Carrying a nine-pound musket upright between two fingers is pretty painful. It feels like your right shoulder is slowly being dislocated and your knuckles are about to snap apart. I know, because I did it while marching in formation and wearing a wool Confederate uniform (jacket and cap, anyway) in 90-degree heat and overwhelming humidity.
I'd signed up, with about 30 others, to live the life of a 19th-century soldier for 18 hours (from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m.) at the Civil War Adventure Camp at Pamplin Historical Park, a 422-acre complex of historical homes, museums, and trails near Petersburg, Va. While we changed into uniforms--you can request Union or Confederate--we were told to store our cell phones in lockers. We then learned how to load muskets (with gunpowder but no bullets), practiced all kinds of flag-waving military signal codes, skirmished against our enemy, and did guard duty for 30 minutes at a time, which involved pacing with a musket and ordering another person to "Halt!" The food and lodging were true to the times, too: For dinner, we ate beef stew with hardtack (a tough cracker); for breakfast, we had beef jerky with dried fruit; and in between, we slept in tents or bunkhouses.
"We try to straddle the line between authenticity and comfort," explained Jefferson Spilman, a longtime war-museum guide, who was lieutenant of our company. Comforts included modern bathroom facilities, water breaks, and even wages--in the form of admission to the on-site National Museum of the Civil War Soldier (normally $13.50) and a $5 voucher for the gift shop. Between hollering orders and demonstrating bayonet techniques, Lt. Spilman regaled us with stories about how soldiers never washed and had nicknames for everything. (The "Virginia quickstep" sounds like something you do at a cotillion, but it actually referred to diarrhea.)
Half of the participants were grown men getting their reenactment feet wet. "I love history," said Ed Gill, 63, a retired medical photographer from Hillsborough, N.C. "But real reenactments take too much dedication and equipment.... And my wife said no."
The rest were kids, or their mothers. "I'm obsessed with the Civil War," said Jacob Walker, a 10-year-old from Mechanicsville, Va. (His whole Cub Scout troop had come to the camp.) "I've created my own regiment. We practice after school in my backyard. I'm the general." When I asked Jacob what he thought of all the marching, he barked at me: "We're not supposed to be talking in formation!" But then he softened somewhat. "It's my first reenactment, too," he confided.
The next Rally Days are September 3, and October 1 and 29; groups of 20 or more can book private Platoon Programs anytime. Kids under 14 carry rifle-shaped sticks, instead of muskets. 804/861-2408, civilwaradventurecamp.com, $70.
A Night Out in Buenos Aires
10 p.m. to midnight Most restaurants don't fully get swinging until at least 10 p.m. The classic place to go is a parrilla, a barbecue restaurant where tender cuts of beef are seared over wooden coals by a parrillero in a bloodstained apron. Bife de chorizo (sirloin), morcilla (blood sausage), and chinchulines (tripe) are all liberally slathered with either chimichurri (sauce of parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon, and other assorted herbs) or salsa criolla (finely chopped tomatoes and onions). The casual Desnivel, in the historic San Telmo district, is always packed with locals. With a cheap glass of wine, the bill usually comes to about $7 a person. An imposing man named Carlitos serves whatever he feels you should eat at Don Carlos, a parrilla in the shadow of La Bombonera soccer stadium in the Boca neighborhood. He'll begin by putting down plates of croquettes, marinated peppers, or pizzas. Then he'll ask how hungry you are. To Carlitos, "a little hungry" means very hungry, and anything else means you're a Texas rib-eating champion. Either way, it's wise to have skipped lunch. Carlitos keeps an eye on the sizzling bife de lomo (filet mignon) and juicy sweetbreads while watching the televised horse races. He'll focus on making sure you're finished before placing down