The perils of moving to another state – even after you’re removed from your own state’s registry

By Atwo Zee, Registered Traveler

Originally posted at NARSOL.org

A recent NARSOL Digest (Oct/Nov 2024) “Legal Corner” article (Page 5) discussed the case of a man who successfully had himself removed from Michigan’s registry, then moved to Alabama.  Three years later he was arrested in Alabama on a failure to register felony. Now he asks from his prison cell, how can this be? “I should not be in prison for failure to register because I have no registration obligation.”

The Digest’s answer is on point: “Unfortunately, when you left Michigan, that state no longer controls your plight …”  Since many former registrants mistakenly believe there will be no consequences from moving to a new state, this example should be an object lesson that this really can happen to you.

The problem is that state registry laws contain language saying one of two things. Either:

(A) (paraphrasing) If you are required to register in the state where you offended, then you have to register with us if you move to our state, or

(B) (paraphrasing) If you were EVER CONVICTED of a registrable offense in another state, then you have to register with us if you move to our state.

The bad news is Option B is by far the larger group--38 states and all five territories.  Option A includes only 12 states.  Even here there’s no way of knowing how much mischief state and local law enforcement can do to throw roadblocks in the way of exercising your right to travel.  You should consult an attorney specializing in registry issues in your destination state.

Within the larger group of 38 states and five territories, it turns out there are subgroups.  The two largest are: (a) states which have a stated time period after which a registrant is (supposedly according to statute) AUTOMATICALLY removed, AND this includes out-of-state offenders (16-19 states depending on how you count them), and (b) states which have a stated time period after which a registrant is (supposedly according to statute) allowed to PETITION for removal, AND this includes out-of-state offenders (15-17 states).

In an ideal world, a person who has served the requisite amount of registry time in the state of conviction should be eligible to petition a court in the destination state that he/she has fulfilled the registration period and that there would be no registration obligation. The reality is that this option is not likely to be successful because courts generally do not render advisory opinions. They view such endeavors as a waste of judicial resources when there is no actual ongoing controversy to be resolved. In Option B you have the right to petition after the stated time period, but there’s usually no guarantee.  I can only imagine that few of these states would allow you to swoop in at the airport and head for the nearest courthouse to get off their registry.  Some laws state a time period for out-of-staters to establish residency before you can apply.  Again, consult an attorney specializing in registry issues in your destination state.

If you have been removed from the registry in the state where you offended, you are “free to go” - but ONLY in that state.  If you travel out of your state for business or pleasure, you still have to conduct yourself as if you were still on the registry, because unfortunately most states will view you that way. 

If you have been removed from the registry in the state where you offended and you choose to move to another state, you will immediately become subject to the registry laws of your destination state, which in most cases means all your previous hard work getting yourself off your home state’s registry will be lost and you’ll be back to square one.  Your best option is to stay put, no matter how disgusted you may be with the state where you suffered on the registry for so long.

More information about state SOR laws applying to out of state former and long-term registrants can be found at this website, on the main page, Chart #2 - "State & Territorial Visitor Registration Laws for FORMER & LONG-TERM Registrants."  However, for anyone considering a permanent move to another state, any information you find online - including at this site - should only be the starting point for further research in consultation with an attorney specializing in registry issues in your destination state.

Bruce Hossfield, Atwo Zee Registered Traveler

  Navajo & Hopi Nations: 

First Nations tourism in the Southwest

From the 50 State Visitor Guide: Arizona

A.R.S. 2019  §§ 13-3821 through 13-3829, 13-3727

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

Visitors must register if staying for more than 72 hours excluding weekends & holidays (per statute). §13-3821(A). SOR office refused to answer whether return visits allowed per month or year. “That’s determined by local sheriff.” NOTE: AZ SOR office defers on many questions to local county sheriffs for interpretation. Updated Aug 2024.

Initial reg. required “within 72 hours excluding weekends & holidays of entering and remaining in any county.”  §13-3821. Updated 8/2022.  Registrants working in state must report in any county where present for 14 consecutive days or an aggregate of 30 days/yr.  Address change etc. required w/in 72 hours (business days only).  §13-3822.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Residence restriction:  1,000 ft. restriction applies to Level 3 offenders. §13-3727. Local governments are pre-empted from adopting more restrictive requirements. §13-3727.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life. Transients report every 90 days.  All others annually.

