USA // Mars Is on Earth
Thanksgiving 2021.
I have never been that good at math, but here is an elementary addition:
A few free days are approaching +
My friend is free +
Classes are online +
D1’s soccer college season is over +
Flights’ prices are okay =
——————————————————
Time to discover new places.
A quick map. Photoshop skills will always help you 😂
We planned our trip with the accuracy of an astronomer.
If we were to fly above the Mid-West and could point a finger at where we wanted to stay, chances are we’d have picked Hurricane, Utah.
Our Airbnb was strategically located in the middle of all the parks we wanted to see:
Valley of Fire (Nevada)
Horseshoe Bend (Arizona)
Bryce Canyon (Utah)
Grand Canyon North Rim (Arizona)
Zion (Utah)
A lot of driving, yeah. But the best part?
The drive was as emotional and entertaining as the actual destinations.
Nothing was around me. But somehow, I felt like the whole world was embracing me.
The “dead” moments were perfectly mixed with the “alive” ones. I can’t put it into words yet, but hopefully, it will come as I keep writing.
All I know is that those feelings will always stay with me.
And in a way it s**ks, because any other hike or nature-based trip I will embark on, will never be as good.
Guaranteed.
BUT LET’S BEGIN 🚩
Day 1️⃣ - Valley of Fire (Nevada)
We got to Las Vegas with an unpleasant surprise:
“Hello my name is Mattia Cella and I just landed in Las Vegas. Can you please tell me how to reach the car I booked? I have a reservation.”
”Sure, what’s your reservation number?”
…
“Mr. Cella? Are you on the line?”
”Yes.”
”Okay so… it turns out your reservation is for Los Angeles airport. Not Las Vegas.”
”There must be a mistake, please check again.” (I was chuckling, too. There’s no way I booked for the wrong airport).
…
“So yeah, I can confirm. Your reservation with us is for Los Angeles.”
Beep, beep, beep.
Panicking.
Not the best way to start a trip, right? 😅
Luckily, the reservation was free to cancel, and we found another car right away for a cheaper price.
Nah, just kidding.
As we drove out of The Las Vegas urban areas, we were getting more and more lost. There was a sharp distinction between the city and the surrounding desert.
Usually, as you move away from a big city, the transition between streets and nature happens gradually. This time it was a sharp turn.
Something we both loved.
As we ventured inside the park - greeted by a bighorn sheep 🐏 - we found ourselves in an ecosystem of reddish, randomly shaped rocks that caught us right away.
We were as happy as two kids, literally.
As we kept driving inside the martian landscape, we decided to stop, park, and go explore.
One of the best decisions of the trip.
We soon found ourselves in a desert made of huge bicolored rocks. Look at this:
This was a 20-minute walk from our car.
We decided to follow a tight path made of the finest, whitest sand I ever touched.
It was in between huge rocks, and as we kept chatting, I told Luca:
“Bro, shhhh.”
“…”
It was the loudest silence I ever experienced.
I decided to take a video where I throw a small rock on the ground.
If you have headphones, please wear them, and listen to the silence. It was UNREAL. 🎧
We spent hours in that paradise. Just sitting there. Feeling what we were witnessing.
Yes, feeling what we were witnessing. I could not put it into better words.
After some time we decided to drive to our Airbnb where we had to check-in.
As we did so, the sun was setting… 🌅
We were playing loud music as we cruised Mars. ☄️
Screaming to the lyrics.
Windows down, hands out, chills, and even some tears.
The road was elegantly separating these massive rocks made of the weirdest shades of red, beige, grey, orange, and yellow. And we were driving right through them.
Time to go home, get some rest, and prepare for Horseshoe Bend.
