{"id":187760,"date":"2017-09-12T20:27:39","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T18:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/?p=187760"},"modified":"2026-06-05T21:05:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:05:51","slug":"bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bizarre Side of Tourism: A Road Trip Through America&#8217;s Most Overcrowded Parks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you placed two identical Coca-Colas in front of them and said Elvis Presley had touched one, they&#8217;d probably start taking selfies with it. Tourists. Our last two weeks of road-tripping were defined by the bizarre side of tourism \u2014 social media has created a world where people who actually hate travelling feel compelled to do it anyway.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/#Social_media_made_people_travel_who_actually_hate_travelling\" >Social media made people travel who actually hate travelling<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/#Why_do_tourists_queue_for_a_photo_with_a_tree_in_a_forest_full_of_trees\" >Why do tourists queue for a photo with a tree in a forest full of trees?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/#35%C2%B0C_is_actually_quite_refreshing\" >35\u00b0C is actually quite refreshing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/#When_you_accidentally_skip_a_national_park_you_know_youve_visited_too_many\" >When you accidentally skip a national park, you know you&#8217;ve visited too many<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/#Meet_Horseshoe_Bend_the_most_overrated_spot_in_the_USA\" >Meet Horseshoe Bend, the most overrated spot in the USA<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/#Our_last_first_time_We_got_kicked_out_of_town\" >Our last first time. We got kicked out of town<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/#And_we_nearly_drowned%E2%80%A6\" >And we nearly drowned\u2026<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/#The_adorable_Mormon_sect\" >The adorable Mormon sect<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/#Holes_into_the_Earths_core_The_most_magical_place_in_the_USA\" >Holes into the Earth&#8217;s core. The most magical place in the USA<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/bizarre-side-tourism-usa-roadtrip\/#Life_is_better_in_Banff\" >Life is better in Banff<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Social_media_made_people_travel_who_actually_hate_travelling\"><\/span><b>Social media made people travel who actually hate travelling<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50930\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50930\" style=\"width: 870px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/21167219_1415507438565308_6536232461531597477_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-50930\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/21167219_1415507438565308_6536232461531597477_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Yellowstone is overcrowded with tourists but utterly magical\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50930\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yellowstone is overcrowded with tourists but utterly magical<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;THIS IS NOT IN OUR PLAN. Stop taking pictures of stupid things and get up there! When we reach the top, you&#8217;ve got fifteen seconds to take your photo and then we&#8217;re running back. Got it?&#8221; screamed an American man at his wife, theatrically slamming his hat on the ground. The petite woman \u2014 clearly used to this \u2014 carried on photographing the wildflowers along the Grand Prismatic trail with admirable composure. He puffed up, fuming, and marched off.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Being at the most touristy spots on Earth became a guilty pleasure of ours during the final stretch of our trip. Sometimes you genuinely wonder why people travel when they look like it&#8217;s the greatest form of torture known to mankind. Probably for the Instagram photos, we reckon.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_tourists_queue_for_a_photo_with_a_tree_in_a_forest_full_of_trees\"><\/span><b>Why do tourists queue for a photo with a tree in a forest full of trees?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50910\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50910\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20800336_1406135296169189_1578191550363117482_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50910\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20800336_1406135296169189_1578191550363117482_n.jpg\" alt=\"Queueing for a tree in a forest. Amusing?\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50910\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Queueing for a tree in a forest. Amusing?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">From Yosemite, we headed to Sequoia National Park. For a while, we couldn&#8217;t find any tourists. We thought it couldn&#8217;t be possible \u2014 they had to be somewhere. Then we spotted them, all gathered around one particular sequoia. Allegedly the largest sequoia in the world. Every single visitor was queuing up for their ten seconds of clowning around at the General Sherman Tree.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50911\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50911\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20842269_1406135292835856_8531769193074800389_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50911\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20842269_1406135292835856_8531769193074800389_n.jpg\" alt=\"Could you tell this isn&#039;t the biggest tree in Sequoia National Park?\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50911\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Could you tell this isn&#8217;t the biggest tree in Sequoia National Park?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you&#8217;re thinking it must have been a truly spectacular tree, let me assure you \u2014 you genuinely can&#8217;t tell it&#8217;s the oldest or the largest just by looking at it. So we stood there for a good while, watching with great amusement as people waited in a fifteen-minute queue for a photo with a sequoia\u2026 in a forest absolutely full of sequoias.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"35%C2%B0C_is_actually_quite_refreshing\"><\/span><b>35\u00b0C is actually quite refreshing<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50925\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50925\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20800115_1401946433254742_5213472964680283970_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50925\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20800115_1401946433254742_5213472964680283970_n.jpg\" alt=\"The iconic Joshua Tree\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50925\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The iconic Joshua Tree<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Joshua Tree Park is a gorgeous and, luckily for us, underrated gem. It&#8217;s not exactly ideal for long walks in summer \u2014 temperatures soar through the roof and tourists try to spend as little time outside their cars as possible.