desserts--tiramisu, bread pudding, and the Argentine version of flan: crème caramel garnished with whipped cream and dulce de leche (a spread of caramelized condensed milk). Finally, he'll scribble the price he feels is right on the tablecloth. For people he doesn't know, it's usually around $15; friends pay about $5 less. The buzzy neighborhood of Palermo has more chic places to eat and drink than you can keep track of. Bar El Diamante, a tapas restaurant in a converted house, is more cozy than aggressively hip. On warm nights, the rooftop makes an ideal setting for enjoying small plates of delicious grilled meats, fish, and pastas (a four-course meal with wine is $18). Nearby, at Thymus, the chef is trained in the classical French tradition. He turns out artful dishes such as wild mushroom salad, grilled loin of venison, and chocolate soufflé. A three-course tasting menu starts at $13. For a little more of a splurge, Oviedo, in the posh Recoleta neighborhood, serves Spanish-style seafood in a room with warm bistro lighting. A three-course prix fixe is $20 to $25, depending on the wine. Midnight to 3 a.m. The next few hours are best suited to laying low over drinks. At the old-timey locals' bar Lo de Roberto, dusty bottles, faded photos, and worn lyric sheets line the walls. Order a bottle of Vasco Viejo wine ($4), some seltzer ($1), and a bucket of ice-and mix it all up. Guitarists and tango singers wander in after midnight, and the owner Roberto will sternly shush anyone who dares to talk while they play. For better quality wines, Gran Bar Danzon is a downtown lounge favored by sommeliers. Danzon sells dozens of Argentine wines by the glass, most of which are hearty cabernets and malbecs from top labels such as Catena and Weinert. Each glass comes with a ticket, in Spanish, explaining the flavors and properties of the wine. The Faena Hotel + Universe is a year-old boutique hotel in Puerto Madero, the docklands district. Rooms start at $300, but the scene's what you come for anyway, and you can get enough of a taste at the patio pool bar, open in summer. The drink list leans heavily toward champagne, and white-cushioned banquettes provide a comfortable place to sit back and scope out all the beautiful people. From 3 a.m. on In a Palermo warehouse, a dance club called Niceto has a Thursday night international hip hop/electronic-music party called Club 69, where a campy mix of breakdancers and transvestites find common ground ($7 cover for women, $9 men). Club information is always changing, but the free monthly Spanish-language magazine Wipe, found at most Palermo stores and restaurants, has up-to-date bar and party listings. With all the overproduced tango shows advertised around town, it might seem like tango is a tourist trap. Do as locals do; avoid Vegas-style productions for a traditional, under-the-radar milonga (dance hall). Different milongas take over clubs on various nights. One lively weekend spot is La Viruta Tango, in a Palermo community-hall basement ($2 cover). To the tune of squeezeboxes and violins, you might find yourself pressed up against locals, sweeping around the dance floor, as the light of morning erases the darkness. Food Desnivel Defensa 855, 011-54/11-4300-9081 Don Carlos Brandsen 699, 011-54/11-4362-2433 Bar El Diamante Malabia 1688, 011-54/11-4831-5735 Thymus Lerma 525, 011-54/11-4772-1936, thymusrestaurant.com.ar Oviedo Beruti 2602, 011-54/11-4822-5415, oviedoresto.com Nightlife Lo de Roberto Bulnes 331, Plaza Almagro, no phone Gran Bar Danzon Libertad 1161, 011-54/11-4811-1108, granbardanzon.com.ar Faena Hotel + Universe Martha Salotti 445, 011-54/11- 4010-9000, faenahotelanduniverse.com Niceto Niceto Vega 5510, 011-54/11-4779-9396, nicetoclub.com La Viruta Tango Centro Cultural Armenio, Armenia 1366, 011-54/11-4774-6357, lavirutatango.com Bo-Bo Hotel, Buenos Aires Last year, Mariano and Pablo Gimenez opened the Bo-Bo Hotel in a 1920 mansion in the Palermo district. Six of the seven rooms--all of which have free Wi-Fi--are themed to modern art movements. The Minimalist Room has ecru walls and white bedspreads; the Pop Room references the 1960s with a plastic orange chair and a photo of a Ford Falcon. For the seventh room--on the top floor, with a terrace and a skylit Jacuzzi--the brothers abandoned the art theme and named it the Argentina Room (left, $120). Each morning, a free breakfast of croissants, yogurt, and café con leche is served in the restaurant. Guatemala 4882, 011-54/11-4774-0505, bobohotel.com, from $80. --Celeste Moure
