Day Twenty-One: Glendale - Red Canyon

We slept in ‘til around 9 o’clock, then walked our groggy selves into the small KOA store to grab coffee and breakfast, which consisted of eight miniature boxes of cereal. Slate’s allergies were at an all-time high, so we searched unsuccessfully for allergy medicine before packing up and heading out, counting sneezes along the way. We rode uphill for eight miles until reaching a Chevron, where we hid out for about two hours, snacking on hot pockets and chatting with locals. Not surprisingly, the second we left the gas station, a storm began, and so continued the trend of being drenched while riding.

The road led us to Red Canyon, where we found a lovely campground tucked inside Dixie National Forest, and an even lovelier “Campground Full” sign at the entrance. Reluctant to accept riding any further, we made our way into Loop A of the campground and searched for the Camp Hosts. They were standing outside their camper, talking to other visitors, but were quick to greet us. Their names were Ron and Naomi, and the instant that we asked them if there were any empty sites, they offered to share theirs. Naomi swept pinecones away from a flat spot of ground for our tent, and soon thereafter welcomed two other cars full of campers who were also desperate for a place to sleep.

Russ and Evie, a father-daughter duo from Colorado, came rolling in in a rented Jeep Cherokee, and they thanked the hosts for their generosity by providing us all with beer, wine, and snacks—what else could we want?! We instantly hit it off, as Russ was very familiar with bicycle touring (he even took a solo trip across Russia), and Evie was all about the s’mores (that’s right up my alley). They cooked pesto pasta and shared their cheese and crackers with us while Camp Host Ron started a fire. Soon enough, we found ourselves gathered around a campfire, talking about the voices we use to talk to our dogs and all things A-Z. We had a blast that night—one of the best so far—and fell asleep after an intense giggle fit due to the fact that the couple in the tent next to us was cackling incessantly.