the soul that breathes through this canyon.

And now I understand, just like with Sedona, why people clutch themselves when you mention it and say “It’s one of my favorite places in all the world.” No picture or video we took today will do it justice…this is a place you have to give it to God and plug all the way in.

Both of us stopped at one point and admitted, “Its like neither of us have ever been here before.”

Speaking of plugging in, Jen has been on animal patrol all day, like Snow White. We went to get our bikes and she noticed two deer just hanging out and one walked right over to us. She saw a ton of butterflies and hummingbirds flying right in front of us on our journey, she found some wild turkeys chillin in the shade, a ladybug fell in love with her and sat on her ring while we ate lunch, she rescued both a frog from the hot sand and a grasshopper from the river, a roadrunner was camped out in front of our room, and she and the kiddo let the river fish nibble their hands and feet…an amenity I paid like $50 for when I was in Crete one time.

We hit the end of the road and decided the last shuttle stop was way too crowded for our vibe. So we decided to head back down the road, park our bikes, and find a spot on the river for just us to have lunch. It was perfect and peaceful.

One of the most interesting things I’m learning about our musketeers dynamic is that each of us marches to our own drummer…and each of us give plenty of space and grace for the cadence of each other.

So, for example, as we rode today the kiddo was in front, zooming all over the road, trying to do jumps, pedaling fast. He had to turn around a lot to come back for us because he’d gone so far ahead.

Jen was riding at a steady pace ahead of me, standing up sometimes as she pedaled, going fast down the hills and enjoying the feeling of freedom with the wind in her hair.

The two of them stopped several times off to the side to wait for me to catch up, but when I am feeling comfortable and safe with my people, my speed is SLOW…I am a “stop and smell the roses” person. Functioning at my own authentic pace, I am not rushing anything. I took my time today and savored every moment. I stopped and took pictures, I pulled over to drink water and listened to my body that I needed breaks. And today I felt comfortable and safe with my people. I told them to go ahead, free to go as fast as they wanted.

And Jen said she was waiting to make sure I didn’t collapse from heat stroke…it was 102 outside. She totally laughed at the end and said “I know you and eventually figured that, while I was taking those hills at 30 mph, you were probably braking the entire way under 10mph worried you’re gonna take a tumble .”

She’s not wrong. I’m a safety girl.

We came back to the room and went straight to the river again. It’s so hot, but in the water, it’s like you forget about the air.

The kiddo requested a burger and milkshake for dinner…we rode into town and made it happen for him…opting for quinoa salad, Brussels sprouts and fried pickles ourselves before returning the bikes.

I am so exhausted. We went into the store after dropping the bikes and I told Jen I’m so sorry for being hot and tired…I told her three times and she was looking at me like I was nuts because it was coming out of my mouth “I’m just hurdandturd…hardandtard…hordandtord.”

I gave up trying to verbalize and came back to the room to lay down having no idea where I’m gonna find the steam to get to The Narrows first thing tomorrow morning, but we’ve got our poles and our shoes and our plan…pack snacks, refill camelbacks and pick up the first shuttle for our final day here.