Turkey
Six years ago, Kristi March and Dave Barnes ran into each other at a bar in San Francisco. Dave was sure they'd never met, until Kristi convinced him that they went to school together in Huntington Beach--from fourth grade through high school, actually. "A nice friendship developed," according to Dave, but after the dot-com bust, he moved back to Southern California. Then, two years ago, Kristi finished her degree as a pharmacist and took a job in L.A. They started dating, and just before Christmas, Dave proposed under the stars at Santa Monica beach. The wedding is on for September. Originally Kristi and Dave thought of Paris and a countryside wine tour for their honeymoon, but France didn't seem adventurous enough for a duo who had gone caving in Belize and on safari in South Africa. They were turned on by the ruins, scenery, and culture in Turkey. "It seems like one of those unspoiled places on the Mediterranean--an ideal place for a romantic honeymoon," Kristi wrote to us. "We have the most fun when learning about new cultures. We considered Italy, Croatia, and Greece, but they didn't inspire us the same way that Turkey did." Miles on United Airlines will get them as far as Paris, so the honeymooners decided to spend the first three days in the City of Light. The remainder of their two-week trip will be in Turkey, and they asked us to help plan an itinerary focused on natural wonders rather than museums, with a few big-name attractions as well. We recommended a couple of days in Istanbul, followed by a flight to Denizli's Cardak Airport, near the Aegean coast. They'll rent a car there and drive along the stunning shoreline before flying from Kayseri to Paris (via Istanbul). With Turkish Airlines handling all the flights, the airfare is $629 per person. Going by train or bus costs less, but that would eat up precious days--and be a lot less pleasant. They hope to cover several of 2,500-year-old Istanbul's major sights in two days, so it'll be a busy 48 hours. We agreed that they'd probably kick themselves if they never saw the famous Hagia Sophia basilica, or the Topkapi Palace, seat of the Ottoman Empire for almost 500 years. Other musts are the Blue Mosque, open sunrise to sunset with free admission, and the Grand Bazaar, where more than 4,000 shops sell ornate jewelry, dyed carpets, elfin slippers, and knockoff designer clothing. The newlyweds will stay near the enormous market at the Hotel Nena, with a buffet breakfast at its rooftop restaurant. For a break from sightseeing, the city has hundreds of cafés where the couple can sip tea and people-watch. They want the Turkish bath experience, so we steered them to Çemberlitas Hamam to be scrubbed, massaged, and steamed on marble slabs. Kristi and Dave were set on checking out the thermal springs of Pamukkale and Hierapolis, where bathers bob amid ancient columns. But instead of boarding a 15-hour train from Istanbul to Pamukkale, they'll fly in and pick up a rental car. From Pamukkale, it's a four-hour drive to the pine-clad mountains and turquoise bays of Fethiye. "We absolutely love balconies," Kristi told us, so they should enjoy the Ece Saray Marina and Resort. All its rooms come with French doors that lead to a private balcony with a bay view. Using Ece Saray as a base, they can hit the beach (a quick cab ride away), visit Butterfly Valley (a lush gorge accessible via an informal water taxi from Belcekiz Beach, opposite the famous Blue Lagoon, for about $12), or drive 20 minutes to the deserted Greek town of Kayaköy to watch the sky turn pink at sunset. At Cin Bal, a butcher-shop-turned-restaurant in town, guests sit shoeless and grill their own kebabs while sheep graze in a nearby meadow. Meat is charged by weight and side dishes cost about $4 each. Next it's on to a series of switchback