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We could hardly believe we&#8217;d actually made it there. It meant our trusty Chiquita had survived to reach the southernmost point of our road trip \u2014 and also that our adventure was slowly coming to an end.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50924\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50924\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20770074_1401946416588077_3418569020389026574_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50924\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20770074_1401946416588077_3418569020389026574_n.jpg\" alt=\"This is not Chiquita\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50924\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is not Chiquita<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The heat wasn&#8217;t about to let up, and the tourists weren&#8217;t coming back any time soon. From the scorching, we drove straight into the even more scorching. And our car was about to face its ultimate test. We were heading to the lowest point in North America \u2014 Death Valley.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50905\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50905\" style=\"width: 870px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/20861540_1402489513200434_5497802680953990132_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-50905\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20861540_1402489513200434_5497802680953990132_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"The hottest spot in the western USA\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50905\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The hottest spot in the western USA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to some sources, it&#8217;s the hottest place on Earth (though others point to Dasht-e Lut in Iran with its record 70.6\u00b0C). We had a lovely 47\u00b0C. True to our rather unfortunate habit, we arrived at precisely the worst possible time \u2014 when they advise you not to walk around at all. But it wouldn&#8217;t be the real Death Valley experience if you didn&#8217;t brave it in the middle of summer at peak heat. At least that&#8217;s what we kept telling ourselves. I&#8217;d been warning Luk\u00e1\u0161 it would feel like standing in front of a giant hair dryer, and sure enough, that&#8217;s exactly what it was. During our short walks through this hostile landscape, we could only hope we wouldn&#8217;t melt.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_you_accidentally_skip_a_national_park_you_know_youve_visited_too_many\"><\/span><b>When you accidentally skip a national park, you know you&#8217;ve visited too many<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50909\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50909\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20914380_1405136646269054_1272203152801342269_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50909\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20914380_1405136646269054_1272203152801342269_n.jpg\" alt=\"North Rim is better than South Rim because there are hardly any tourists\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50909\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">North Rim is better than South Rim because there are hardly any tourists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It was the perfect preparation for Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, because from then on nothing ever felt quite as brutally hot. 35\u00b0C seemed like a pleasant breeze by comparison. We spent two days in Las Vegas pretending to be normal tourists, only to find ourselves on the third day \u2014 nursing a hangover \u2014 parking up and sleeping right next to the visitor centre at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We simply didn&#8217;t have the energy for anything else. If you&#8217;re curious about all the places we slept that weren&#8217;t exactly legal, well, this was one of them.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50916\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50916\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20953184_1407048892744496_5250628834520892118_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50916\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20953184_1407048892744496_5250628834520892118_n.jpg\" alt=\"At first Canyonlands seemed underwhelming, but looking back, it actually doesn&#039;t look half bad\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50916\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">At first Canyonlands seemed underwhelming, but looking back, it actually doesn&#8217;t look half bad<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We didn&#8217;t linger for long \u2014 took a few shorter walks and hopped straight back into our Chiquita to keep moving. We still didn&#8217;t have the energy or the mood to trek anywhere properly, so we weren&#8217;t even cross with each other when we realised we&#8217;d accidentally skipped one of Utah&#8217;s national parks. We decided to make a small detour and go back for it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50915\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50915\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20841888_1407048906077828_1534820009909402294_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50915\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20841888_1407048906077828_1534820009909402294_n.jpg\" alt=\"Maybe we should have had a coffee before the Canyonlands trip \u2014 it actually looks rather brilliant\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50915\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maybe we should have had a coffee before the Canyonlands trip \u2014 it actually looks rather brilliant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Meet_Horseshoe_Bend_the_most_overrated_spot_in_the_USA\"><\/span><b>Meet Horseshoe Bend, the most overrated spot in the USA<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We didn&#8217;t expect quite such a pilgrimage when we decided to make a stop at the wildly popular Horseshoe Bend. The single most overrated place on our entire trip. Thousands of grumpy tourists streaming towards the exact same photo their mates had posted on Instagram. So naturally, we took one too. Research shows that people don&#8217;t actually like unfamiliar things \u2014 they&#8217;re most drawn to what they already know. The more they see a place in photos, the more beautiful it seems. The more famous, the more stunning. Our brains love the familiar. And so we headed to the next popular destination: Monument Valley.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50912\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50912\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20800129_1405136452935740_7545364559474209218_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-50912 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20800129_1405136452935740_7545364559474209218_n.jpg\" alt=\"Thanks to Instagram, Horseshoe Bend has become a pilgrimage site\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50912\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thanks to Instagram, Horseshoe Bend has become a pilgrimage site<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mesa Verde isn&#8217;t exactly a tourist hotspot, but that doesn&#8217;t mean it isn&#8217;t worth a stop. From 550 AD to 1300, this was home to the Ancestral Puebloans, who could scale cliffs like nobody else. They&#8217;d carve tiny toeholds into the rock and scramble up sheer cliff faces.