From the 50 State Visitor Guide: New Mexico

N.M. Stat. Ann. 2019  §§29-11A-1 through 29-11A-10

N.M.A.C. §1.18.790.157

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

5 business days for initial registration & updates. §29-11A-4.

State law requires “sex offenders” to register, which includes one who: (1) establishes a residence [not defined] in NM; (2) “stays in multiple locations in NM,” or (3) is enrolled in a NM school, or (4) is employed in NM for more than 14 days or an aggregate period exceeding 30 days in a calendar year. §29-11A-3.

Visitors:  NM State Police say: “If convicted prior to July 1, 2013 you will need to register if in the state of New Mexico for longer than ten (10) days. You will need to register within five (5) days if convicted after July 1, 2013.” §29-11A-4 says business days.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

State pre-emption: Cities, counties & other political subdivisions are prohibited from adopting any ordinance, rule, regulation, resolution or statute on sex offender registration and notification and from imposing any other restrictions on sex offenders that are not included in the state SOR Act. §29-11A-9.

Duration & updates:

10 years to life. Updates are every 6 mo. or every 90 days depending on offense. §29-11A-4.

From the 50 State Visitor Guide: Utah

Utah Code Ann.  2019 §§77-41-101 through 77-41-112

Utah. Code Ann. §§77-27-21.7 through 77-27-21.9

U.A.C. §§R251-110-1 through R251-110-5

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Sex Offender” is defined to include any out-of-state SO who is in Utah for more than 10 days in any 12 month period. §77-41-102(17)(b).

Visitors must register “within 10 days of entering the state, regardless of the offender’s length of stay.”  §77-41-105.  

Updates required within 3 business days. §77-41-105.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Presence restriction: May not be on premises of a day care or preschool, public swimming pool, school, community park open to the public, playground that is open to the public.  Exceptions for access to schools when carrying out “necessary parental responsibilities” and day care center or preschool when in building for other purposes. 

Residence restriction: w/in 1,000 ft. of victim, with exceptions. §77-27-21.7.

“Sex Offender in Presence of Child Law:”  Registrants w/ convictions involving minors under 14 years old cannot invite the minor to accompany him or her absent parental consent, with exceptions.  §77-27-21.8.

Because “Sex Offender” is defined to include only out-of-state SO’s in Utah for more than 10 days in a 12 month period (see Registration Triggers & Deadlines at left), visitors not meeting this definition would, in theory, not be required to register & thus not subject to these restrictions during their visit. However, this theory remains untested.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime. Petition 10 years.  Updates every 6 mo. §77-41-105.

Most recent visit: October 2024

Native American nations can be fascinating places to visit, but make no mistake – you might tell yourself you are entering a sovereign nation when you cross the reservation boundary but you aren’t.  You’ll still be bound by the registry laws of whatever US state you’re in.  

Nor should you get any funny ideas if you are of native ancestry that you can somehow escape your registry status by moving to the reservation of whatever tribe you belong to.  You can’t.  As you must already realize, the oppression of the registry will follow you onto the reservation whether you’re a visitor or become a resident.  That’s why I have placed the registry laws of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah at the beginning of this blog entry, rather than any tribal registry laws.  There may be some local tribal laws, but the state laws are the ones to pay attention to.

Another point that must be clearly made to anyone planning to travel to Indian Country is that you are NOT going to a tourist attraction.  This is not Pennsylvania Dutch Country where you as a tourist are invited to gawk at the locals driving their buggies and eat at an expensive smorgasbord.  To the contrary, you are about to enter upon a place where quite frankly you don’t belong.  Your visit is merely tolerated, and as far as I’m concerned that is as it should be.

If you have read my previous blog post “A Medical Emergency While Traveling,” you know that in October 2024, on the night I arrived at Page, AZ to begin my journey through the Navajo Nation I had a very serious medical emergency that landed me in the Page Hospital emergency room.  

When I left there the following morning I was recovering but in no shape for the reservation deep dive I had planned.  Still, my fastest way home to Iowa was to get myself to I-40 in New Mexico and stay in interstates from then on.  Driving through the Navajo Nation wasn’t the shortest route to I-40 – in fact it added about half a day – but it fit better with both Arizona’s registry requirements and with the travel I’d reported in Iowa before leaving.

