When I was a kid I was pretty certain I was going to grow up to be a storm chaser.  (And a teacher, and an architect, and at least eight other things.  I like being busy, I guess.)  I’ve always loved rain and storms and I still get distracted by clouds more than I’d like to admit.

Snagging that perfect gap between steel beams on a bridge after the last 10 shots were nothing but blurred metal.

Wandering through red rock canyonlands on a morning hike, so hot even before sunrise, and stumbling across an unexplained but gorgeous little stream.

I’d love to throw some romantic paragraphs in here about this part of our road trip, some perfect words telling tales of sailing through the Rockies, meandering river to one side and stunning peaks to the other, peaceful alpine meadows slipping past the windows as we rolled down the windows to let in cool mountain air.

We started our road trip intending to reach Bryce National Park on the first night – not a terribly lofty plan, but it would still make for a long day.