Sossusvlei, Namibia + Kanab, Utah
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Alison is obsessed with frozen grapes, and the void it fills as she’s trying to move away from the quarantine sweets overload life. Lulu is obsessed with some podcast related advice she got from her therapist.
Alison is wanting one of the massive massage chairs, like the ones they have at the airport or mall, but in her home so that she can chill in it every time she put on a half hour show. Can you just imagine how relaxed you’d feel? Lulu would like a stage manager for my life. With so many jobs and such on Zoom, she could use a little production help!
Lulu is headed to Sossusvlei, Namibia, home to “The Namib” the oldest living desert, and home to scenery that looks exactly like the default Mac desktop background. “Sossusvlei” is hard to read, let alone say, so here’s how to pronounce it!
Lulu is staying at the &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge which borders an International Dark Sky Reserve, so stargazing is a must at this “desertscape of sand, stones, stars, sustainability, and silence”. Love all of those s-words. Lulu has reserved the Star Dune Suite which boasts a private veranda, a split level bedroom and living room with fireplace, an outdoor shower, and a skylight above the bed!
A stay at the lodge includes 3 meals a day with house wines, beers, or local spirits, an experience (big dune walk, stargazing, hiking), and a complimentary pair of Swarovski Optik binoculars for use during your stay! They also offer paints, charcoal sticks, pastels, paper and various paint brushes for trying to express even a percentage of the exceptional natural beauty that surrounds you. Ummm, okay!
On-site stargazing is led by the resident astronomer in the lodge’s state-of-the-art observatory, which houses a Meade LX200R 12 inch telescope. The guides help you to see constellations, grasp the vastness of our galaxy, and observe “distant, mysterious planets”. &Beyond Sossusvlei Private Desert Lodge neighbors Africa’s only International Dark Sky Reserve and was originally instrumental in helping the NamibRand Nature Reserve gain its prestigious Gold Tier status, which celebrates nighttime environments that have little to no impact from light pollution and artificial light. The nearest town to the lodge is 140 km (87 miles) away, and that absence of artificial light sources mean the reserve’s sky is one of the darkest yet measured in the world!! Learn more about the International Dark Sky Association and how you can help preserve the darkness!
You can’t bring a lot of light into the reserve, OBVIOUSLY. The paths are marked with red light, and you can wander out into the desert to take in the skies. Lulu is prepared for a deeply spiritual experience, or for an alien abduction. One or the other. To prepare for her nighttime journey into the vastness, Lulu has purchased the following:
Merrell® Women’s All Out Blaze Sieve Hiking Shoe- $79.95
Osprey Syncro 12 Hydration Backpack - $129.95
The Rungu Dualie™ Double Wheel e-bike - $4399
Deep Contact Hooded Blanket that looks like a galaxy - $59.95
Interstellar One cloak - $169.95
5-lb bag of Reese’s Pieces - $24.49
All ready to go and contemplate the mysteries of life, Lulu heads out on her e-bike, cloak flapping in the wind, leaving a trail of Reese’s Pieces candy but no light.
Alison is staying at Basecamp 37 in Kanab, right along the border of Utah and Arizona. Their slogan "Glamping, Ya'll" sounds just perfect to us, and its location means you are within just a couple of hours of some of the Southwest's most spectacular wonders. Like actually close to them, not like the day where Alison drove 33 hours to National Parks all over the four corners states.
This trip is going to be very spacious and secluded, but quite comfortable, all the same. Basecamp 37 has safari-style tents, luxury beds and linens, and “hot showers and hotter grills”. Definitely read that as “girls” not “grills”, at first, which would make this a very different trip.
Her selection of the Powell Tent - which happens to be the most secluded of the tents - has a king-sized bed, expansive views, and some Adirondack chairs to watch sunrises and sunsets from. You can charge your devices with provided solar energy, and they lend you insulated beverage carriers and headlamps for the duration of your stay.
Alison rents a Jeep through Xpress Rental Car of Kanab, so she can get around her Utah adventure. First stop is the Little Hollywood Museum. There are sets, props, and areas used for filming Westerns and other movies and tv shows, like Gunsmoke, Six Million Dollar Man, and Lassie…which will inspire the rest of Alison’s day, just wait! There’s also a gift shop, a restaurant, and a photography studio with costumes for hire!
Next Alison is headed on a hour drive over to the Coyote Buttes (“Butte” is pronounced like this) an area of stunning striated rock formations, the most popular of which is The Wave. This formation of red, orange, and yellow Navajo sandstone resembles a wave and is a wonder to see. Only 20 people per day get to go, as the land is under protection from deterioration, and it is a lottery to even get a ticket. 10 of those lottery tickets are won online ($9 per entry) and 10 are given as walk in lottery tickets.
Inspiration by way of Little Hollywood Museum sets where she recalled Lassie scenes, Alison is going to buy a dog, specifically, a collie puppy. She found Snow Collies, a family breeder in Utah County about 3.5 hours away from Kanab. She is spending $2000 on a puppy that she is going to name Cassie.
Now that she has her adorable pup, she is going to head out to the desert and let Cassie play while she films her with her DJI Mavic Mini Drone. She and Cassie are going to come back to the same sand dunes every month for the next year, and film her playing each time. That way she has a picturesque aerial short film about Cassie growing up. How adorable is that?
Next Alison puts Cassie in this puppy backpack so they can discover fun and new friends at Kanab’s Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Visitor Center where they go on a Pig & Goat Walking Tour and participate in some bunny yoga!
Time for a quick drop off at Genevieve’s Animal Care so that Cassie has some fun play time while Alison heads out for dinner.
Rocking V Cafe was chosen because of their “stance” that she is really feeling right now: “THERE’S A REASON WE DON’T HAVE WIFI. CHILL. EXHALE. SIT. LISTEN. LOOK AROUND. POWER DOWN. KILL THE PHONE. STOW THE TABLET. ENJOY YOUR MEAL. THAT IS THE BIG IDEA.”
Alison orders their cheese and charcuterie board, which in addition to the expected meats and cheeses, also comes with smoked red trout and assortment of aiolis! For her main Alison chooses the bison tenderloin, and for the dessert, well there was no choice needed once she saw “CHOCO-POCALYPSE NOW!!!” It’s a French flourless dark chocolate torte “served with passion fruit sauce. We have genetically modified the sauce so the passion is time-released for your after-dinner pleasure once you have left the building (also for the protection of your fellow diners & because our lawyer said so). WARNING: If your passion lasts more than 4 hours, see your doctor!“ There are also custom-made pies to be had.
After dinner Alison heads for some sunset sandboarding which she heard about through Out of Office Adventure’s blog article about the coral pink sand dunes half an hour from Kanab. Definitely worth the trip, it’s like playing in a giant sandbox!
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
Penda Trust (based in South Africa)
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