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_last_first_time_We_got_kicked_out_of_town\"><\/span><b>Our last first time. We got kicked out of town<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50917\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50917\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20993904_1408022485980470_1878910228373190581_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50917\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20993904_1408022485980470_1878910228373190581_n.jpg\" alt=\"The infamous trip to Zebra Slot Canyon\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50917\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The infamous trip to Zebra Slot Canyon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">From Colorado, we headed into Utah, which we&#8217;d been dreading most because of the high temperatures. Turns out that after Death Valley, we&#8217;d built up quite an immunity. In Canyonlands and Arches, we strolled about as if the air wasn&#8217;t well above 35\u00b0C. Our base was the town of Moab, which gave us our very last &#8220;first&#8221; \u2014 the one we&#8217;d been waiting for over two months.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">At 2 a.m., a police officer knocked on our car window and kicked us out of town. Me with heart palpitations and Luk\u00e1\u0161 with his eyelids glued shut, we spent half past two in the morning searching for somewhere to sleep, 20 minutes outside town.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50934\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50934\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20842216_1407051522744233_667122828285991905_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50934\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20842216_1407051522744233_667122828285991905_n.jpg\" alt=\"The famous symbol of Utah \u2014 imagine a thousand tourists sitting behind me and you&#039;ve got the picture. The funny thing was everyone was waiting for sunset, which looks rather rubbish from here\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50934\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The famous symbol of Utah \u2014 imagine a thousand tourists sitting behind me and you&#8217;ve got the picture. The funny thing was everyone was waiting for sunset, which looks rather rubbish from here<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_we_nearly_drowned%E2%80%A6\"><\/span><b>And we nearly drowned\u2026<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the way to Bryce National Park, we drove through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Because we always think we can outsmart everyone and find more beautiful places without paying, we picked Zebra Slot Canyon as our next destination. And we nearly drowned, because it was flooded. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LoudavymKrokem\/videos\/1409339759182076\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Video here<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LoudavymKrokem\/videos\/1409339759182076\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LoudavymKrokem\/videos\/1409339759182076\/<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50918\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50918\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20953576_1409851725797546_4126061356791771108_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50918\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20953576_1409851725797546_4126061356791771108_n.jpg\" alt=\"The view from Observation Point in Zion\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50918\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The view from Observation Point in Zion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Zion and Bryce, we played it safe. At Bryce, we walked all the main trails. In Zion, we chose Observation Point over Angel&#8217;s Landing \u2014 better views, fewer people.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50935\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50935\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20915442_1408886532560732_5151579586478876560_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50935\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20915442_1408886532560732_5151579586478876560_n.jpg\" alt=\"People think Bryce is more of a driving park, so the trails are blissfully empty\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50935\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">People think Bryce is more of a driving park, so the trails are blissfully empty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_adorable_Mormon_sect\"><\/span><b>The adorable Mormon sect<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50908\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50908\" style=\"width: 870px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/20988410_1411026992346686_5505728195467666344_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-50908\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20988410_1411026992346686_5505728195467666344_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Mormon headquarters\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50908\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mormon headquarters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Our stop at Mormon HQ was a welcome change of pace. Suddenly, it was as if you&#8217;d left America and stepped into a different, far friendlier world belonging to this adorable sect. They&#8217;d already tried to convert us back in Alaska, so armed with a Book of Mormon, we set off to explore the mothership. We wandered around to the sound of piano music, admiring the lavish headquarters of the faith that&#8217;s taken over the entire state of Utah. Had we not discovered a caf\u00e9 plastered with comic book characters and blessed with lightning-fast Wi-Fi, we&#8217;d tell you Temple Square is the best thing in all of Salt Lake City. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we found it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50907\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50907\" style=\"width: 870px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/20988240_1411027065680012_1620817306095593680_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-50907\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/20988240_1411027065680012_1620817306095593680_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"The stunning library in Salt Lake City\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50907\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The stunning library in Salt Lake City<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Holes_into_the_Earths_core_The_most_magical_place_in_the_USA\"><\/span><b>Holes into the Earth&#8217;s core. The most magical place in the USA<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50921\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50921\" style=\"width: 870px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/21016014_1413557685426950_5001430113158552461_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-50921\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/21016014_1413557685426950_5001430113158552461_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Our first glimpse of Yellowstone was at West Thumb\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50921\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our first glimpse of Yellowstone was at West Thumb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We thought nothing could impress us any more, and Luk\u00e1\u0161 was doing everything he could to cut our trip short. When I told him we needed at least four days in Yellowstone, he gave me a deeply suspicious look. That lasted about ten minutes \u2014 until he found himself staring into stinking lakes of every conceivable colour. Holes straight into the Earth&#8217;s core.