roads with constant views of the sea. We pointed them to the village of Kalkan and the Patara Prince Hotel and Resort, where 60 rooms are arranged along white stone cliffs. Steep steps lead to sunbathing terraces, pools, and a private sandy cove. Canyoning, diving, paragliding, and other adventures are within an hour's drive. (A day of kayaking seemed perfect for them; see "Surprise!") The newlyweds should also head 20 minutes into the mountains, to the trout farm of Mahmut'un Yeri. On a rooftop terrace that's surrounded by fragrant bougainvillea, patrons order trout, a salad, and a yogurt drink, all for $7 per person. East of Kalkan is the ancient port city of Olympos, where legend has it the fire-breathing Chimera was slain. After a 20-minute hike up a rocky trail, visitors can see the "monster": methane gases seep out and combust from cracks in shale-like stone. The flames are more impressive after dark, so we suggested they head up around dusk with a flashlight for the descent. Before hunkering down for the six-hour drive into Cappadocia, Kristi and Dave will check out another ancient city, Phaselis, which has been preserved in a national park. In the center is a street lined with crumbling marble colonnades; the park is bordered by three harbors that are great for swimming. Exploring Cappadocia's eroded landscapes, hand-chiseled subterranean cities, early Christian chapels, and trademark rock formations (phallic "chimneys" hollowed out and big enough to hold hotels and cafés) is an ideal finale. "We're always looking for the 'hidden treasure'--type places to see," said Kristi. They're going to love the honeymoon suite at Gamirasu Cave Hotel. Except for the door and a tiny window, the room is entirely carved out of the volcanic hillside. The hotel sits in the little-known village of Ayvali, where Kristi and Dave will be treated to views of the eerily pockmarked valley below. If they're lucky, there'll be an evening of folk songs in the village's main cave. Before flying home, Kristi and Dave will get one more only-in-Turkey experience: catching the whirling dervishes perform in the town of Avanos. After their whirlwind tour, Dave and Kristi are sure to know how the dervishes feel. Operators Bougainville Travel 011-90/242-836-3737, bougainville-turkey.com Argeus Tourism and Travel 011-90/384-341-4688, argeus.com.tr, car rental from $53 per day Transportation Turkish Airlines 800/874-8875, thy.com Lodging Hotel Nena Binbirdirek Mah. Klodfarer Cad. 8/10, Istanbul, 011-90/212-516-5264, istanbulhotelnena.com, double with breakfast $97 Pamuksu Boutique Hotel Pamukkale, 011-90/258-272-2818, pamuksuhotel.com, double with breakfast from $60 Ece Saray Fethiye, 011-90/252-612-5005, ecesaray.net, double with breakfast $191 Patara Prince Hotel and Resort Kalkan, 011-90/242-844-3920, pataraprince.com, double with breakfast $54 Olympos Lodge Çirali, 011-90/242-825-7171, olymposlodge.com.tr, double with breakfast $213 Gamirasu Cave Hotel Ayvali, 011-90/384-341-5825, gamirasu.com, honeymoon suite $180 Food Cin Bal Kayaköy, 011-90/252-618-0066 Mahmut'un Yeri near Islamar, 011-90/242-838-6344 Attractions Hagia Sophia Istanbul, 011-90/212-522-1750, $11 Topkapi Palace Istanbul, 011-90/212-512-0480, $9 Çemberlitas Hamam Vezirhan Cad. 8, Istanbul, 011-90/212-522-7974, scrub and rub $20 Pamukkale Antique Pool 011-90/258-272-2024, $13 Chimera Çirali, 20 minutes off Antalya-Kas¸ road, free Phaselis Antique City southeast of Antalya, $7 Whirling dervishes Avanos, 011-90/384-511-3795, sarihan1249.com, $30 Surprise! Thanks to Bougainville Travel in Kas (near Kalkan), Dave and Kristi will enjoy a free day of sea kayaking around Kekova, a partially submerged ancient city with crowned tombs sticking out of the water and 2,000-year-old buildings a few feet below the surface. Swimming and diving aren't allowed in the area, so kayak is the best way to go. How Was Your Trip? René Reed, here with husband Andy and daughter Jenna in front of Schloss Neuschwanstein, told us her family had a "fabulous time" touring Germany by car (Trip Coach, June). "In Beilstein all the tourists left just before dinner and we had the whole town to ourselves."
