Question: What Do Germans Love More Than David Hasslehoff?

Answer: Southern Utah.

Friday night, I was driving to the east entrance to Zion National Park and I stopped at Henrie's Drive-In in lovely Panguitch, Utah. I'm a fan of Panguitch. It's right in between Bryce Canyon and Zion. That highway is beautiful to drive through. Also, it's fun to say the word "Panguitch". It's a word that could be used to replace any body part. Take your pick as to which one. "Man, my panguitch is chaffed."

Anyway, I stop into the Drive In and the place is packed. It's Friday night, summer is winding down, so I figure that the kids are gonna be hanging out at the local version of the Peach Pit. Wrong. The place is over flowing with German tourists.

I have never been to Germany, though I would like to go. And I have had nothing but pleasant experiences with the Germans I have met, be it in a personal or professional setting. But you can spot them immediately. Their artsy looking Euro glasses, brightly colored shoes with black socks, mesh tank tops and what I can only assume are hairy female armpits and uncircumcised schlongs (you know you want to click on it). These are all just ethnocentric, obvious observations and they are a little mean spirited. I don't mean any disrespect. Although I do think it's odd that people drop a couple of thousand dollars to fly across the world just to hang out in Panguitch.

I struck up a conversation with guy named Klaus from Hamburg. How cool is it that his name was Klaus? The only way it could have been better is if he was named Helmut (greatest German name ever). And no, he was not the singer to The Scorpions. I could spot Klaus Mein in a crowd, no problem. Klaus was a friendly guy who seemed to enjoy having a chat with a real "Panguitch native". Very pleasant folks, that have an affection for my home. A nice experience. Although, curiosity almost compelled me to ask, "So was your grandpa a Nazi?". Not to be a dick, or some "we kicked your ass, haha." kind of thing. But I would like to know if Klaus enjoy Raiders of the Lost Ark as much as I do.

I ended up in Zion and had a great day of hiking and canyoneering. We got lost looking for the trail head of Mystery Canyon, which was the whole reason we went there, so we had pass on that one. It totally sucked, but it could have been worse. We could have done Havasupi and had to be rescued. But we did another shorter slot canyon instead that was a lot of fun. Keyhole saved the day. Here are a few pictures. Note that Justin and I both posed with the rope around our necks. It just looks cooler.