I trust this entry's December 1 date stamp, though it's tempting to claim some sort of calendar conspiracy. Otherwise, I'm forced to explain my disbelief with a tired cliche: Man, this year has flown by!

Gwen Bell knows what time of year it is, and she challenges bloggers to write about it. She's mapped out a list of topics by day to inspire posts about the Best of 2009.

I'm in!

Plan to post #Best09 topics on Tuesdays this month, and look forward to reading the compiled contributions on Gwen's Blog.

Today calls for entries on the BEST TRIP OF THE YEAR, and I can't resist reliving that! I'm lucky to have some great weekend getaways to choose from for this entry, but the best trip was our week in Utah, hands down. I've dug into my blog scrapbook, and condensed the related entries below.

Even if you're not participating in Gwen's challenge, it's still fun to look back on the year. What about you? What was your best trip? Feel free to leave a comment and share.
 

Indulging Wanderlust: Grand Tour of Utah I know I didn't send a post card, but I was thinking of you yesterday as I watched the sun come up over Utah's Canyonlands. Rufus and I have been on a week-long whirlwind adventure, and there's so much I want to tell you about. I've lived a lifetime in one week, so it's too much to describe in one day. I'll start for now with some photos... to show you where we went.... <<more>>

Camp Fabulous That's what Rufus calls me. It's because I can't leave my inner girly-girl at home when we take to the great outdoors. He's like a modern-day Meriwether Lewis blazing a trail and exploring whatever he can find. But I'm no Sacajawea. More like a Sac-a-Something-Else when it comes to leaving modern comforts behind. Rufus genuinely loves to camp, and I'm inspired by his sheer appreciation of nature. If we could swing staying a week in a five-star resort, he'd still want to sleep outside. I, on the other hand, will sleep in a tent as a trade-off — A hotel stay can eat away most of your travel budget, and I've got too much wanderlust to head home because of that. Yes, I know how unflattering it is to admit this: I camp because I'm (mostly) cheap. <<more>>

The Utah Park Service Says These Look Like Mushrooms Goblin Valley State Park is in a pretty secluded section of Utah's Castle Country. It features miles of impressive rock formations called "goblins" that were carved by wind and water. The Utah State Park Service says they look like mushrooms. I think they're more like spires wearing funny hats, myself. We overheard a Moab local telling some other travelers this park was worth a detour off the beaten path. "Dude, it's fields of twigs and berries," he said. "You gotta check it out." I just looked at Rufus and shrugged my shoulders, because we'd just been there the day before.There wasn't a single tree in sight — I have no idea what that guy means. <<more>>

Things in Your Belfry for $200 I've been telling silly tales all week from our recent trip to Utah when you might have been expecting something educational. I know lots of little facts if you really want to hear them — I have a very close relationship with my inner geek. The night we camped in the Needles district of Canyonlands, we decided to attend the nighttime "Ranger Talk." It turned out to be better than a chance to learn something. In the intimate open-air "theater" was a makeshift Jeopardy board propped against the rocks — A bunch of know-it-alls were going to get to compete! <<more>>

Pop Art and Rock Art: Mysteries Just the Same An interesting thing about our information age is that it doesn't leave much mystery for future anthropologists. They may wonder why we were so obsessed with Miley Cyrus, but her music, shows and photos will likely be digitally preserved from now on.Information on the "Gods and Goddesses" of our culture are not the only relics that will remain — From what we buy at the grocery store to Twittered updates du jour, our lives are well documented and easily stored. That's not at all the case for modern people looking back, which is part of the allure of a place like Utah's Newspaper Rock. Newspaper Rock is a petroglyph panel etched in sandstone that records perhaps 2,000 years of human activity in the area. <<more>>