Arizona’ SOR law includes a visitors grace period of 72 hours not including weekends and holidays.  Since I was planning to re-enter Utah to camp in Bears Ears the following afternoon, that would be about 32 hours in Arizona on that first leg of my journey.  The next morning (Wednesday) I would return to the Navajo Nation, where I would be in Arizona until the following afternoon before exiting at Window Rock, so that would have been 32 hours or so. As you can see, this neatly split AZ into two equal pieces so I’d never get anywhere close to the 72 hour limit, while making use of the last two partial days available to me in Utah.

I decided to follow a truncated version of this original route and at least drive past the attractions and natural wonders I was to visit in my original plan.  I did spend the night at a Utah campground such that my hours in Arizona were about as originally planned. I even took a few photos, mostly from my driver’s seat.

From Page I drove southeast on State Rd. 98 to US 160 east.  From here it’s not far to Black Mesa and Navajo National Monument, which I’m sure are spectacular but I had to hurry past.  Instead I continued on to the town of Kayenta where US 163 splits off to go through Monument Valley.

Monuments in Monument Valley, Navajo Nation, as seen from my driver's seat

US 163 takes you right through Monument Valley and I could see many of the monuments from my driver’s seat (see photos). There is also Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park which is open to outsiders and according to my AAA Indian Country map includes buttes and mesas and arches and viewpoints and a visitors center. I’m sure it’s magnificent but I couldn’t stop for any of it.  Instead I continued on US 163 into Utah and the Navajo border town of Mexican Hat, which is named after a rock formation that I saw from the highway that looks a bit like a sombrero.  

About 15 miles after that I found one of the last campsites at Sand Island Recreation Area at about 5:00.  It was a weekday late in the season, and that campground was full up by dusk.  I wonder if the motels in Mexican Hat filled up too?

The next morning I followed US 191 south to my destination of Window Rock and Gallup, NM which took only about 10 of the originally planned 32+ hours, but I did make one side trip, turning off at Tribal Road 12 to the town of Tsaile, then Tribal Road 64 which let me drive by Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  There are several points of interest and viewpoints along TR 64 and I was feeling well enough by that time to walk about 50 yards to one viewpoint to get a few pictures (see photo).  Unfortunately I was unable to go on the scenic drive or stop at the visitors center.

A typical canyon view at Canyon de Chelly National Monument 

By late afternoon I was at Window Rock, where there is a Navajo Nation Museum which I was unable to go to, and a casino of course.  The casino has a faux Navajo restaurant, and I was well enough to go in there and order (to go) what everybody says you’re supposed to order in the Navajo Nation, a Navajo Taco.  But guess what?  I didn’t like it.  

That night I decided from that point on I was going to treat myself to motel rooms along the interstates to get better rest and heal, which I eventually did do.  Oh well – maybe I’ll get another chance to experience this magical land.

One other point about reservation tourism – turn on your radio!  Most First Peoples have their own radio stations these days, often NPR affiliates, and there is nothing like driving through the American Southwest with authentic Native war chants blasting on the tube!

Previous visit – October 2023

Oddly, and I’m sure uncomfortably, the Hopi Nation is located within and entirely surrounded by the Navajo Nation.  Having been to the Grand Canyon before, in October 2023 I knew I’d be skirting the edge of the Navajo Nation while driving up U.S. 89 so I decided to devote just a couple of hours to poke my head into these reservations.  

This didn’t allow enough time to drive up U.S. 160 as far as Navajo National Monument, and I regretted that, but I did get as far as Tuba City and Moenkopi, the two opposing tribal towns.  I also drove a ways down State Road 264 just to be able to say I had entered the Hopi Nation.  Tuba City and Moenkopi were the very picture of reservation poverty.  The only adobe architecture I saw were a totally fake looking gas station (see photo) and a motel next door in Tuba City (or was it Moenkopi?).  

Totally fake, inappropriate "appropriate architecture" in Tuba City / Moenkopi.

Hey, I'm a retired city planner so I've seen inappropriate "appropriate architecture" before.

Years ago my then wife and I visited perhaps the Navajo Nation’s best known tourist attraction, Antelope Canyon, which is outside the town of Page, AZ.  It’s beautiful and the Navajo tour guide played a wooden flute that echoed all over the canyon walls.