Rachael Ray
Turn on the Food Network and it's hard not to catch a glimpse of Rachael Ray. The bubbly waitress-turned-foodie hosts three shows: 30-Minute Meals, Inside Dish, and $40 A Day, where she travels the world eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner (plus a snack) for under $40. She's the author of eight best-selling cookbooks, the latest is Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals--and as if that weren't enough, this September she's launching a magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and getting married in Italy. Window or aisle? Aisle. The last thing I ate from a minibar? Jumbo, gigantic cashews. I won't leave home without.... This funny thing I got in Flight 001, called the In-Flight Food Survival Kit. It's got all of these little spice tins, plus individual packets of mustards, sauces, and condiments. It's got about 20 different spices and I use it on in-flight food and sandwiches. I love it. It's my favorite little thing. The best trip I've ever taken? And why? About ten years ago I traveled to Italy with my mom for her 60th birthday. It was the first time the two of us traveled together and she just couldn't stop talking. She told all of these stories about my grandfather who was Sicilian, we met our Italian cousins for the first time, and we really had to live on $40 a day. It was stressful, but we did it, and we had fun. We started in Rome and drove our way to Sicily, across the Straits of Messina on the ferry with our car, got lost out in the country a bunch of times--we had a blast. My dream tripI've already had them all. I love to travel so much that every trip I take becomes dreamy in one way or another. I guess I'm most looking forward to my honeymoon in Africa. It's the first time I'll ever have been there. The movie or book that inspired me to pack my bagsWhen I was about five or six years old, my mother gave me a book called the Casual Observer. It was about this little girl who travels the world observing and meeting different people while asking them questions along the way. She was a little vagabond. One day when I went to school, my teachers asked me to draw a picture of what I wanted to be when I grew up so I drew a picture of this weird little girl with a bonnet on. My teacher said, "So what do you want to be?" And I said, "a casual observer!" I always thought that it was a real profession, but I think I became very much what I wanted to be. My greatest travel pet peeve The airlines have gotten increasingly cheap and it seems to me that the services onboard should be going up, not down. If they're all on the verge of bankruptcy, they should be working harder. You've got no pillows now, in coach they took away all the food, and you have to pay for even mediocre snacks. It just seems backwards. If I was a waitress and I tried to treat my customers that way I would've been fired by my own mother, who I worked for most of my life, a hundred times. I wish that we as travelers had more power over the airlines. It's very frustrating to have to be polite to people when they're giving you really bad service. How I deal with jetlag I'm not a good napper. No matter what I have to do or what level of caffeine I have to intake, I really like to stay awake when I get to wherever I'm going until at least early nightfall. If I have a nap, I'm done. I'm screwed up for days. I've got to go in, hit it hard, drink the caffeine, and try to assimilate as soon as possible. Plus I always try and do something--not too strenuous--but something that I'm looking forward to that I've never done before as soon as I arrive. I distract myself from thinking about being tired. If I could travel with any living person.... My mom and my fiancé are both really fun. I prefer to travel with someone that I have a really long relationship with because they understand much more about what you get out of travel. It sounds ridiculous but my mom makes a great travel companion, and in fact we travel all the time. I'll never go back to ____________. And why? I hate saying never, but I'll never go back to Paris in the springtime, it's much colder than they say. It was absolutely frigid when I was there. I had to go out and buy a whole other wardrobe. I love Paris in the springtime? Well, not me. There was hail, sleet, and it was freezing. If I could be anywhere right now.... That's easy for me. I've been away for seven weeks so I'm exactly where I want to be, home, in the middle of the Adirondacks. This is always my favorite place. I love to travel, but like Dorothy said, there's no place like home.
