We spent pretty much the whole day driving in on place or another. i appreciate the break from hiking. the canyonlands have some great geology; it's all horsts and grabens. and the needles are just beautiful beyond belief. it's been 'oh wow' followed by sheer terror the whole day. it's so fantastic out here, but if ive learned one thing, it's that 4 wheeling in a jeep is not my idea of a good point. i don't like it when my contents shift dring transit, and i think i have left impressions of my fingers in the jeep's 'oh shit' handle. i took a ton of pictures - i can't wait to show them to everyone, but they won't be half as awe-inspiring as the real thing.

tonight i'm definitely buying a beer for john, our driver, who is a physics professor. tomorrow we head home after a short stop at onion creek. i can't wait to see mike and my kitties!