If you only want to dip your toe into the Navajo Nation, you can stop in the town of Cameron on U.S. 89 just outside of the Grand Canyon entrance road.  There has been a lot of recent road improvements and tourist construction there – now they even have a roundabout at the intersection of SR 64.  It looks to me like the Navajos envision trapping you there so you won’t be tempted to go deeper into their territory … like I did.

 A medical emergency while traveling

Yes, on my October 2024 trip to Utah and the Navajo Nation I encountered a medical emergency so serious that I might have died if I hadn’t made it to a hospital emergency room in time.  But what I want to emphasize here is the very serious registry implications arising from this medical emergency that you should be aware of if anything similar ever happens to you while traveling.

If you are a man – and let’s face it, most registrants are – as you age you will likely begin to have prostate problems – enlargement, difficulty peeing etc.  Like me, you may take a medication like Flomax to reduce the swelling.  But also like me, you may not realize your prostate can suddenly swell up and cause what doctors call “retention,” i.e. you cannot go even as your bladder gets ready to explode.

Upon returning to my “bunkhouse” after my second day at Zion National Park (see my blog post “Utah’s National Parks & Monuments”) late that night I suddenly began to experience “retention” but I didn’t know what was going on. At first it was very very difficult and painful to pee but not impossible. 

I was unable to sleep much of that night but told myself surely this is temporary and would go away in time.  The next morning was my Day 7 in Utah of the 9 days allowed per 12 month period (not the 10 days specified by statute because as I always say, you have to assume that the 10th day would trigger an obligation to register and that all partial days will be counted).  If you look at my Utah blog post you’ll see that I was planning to leave Utah to enter the Navajo Nation but re-enter to visit Bears Ears National Monument for two partial Days 8 & 9, so I was using up every Utah day I was allowed in 2024.

It so happened that my plans for that day were simple – drive from La Verkin, UT to Page, AZ about 175 miles away, which was to be my gateway to the Navajo Nation. I took the more southerly route (U.S. 89A) so I could at least pass by Vermillion Cliffs Nat. Mon. which, yes, is spectacular. In doing so I entered Arizona at about 11:00 on a Monday morning.

Arizona’ SOR law includes a visitors grace period of 72 hours not including weekends and holidays.  Since I was planning to re-enter Utah to camp in Bears Ears the following afternoon, that would be about 32 hours in Arizona on that first leg of my journey.  The next morning (Wednesday) I would return to the Navajo Nation, where I would be in Arizona until the following afternoon before exiting at Window Rock, so that’s another 32 hours or so. As you can see, this neatly split AZ into two equal pieces so I’d never get anywhere close to the 72 hour limit, while making use of the last two partial days available to me in Utah.

By the time I arrived in Page AZ my “retention” was worse than ever.  I knew Page was a big enough town to have a hospital, but instead of plugging it into my GPS and heading for the emergency room I did the stupidest thing imaginable.  I continued to wish it would go away and actually showed up at the Antelope Canyon tour place and signed up for a canyon tour the following morning.  Then I headed off for a nearby campground. 

It’s a darned good thing I stayed nearby because by midnight I was heading for the Page Hospital Emergency Room driving in great pain.  And then I ran into another medical emergency when the hospital staff – in my opinion – botched the catheter insertion that drained my bladder.  So by about 2:00 am I left the hospital with a painful catheter in me to try and sleep in my minivan (which as always had a comfortable bed in the back) in their parking lot.  I even went back in when I woke the next morning (Tuesday) to discuss everything before deciding how to proceed.

When I looked thru my photos later I couldn't believe I'd taken a pic of the emergency room entrance - even then I guess I knew I'd be blogging about this

What were the registry implications of what had happened so far?  For one thing, if either (a) I had been much stupider than I actually was that night, or (b) if the hospital staff had botched my catheter much worse than they did, I could have ended up hospitalized in a state that only allows me 72 hours of which I had already consumed about 13 when I arrived at the hospital.  The clock was ticking.

As an out-of-stater I don’t know Arizona’s procedure, but I can only assume that initial registration must be in person and must happen before the end of the 72 hour grace period.  And where would I have to go to do this?

Now you see the urgency of all this.  If I was laid up in a hospital for more than 2 days I could be committing a registry violation, which, if Arizona is anything like Florida or Iowa, could mean prison time!  I am so fortunate that this didn’t happen.

Then there are the Iowa registry travel reporting considerations.  If my itinerary changes enough to make a difference to them I can call in that change.  I believe they’d care about a 2-3 day hospital stay because it would delay my previously reported return date.  And making this change would necessarily document my time in Arizona.