The National Parks of Utah
Cramming five national parks into four days isn't for everyone. But if you are going to attempt such a quest, Southern Utah is the place to do it. Five of the nation's most gorgeous parks are packed into 650 miles of high desert. Bryce Canyon and Zion are both justly famous; so are the sandstone bridges in Arches National Park. Less well known are Canyonlands, every inch as impressive as the Grand Canyon, and Capitol Reef. Sure, attempting five parks in four days was ambitious. Not to mention the fact that my friend Stew and I did it at the very chilly start of spring, in part to beat the crowds. But over the years, we've climbed mountains together. We've traveled through the hinterlands of eastern Cuba. We've even taken a troop of Boy Scouts on a three-week tour of Europe. In other words, we can't resist a challenge. Day 1: Grand Junction to Moab Less than 90 minutes after landing in Grand Junction, Colo., we made it to Moab, Utah, a laid-back city wedged between Arches and Canyonlands. We had booked a mountain-bike ride north of Moab leading to a panorama of the desert from the northern end of Arches National Park. We'd have to grind 700 vertical feet up slickrock, a bald sandstone which, despite the name, is remarkably grippy. Our guide, from Rim Tours, was a lean young dude called Goose. Nine years ago, he left his home in Ohio, as well as his full name (Mike Gostlin), to guide rafting and biking trips in Colorado and Utah. Goose rode a one-gear with no shocks. Stew and I were on state-of-the-art mountain bikes with fast shifting and full suspension. Not that it helped. Five minutes into the ride, I was gasping for air, pushing my jelly legs to propel myself up a four-mile-long rock ridge. All I could think was, Thank God for dinosaur prints. The three-toed impressions appeared every 50 yards, and each was surrounded by a circle of stones to keep people away. I disembarked to examine every single one. After the ninth footprint, Goose saw through my sudden interest in paleontology. The ride down was much easier. Stew and I then drove into the popular southern end of Arches. Families piled out of minivans and trotted along trails to view aptly named geological formations such as Balanced Rock and Double Arch. By late afternoon, we were over the pain of the bike ride enough to do a 3/4-mile hike up to a view of Delicate Arch, a 45-foot-tall horseshoe of orange and red sandstone. We raced the setting sun as we looped up Highway 191 and then down Rte. 313 into Dead Horse Point State Park, at the northern corner of Canyonlands. The main overlook at Dead Horse Point also offers a view of Canyonlands. The muddy Colorado River snakes in from the left in wide, lazy curves. We got there just in time to catch the last bit of daylight. Our hotel's best feature was its location--right behind Moab's oldest microbrewery, Eddie McStiff's. The bartender plunked down a basket of tortilla chips and some tasty salsa--for 69¢--to accompany pints of the brewery's own Sky Island Scottish Ale, Cisco Bend Stout, and Rock Amber Ale. Day one Operators Rim Tours 1233 South Hwy. 191, Moab, 800/626-7335, half-day ride $90 Food Eddie McStiff's57 S. Main St., Moab, 435/259-2337, eddiemcstiffs.com, pint $3 Attractions Arches National Park435/719-2299, nps.gov/arch, weeklong car pass $10 Dead Horse Point State ParkRte. 313, 435/259-2614, stateparks.utah.gov, day pass $7 Day 2: Moab to Torrey The largest of the five national parks at 527 square miles, Canyonlands is divided into three sections. Stew and I had gotten a quick look at the northern Island in the Sky section yesterday at sunset, and we wanted to see how the southeastern section, Needles, compared. (Reaching the westerly Maze section involves 46 miles of dirt road just to get to the ranger station; maybe next time.) The road into Needles ascended to the Big Spring Canyon Overlook. Whereas Island in the Sky was all grand, wide canyons, Needles felt more intimate. Pygmy juniper trees decorated the ground, and hundreds of layers of sandstone fanned out in phyllo-like sheets. Newspaper Rock was on the way back to the