The last five months have gone by like a very content whirlwind, that just seems to swirl never ending. So much has happened, and all of it good. We have a beautiful new apartment, good jobs with great prospects, wonderful friends and of course, Paris nearby.

I also took the step of detoxing my life in more ways than one. Sure, food is pretty central but everything in your life has an impact. Anything that wasn’t having a positive effect I tossed to the side. So much clutter has gone and those who were passive-aggressive, competitive, dishonest or angry were just not given my new telephone number. It wasn’t hard work, it just seemed natural. And now it just feels plain good.

Do you remember all those boxes we packed & shipped? Most of their contents wound up in the trash room downstairs in our apartment block. It’s funny what you think you’ll need. It certainly kept us going for the interim period, but we have shifted as people as well as geographically and it feels good to start anew.

One end of the park was burning and the air was so dry it made my eyes sting a little. My mouth and nostrils dried out too, as though the ash was settling there absorbing every molecule of moisture as it came to the surface.

The viewing platforms were overly busy as visitors were constrained to just the one section of the region. So we went back to the car, exchanged our flip flops for something a little more sturdy and set out to be among the hoodoos.

It was a beautiful trail.

We drank much water whilst there, but the intense heat coupled with the dryer than dry air sapped our bodies. At the deepest point, we sheltered for a few minutes appreciating the shade.

When we got back to the car we yanked our shoes right off to let our feet breathe once more and literally downed our coconut waters straight out of the cool box. They moistened our dry throats and refreshed our bodies.

And from there we went South West to Zion…