As much as I wanna host a press-conference style LIVE STREAM about our wedding details … I simply can’t. I don’t have answers to questions outstanding.
When is the wedding?
To be determined.
Where is the wedding?
I dunno yet.
Los, ginormous or intimate? [I would lean into the microphone for effect] “No comment.”
The truth is, we’re still figuring things out. And sometimes the best way to find answers isn’t sitting at a table with spreadsheets. Sometimes it’s getting in the car and seeing where the road takes you.
That said, our next adventure is about red rocks, and (wedding) recon to investigate whether we can answer our own wedding FAQ.
Jen’s Spring Break has turned into something that feels suspiciously like a field assignment. We’re flying into Salt Lake City, picking up a rental car, and driving south through some of the most famous red-rock country in the American West.
If you’ve never done a road trip through the Southwest, it has a rhythm of its own: long desert highways, playlists that somehow sound better in wide open spaces, coffee stops that double as scenic overlooks, and miles of red rock formations that make you pull over just to stare for a minute.
Eventually we’ll roll into Sedona. But this isn’t just a scenic road trip.
It’s wedding recon.
The mission is simple: investigate whether Sedona might be the place where we answer some of our own wedding FAQ.
Until then, the microphones stay off, the press conference is postponed, and the only confirmed details are these:
Red rocks.
A road trip.
And a couple of curious explorers trying to figure out where the next chapter might begin.
The “Arches” of the April Arches Adventure
The “Arches” in April Arches Adventure — AAA. Get it?
AAA. A road trip without the iconic TripTik. (Sorry, G-Money.)
Our route will take us through Utah’s red rock country with a proper exploration of Arches National Park outside Moab. Not just passing by, but thoroughly exploring it.
I suggested the visit since
- we’re zooming by anyway
- easy caching — Virtuals or EarthCaches are answers only, maybe a selfie for photographic proof of the visit
- it primes us for our desire to have red rock in the background of our wedding photographs.
Somewhere in that stretch we’ll overnight at the Blue Sage Inn. Before Arches … or after? Honestly, that part of the itinerary might still be a little fuzzy. That’s the nature of road trips.
Now, normally when I cross state lines there’s a geocaching objective involved. But I already have the digital state souvenir for Utah. So technically any finds along the way — Virtuals, EarthCaches, whatever happens to be nearby — are extra. I mean, I would love to earn them if time allows.
But I wanna be present and relevant for the entire trip as Jen will most likely be caught up in the majesty of red rock. And that’s kind of the point. Some adventures are about the destination.
Some are about the discoveries along the way.
This one? It’s about both.
Sedona or Bust
“Sedona or Bust.” — It used to be a popular road-trip saying.
You’d see it on handwritten signs for hitchhikers or written across the back window of a car — the early-1900’s way of telegraphing your intentions.
In our case, the intention is a little different. Regarding the wedding recon, I suggested we approach it like a FAM trip: Intentional. Exploratory.
And to mentally answer one question: Is this the place?
We sat down and mapped out five possible venues.
Five.
Then scheduled site inspections like auditions.
- Why should we book you over XYZ?
- Which venue gets the “rose” type of pseudo-drama stirred up with the TV show The Bachelor? (Is that even still on?)
My fiancée is a little planner at heart. Me? While I love to maximize my time and productivity, planning every last detail isn’t really my vibe. But this isn’t about just Jen. Or me.
It’s we; not me.
The Birdcage
After two days and five venues, we’ll put Sedona in our rearview mirror and head south toward the SunBird Golf Resort. This is the proper unplug portion of the trip.
Like our iPhone slider: Airplane mode ON.
Fun under the Chandler sun. That’s the part I’m “the Confidence of Steven” sure Jen will truly enjoy.
Serenity. Sun (suntan lotion!). Poolside. Music.
All while we discuss what we saw, what we felt, and what stood out. Usually when Jen and I wrap up a trip I ask two questions:
“What was the peak of the trip?” + “What was the pit?”
The best moment.
The crummy part.
But this time I might ask something a little different. “What was the part that made your eyebrow arch?”
And just as important: “What was the part that made your frustration arch?”
Because somewhere between those answers… We might find the venue that quietly stood above the rest.
Closing
So that’s the plan.
From Salt Lake City to Sedona — with red rocks, road miles, and a little wedding reconnaissance along the way.
We’ll explore arches, chase a few easy geocaching finds, inspect five potential venues, and then decompress under the Arizona sun in Chandler while comparing notes.
Somewhere between the scenic overlooks, venue walkthroughs, and poolside conversations we might discover the answer to the question that started this whole trip:
Is this the place? If not, that’s okay.
Because sometimes the purpose of a road trip isn’t just reaching the destination. Sometimes it’s moving one step closer to knowing where the next chapter of your life might begin.
And if nothing else, we’ll always remember the road that took us there.
From Salt Lake …
… to Sedona.
los, Fil-Am Renaissance Man 