main road. The black stone is covered in petroglyphs that were scratched over a 2,000-year period by native tribes (Anasazi, Fremont, Paiute, and Navajo). It was an impressive collage of images: men on horseback hunting antelope, oversize gods sprouting horns and antlers. We stopped for lunch at Twin Rocks Café in the one-road town of Bluff. The Navajo fry bread was crispy, puffy, and wonderfully greasy, and a platter of mesquite-smoked barbecued pork ribs and brisket was huge and satisfying. A sign past the town of Mexican Hat announced that we were now in "Navajoland," the Native American reservation, which sprawls across southern Utah and northern Arizona. The only real detail our map showed was a dot labeled Goulding, just north of Arizona. It turned out to be Goulding's Lodge & Tours, a complex with a lodge, museum with memorabilia from movies shot locally, and outfitter that runs tours of the reservation. In an air-conditioned gift shop we picked up some Native American drums and turquoise jewelry. Stew noticed that the map outlined a little dirt road that headed west, turned south, and rejoined Highway 163 after just a mile or two. Craving a glimpse of the real reservation--anything beyond the gift shop--we took the shortcut. We immediately spotted a modest home with a dome-shaped ceremonial Navajo mud hut in the yard. Success! Continuing on, we took a left at each fork. But after half an hour had passed with no more signs of civilization, I tossed the map onto the floorboard and declared us lost. A Navajo couple in a pickup truck gave us some good directions to the town of Blanding, which is along the highway. Our two-hour detour left us short on time, and we still needed to get halfway across the state to Torrey, where I had booked a night at the Cowboy Homestead Cabins. Restaurants were sure to be closed by the time we arrived, so before getting on the road, we made a quick grocery stop. After a good long drive, we checked into our cabin, one of four, and fired up a nearby barbecue. The smell of steaks, pork chops, red peppers, and zucchini lured Greg Daussin, a Utahan from upstate who had been coming here for the past 10 years and was staying in the cabin next door. He and Stew discovered a shared love of rock climbing, and we stayed up until 3:30 a.m. trading climbing stories and slowly emptying the cooler. Day two Lodging Cowboy Homestead Cabins2100 S. Rte. 12, Torrey, 435/425-3414, cowboyhomesteadcabins.com, from $49 Food Twin Rocks Café913 E. Navajo Twins Dr., Bluff, 435/672-2341, twinrocks.com/cafe, pork ribs $8 Peace Tree Juice Cafe20 S. Main St., Moab, 435/259-0101 Attractions Canyonlands National Park435/719-2313, nps.gov/cany, weeklong car pass $10 Shopping Goulding's Lodge & Tours100 Main St., Monument Valley, 435/727-3231, gouldings.com Day 3: Torrey To Bryce Canyon Torrey is the gateway to Capitol Reef, the least well known of Utah's five national parks. Route 24 cuts through it, threading a high valley carved by the little Fremont River. I had planned for us to spend only an hour or so at Capitol Reef--just enough time to take it in and move on--but I liked what I saw. The 10-mile Scenic Drive led us to a long wash (a dry canyon that becomes a river after heavy rain). The walls rise hundreds of feet on both sides as the dirt road twists its way through the increasingly narrow canyon. At the end of the road, we parked and continued on foot for two miles. As we walked, lizards scurried out of our path. It was quiet and eerie, like bandit country. I later learned Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch used Capitol Reef as a hideout. From Torrey we wound south on Highway 12, through Dixie National Forest. It earns my vote for the country's most spectacular drive. By the time we reached the summit, the road cut through a forest of tall firs and eight-foot-high snow drifts (at the highest points, the snow can stay through late spring). A span of red and yellow mesas and desert lay below. And that was just the first 20 miles. Descending into Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, the road follows the top of a ridgeline in a