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50929\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50929\" style=\"width: 870px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/21167457_1415507498565302_7601435060413328439_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-50929\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/21167457_1415507498565302_7601435060413328439_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"We spent five brilliant days here and it was the perfect ending to our trip\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50929\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">We spent five brilliant days here and it was the perfect ending to our trip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yellowstone isn&#8217;t really a place for long hikes. You mostly squeeze along wooden boardwalks past turquoise pools at 90\u00b0C, waiting for the next geyser to surprise you. But here, the crowds of tourists fade into the background \u2014 once the geysers start their show, you couldn&#8217;t care less if there are a thousand other spectators around you.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50877\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50877\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/21227010_311475115993415_8234283846460243968_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-50877\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/21227010_311475115993415_8234283846460243968_n.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Geyser. Geysers never get old\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50877\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Castle Geyser. Geysers never get old<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We knew Yellowstone was the golden pinnacle of our travels. The grand finale, as it should be. Yet there was still one obligatory stop waiting for us \u2014 our beloved parks along the US-Canada border. But Glacier National Park and Waterton were engulfed in wildfire smoke that had been following us for the last thousand kilometres from Yellowstone.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50904\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50904\" style=\"width: 870px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/21246257_1417717978344254_4124648614013467760_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-50904\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/21246257_1417717978344254_4124648614013467760_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Grinnell Glacier won&#039;t be here in 20 years\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50904\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grinnell Glacier won&#8217;t be here in 20 years<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Life_is_better_in_Banff\"><\/span><b>Life is better in Banff<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">We didn&#8217;t give up on Glacier National Park entirely \u2014 we at least hiked up to Grinnell Glacier, a glacier that won&#8217;t exist in 20 years&#8217; time. After that, with tears in our eyes, we drove back to our friends in Calgary. Our journey was over.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50783\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50783\" style=\"width: 870px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Moraine-Lake2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-50783\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Moraine-Lake2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"There&#039;s a reason Moraine Lake is one of the top attractions in Banff National Park\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50783\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">There&#8217;s a reason Moraine Lake is one of the top attractions in Banff National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;But I still liked Banff the best,&#8221; Luk\u00e1\u0161 declared as we returned to Calgary after 2.5 months of living and travelling in our car. We&#8217;d driven 20,000 kilometres, walked 800 kilometres, only to confirm that there&#8217;s no better place in North America than Banff.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50932\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50932\" style=\"width: 870px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/21544103_1426669247449127_1249805686005163658_o.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-50932\" src=\"https:\/\/www.loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/21544103_1426669247449127_1249805686005163658_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Our journey with Chiquita may have ended, but we keep on travelling\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50932\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our journey with Chiquita may have ended, but we keep on travelling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you placed two identical Coca-Colas in front of them and said Elvis Presley had touched one, they&#8217;d probably start taking selfies with it. Tourists. Our last two weeks of road-tripping were defined by the bizarre side of tourism \u2014 social media has turned travel into a performance for people who don&#8217;t actually enjoy it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":50935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","rank_math_title":"The Bizarre Side of Tourism: USA Road Trip Tales","rank_math_description":"Discover the bizarre side of tourism on an epic USA road trip \u2014 from Yellowstone to Death Valley. Funny, honest stories from overcrowded national parks.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"bizarre side of tourism","rank_math_seo_score":""},"categories":[679],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-187760","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-our-travel-opinions"},"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/20915442_1408886532560732_5151579586478876560_n.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Lucie Kone\u010dn\u00e1","author_link":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/author\/lucie-konecna\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187760"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":187780,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187760\/revisions\/187780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudavymkrokem.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}