Sometimes B-sides Just Rock

Journal Entry #56

April 12, 2025

When we first began vanlife, our bucket list included many of the national parks. Our love of the desert meant that Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion were high on our bucket list. They didn’t disappoint. These parks are worth their hype. They are stunningly beautiful, but for the most part, they are also quite “people-y.” We found that in order to enjoy them fully we had to hike at least a few miles off the beaten trails to truly feel the vast solitude of these spaces.

Given that we’ve spent 21 of the past 41 months living on the road, we have become far more confident and skilled at finding places to explore, including where to go during the daylight hours and where to camp at night. More and more, we leave our travel itinerary open and let serendipity guide us. We know our terrain capabilities and limits and we know that if there is a problem, we can always move on.

This will a generational thing (and it gives our ages away a bit) but do you remember when you bought a 45 record? Typically, you bought it for that big A-side hit and would listen to the song until you had worn well loved pops and scratches into it. Maybe you’d flip it over and play the B-side out of curiosity. I mean, if you liked the A side, maybe the “B” side would be decent, right? And sometimes you discovered that the B-side was better and more interesting than the A-side after all.

B-sides often showcase a different side of an artist and offer a glimpse into what they're interested in outside of their hit singles. Often times they are less commercially focused; not necessarily aimed at chart success, allowing for more creative freedom and experimentation. And sometimes they are hidden gems. B-sides contain songs that are often just as good as or even better than the A-side, often offering a more authentic representation of an artist’s vision.

So, as we entered the last several weeks of our four-month road trip, we decided to return to the Great Basin and Utah’s high deserts to explore lesser known areas— the desert B-sides, if you will.

We discovered that these B-sides were not only stunningly beautiful but, better yet, they also felt more tranquil, peaceful and serene. They evoked that feeling of discovery, joy, intimacy and unexpected surprises. Sometimes B-sides just rock.

Big Rock Wilderness, Hiko, Nevada (can you find the van? It looks tiny in this vast space.)

Great Basin NP, Nevada. We were down in the lower campground. Snow still covered Wheeler Peak when we were there. We want to return when we can hike the upper elevations.

Valley of Fire, Nevada. A complete and utter wonderland. Arches, without the people.

Snow Canyon, Utah was also a stunning place. So close to Zion but so few people. We had trails to ourselves.

(Hiking in a Lava Tube- Snow Canyon)

Kodachrome State Park, just about 45 minutes from Bryce was a recommendation from one of the trail volunteers we met at Snow Canyon. It was well worth the visit. On one of the trails we didn’t see another soul.

Goblin Valley was probably our favorite B-side spot. The state park was interesting and fun (Galaxy Quest was filmed here). But the best surprise was the public land in the hills where we explored and camped for a few nights. It was one of the most magical camping spots we’ve had in our journeys.