series of tight curves with drop-offs of more than 1,000 feet on both sides. Once again, we found ourselves racing the clock, this time to get to Bryce Canyon to see the sunset light up the hoodoos, which are spindly, orange-and-white-striped spires of rock. We missed the natural show at the park's Sunset Point by five minutes. But as the crowds dispersed, a photographer stayed planted. "Wait a few more minutes," he instructed, smiling. "You'll see." Soon enough, the snow between the pinnacles glowed a luminous pale purple. We'd decided to splurge on Bryce's own historic lodge for a night. Our room was bland, but had a lovely balcony with rough-hewn logs for a railing. Unfortunately, dinner at the lodge was pretty awful. Everything was salty, my salmon managed to be both pink and dry, and by the next morning I felt queasy. Perhaps it was just due to opening-night jitters--we did happen to come on the first day of the season. Day three Lodging Bryce Canyon LodgeBryce Canyon National Park, 888/297-2757, brycecanyonlodge.com, from $125, dinner $16 Attractions Capitol Reef National Park435/425-3791, nps.gov/care, car pass for Scenic Drive $5, otherwise free Bryce Canyon National Park435/834-5322, nps.gov/brca, weeklong car pass $20 Day 4: Bryce Canyon to Grand Junction At Bryce, the altitude ranges from about 7,900 feet to more than 9,100 feet. With the lingering effects of dinner, I wasn't up for too much activity. So Stew and I drove out to the end of Bryce's scenic road and stopped at each overlook. The best were at Agua Canyon and the rock window called Natural Bridge. Four parks down, one to go. By the time we got to Zion, we had just enough time to take the park's most rewarding short hike, the half-mile-long Canyon Overlook Trail. Private cars are no longer allowed on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive north of the visitors center, so after we finished our hike, we caught the free shuttle to the Riverside Walk trail, which leads to the Narrows. The Narrows is a 16-mile trail that doubles as the bed of the Virgin River. (Only the first mile is accessible without a permit.) Hikers have to check with the visitors center before setting off, as flash floods can send a wall of water racing down the trail, between the 2,000-foot-high canyon walls. Attempting the Narrows at twilight was our final act of ill-advised bravado. We made it only around the first bend before the frigid water rose to our knees. We snapped a couple of quick pictures for bragging rights and hightailed it back to the car. Down the road from the park gates, we checked into a spacious cottage at the Canyon Ranch Motel and immediately headed for the outdoor hot tub. Fifteen minutes of soaking restored our circulation. We then finished off the evening with some of the best Mexican food I've ever tasted in the States, at the Bit and Spur Restaurant and Saloon. We ordered potato, poblano, and chorizo soup, and a couple of sweet potato tamales topped with shredded pork and salsa. The next morning we zipped back across the state. And as we neared the border, a flock of tumbleweeds playfully chased our car toward the state line of Colorado. Day four Lodging Canyon Ranch Motel668 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435/772-3357, canyonranchmotel.com, from $69 Food Bit and Spur Restaurant and Saloon1212 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435/772-3498, sweet potato tamale dinner $16 Attractions Zion National Park 435/772-3256, nps.gov/zion, weeklong car pass $20 Finding your way This trip can just as easily be done in reverse by flying into Las Vegas, a two-hour drive from Zion. The parks are open year-round, but outfitters and most lodges are only open for business April through October. Early spring and early fall are the best times to beat the crowds. And even though this is the desert, it's the high desert: Daytime temperatures in the 70s plummet to the mid-30s some nights, and there's still plenty of snow at higher elevations. To save money on entrance fees, consider an annual National Parks Pass. It's only $50--$15 less than the total cost of the entry fee
