Zion National Park

22nd - 23rd June - We departed for Zion National park in the morning. In the park, 6 of us hiked to Observation Point (the highest point of the park) instead of the more popular Angel's Landing (a slightly lower point, with more challenging climbs) for breathtaking views of Zion Canyon's sheer sandstone cliffs. We hiked up under the scorching sun and had to stop every few minutes to hide from the sun and rest. It took us about 3 hours to reach the top. At that point, our water supply was down to less than 100ml each. Luckily going down was slightly easier and took us 2 hours. We rushed back to our campsite for water as there is no water at the foot of Observation Point. At the campsite, we headed to cool and wash up at the nearby river. We had sliced banana with chocolate and sour cream heated over a fire at night. I planned to climb the Angel's Landing the next day, but due to exhaustion I went for the easier hikes such as weeping falls and virgin river narrows instead. This was the last day where our group separated. 9 of us who were on the 9-days trip boarded another Green Tortoise bus that headed for Las Vegas where we spent 3 hours and Los Angeles for stop-overs before returning to San Francisco where we parted. This trip was the best experience in USA, just in front of Disneyland.

Salt Lake City

21st June - The bus stopped in front of Great Salt Lake for breakfast. I was one of the few that managed to wake up early enough to enjoy the sunrise. We then head for Salt Lake City, a Mormon settlement and were fortunate to arrive in time for a guided tour around the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Constructed on Temple Square, in the center of the city, the temple took 40 years to complete. Utah is a desert state and the heat is much hotter than S'pore with the cloudless sky. Afterwhich we headed to the University of Utah and visited their Museum of Natural History which displays prehistoric dinosaurs, mammals, olden tribal Indian settlements to animals and reptiles found in Utah. In the evening, we made our way to a small private own campsite with a hill of hot springs behind their house. Along the way, we played Poker: Texas Hold'em and prepare for our visit to Lad Vegas. That night, there was a small band performing on the top of the hill. I laid in a bathtub of hot sulfur water as I enjoyed their songs. Some remained to stay near a fire, while others went back to sleep. I joined the majority in the hot spring at the foot of the hill as we smuggled liquor to drink and enjoy the clear sky of stars. It's illegal to consume drinks with high alcohol content in the city.

Jackson Hole

20th June - We arrived in Jackson Hole, a cowboy town in Wyoming, in the afternoon and were divided into 2 groups, those that went white water rafting and the other that started shopping or hiking in the surronding mountains. Majority of the group, including me, went to raft the class III rapids of the Snake River. All those in my raft took turns to jump into the freezing water at the calm portions, it's really refreshing! We rode through the river for 45 minutes battling the rapids and 'rival' rafts, and enjoying the beautiful mountain views. After that we joined the others in town for lunch and walking around. We spend most of the remaining day in Million-Dollar Cowboy Bar playing pool, drinking and just enjoying the moment together before we left at 10pm for Salt Lake City.

Grand Teton

19th June - At Grand Teton National Park, we had delicious vegan hamburger for breakfast. The weather is cool and the place is beautiful. We took a stroll to the base of Hidden Falls and hike up to Inspiration Point. Some took the cruise to the end of the lake instead of walking. We intended to kayat on the way back. However, due to the lack of time, we took a dip at the freezing lake instead. I only managed to go knee deep before the cold forced me back up. This place is voted the best out of the locations we visited throughout the trip.

Yellowstone National Park

17th - 18th June - In Yellowstone, we discovered the wilderness of the world's first National Park. We catch the spectacular eruptions of Old Faithful and other geysers, view Yellowstone Falls and Grand Canyon of Yellowstone from Artist Point, and watch for bison, deer, elks grazing in the surrounding meadows. They came up to about a feet or 2 from us. We also saw a coyote, a grizzly bear and a rattle snake. During the night, we had campfires, mushmallows and booze with lovely Robacca singing for us. When it's time to sleep, we either sleep in our tents, in the open or on the bus. I slept on the bus as it was too cold for me in the open.

Ruby Mountain

15th June - I signed up for a 9 days Green Tortoise Adventure Trip - Northern Pioneer just 2 days before departure. http://www.greentortoise.com/ I managed to borrow all my camping and hiking gears from my friend from Maxim, Tim Rust. Our group of 27 met at San Francisco's Greyhound Station in the evening, not knowing each other, we start to make friends, which later grew into strong friendships in the next 8 days. The majority were from America and Europe. A NUS student, Valerie, a chinese, Kevin, who had stayed in SF for 15 years and I were the only asians. When the bus arrived, I was surprised to find out how the bus seat were later converted to beds for up to 40 people! This day is the beginning of the best moments of my stay in America.

16th June - We woke up in the Ruby Mountains of Northern Nevada and set up tables to prepare breakfast and lunch. We then hiked to the glacier-carved lakes of Lamoille Canyon where we had to climb through thick snow at a point. Our shoes were wet, and our feet and hands were cold as we prevented ourselves from slipping. We unwound in an isolated hot spring after dinner. During the night as we slept on the bus, we were being driven to our next destination.

Satsuma Dojo

12th June - I was promoted to rank in the grade of the 9th Kyu of Karate after the karate test last Saturday. I was promoted from white to blue belt, skipping yellow. A few kids less than half my age also achieved double promotions. I am happy to have achieved a color belt before returning home.
13th June - I had dinner with a fellow Singaporean, Ling, from my hiking group at a 'Singaporean' restaurant, Thousand Island. The Nasi Lemak I ordered tasted so different from the one sold back home, reminding me of the delicious Singaporean food.