Taking all this into account, including the fact that in the hours and days that followed I really did feel better as the hospital staff had promised, and considering how disappointed I was to have my Navajo Nation tour totally ruined, I decided on a truncated version of my original route through the Navajo Nation wherein I camped in Utah as originally planned.  From there I drove straight south to Window Rock and Gallup, NM where I got on I-40 as originally planned. 

By the time I got home to Iowa the Page Hospital had sent all my records to my urologist and I had an appointment with her.  But the most important message of this story is – DO NOT be stupid like I was.  We’re all getting older and some kind of medical emergency is coming.  When it does, recognize it and don’t try to wish it away.  Get help.

  Utah's National Parks & Monuments

 

The Grotto, as seen from Angel's Landing Trail, Zion National Park

From the 50 State Visitor Guide :

Utah Code Ann.  2019 §§77-41-101 through 77-41-112

Utah. Code Ann. §§77-27-21.7 through 77-27-21.9

U.A.C. §§R251-110-1 through R251-110-5

Registration Triggers and Deadlines:

“Sex Offender” is defined to include any out-of-state SO who is in Utah for more than 10 days in any 12 month period. §77-41-102(17)(b).

Visitors must register “within 10 days of entering the state, regardless of the offender’s length of stay.”  §77-41-105. 

Updates required within 3 business days. §77-41-105.

Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:

Presence restriction: May not be on premises of a day care or preschool, public swimming pool, school, community park open to the public, playground that is open to the public.  Exceptions for access to schools when carrying out “necessary parental responsibilities” and day care center or preschool when in building for other purposes.

Residence restriction: w/in 1,000 ft. of victim, with exceptions. §77-27-21.7.

“Sex Offender in Presence of Child Law:”  Registrants w/ convictions involving minors under 14 years old cannot invite the minor to accompany him or her absent parental consent, with exceptions.  §77-27-21.8.

Because “Sex Offender” is defined to include only out-of-state SO’s in Utah for more than 10 days in a 12 month period (see Registration Triggers & Deadlines at left), visitors not meeting this definition would, in theory, not be required to register & thus not subject to these restrictions during their visit. However, this theory remains untested.

Duration & updates:

Lifetime. Petition 10 years.  Updates every 6 mo. §77-41-105.

Nine Days in Utah: October 2024

Compared to other states, Utah’s restrictions on registered visitors shouldn’t be too tough to get along with.  Yes it does have presence restrictions, including the usual boogeymen such as day care centers, schools, public swimming pools, community parks & playgrounds. I assume that, like me, you have no interest in visiting any of these places on your visit to Utah. Notice that the list includes “public swimming pools” but not the pool at any hotel you may be staying at.  

Also, it says “community parks” but not state and national parks. That should be a relief since Utah’s national parks and monuments, national forests, and state parks are among the state’s biggest attractions.

Lastly, because the term “Sex Offender” is defined by statute to include only out-of-state registrants in Utah for more than 10 days in a 12 month period (see Registration Triggers & Deadlines), visitors not meeting this definition would, in theory, not be required to register & thus not subject to these restrictions during their visit. Admittedly, however, this theory remains untested.  Still, you get ten days in-state per calendar year without ever having to test it. Most registered visitors should have nothing to worry about. Just remember, all partial days are going to count toward the 10 day total, including your entry and exit days.

Utah has some of the most stunningly beautiful natural wonders of any state in the union. I had been there two years ago, and also the year before I went to prison. That first time I went specifically because I had no idea whether I’d ever be able to come back. Now that I have my chance I can never resist the chance to go back.

If by any chance you ever read my previous Utah blog post (now deleted) you’d know that I have wanted to focus an entire road trip on Utah’s great natural wonders instead of just “slowing down” on my way through to see a few things on my way back home from somewhere else.  Also, my previous drive-by trips were in the second half of October when the weather in Utah can be pretty darned cold.  

This time I spent over a week in Utah, and chose the first week of October. I spent an entire day at each park, arriving as early as possible (i.e. about 6:30 am) and breaking off around 3:00 pm to head for my next campground.  The weather that week was perfect, yet it was still a so-called “shoulder season” when the parks were less crowded than at the summer peak. I also want to give a shout out to a AAA map called “Indian Country” which I used to guide myself on this trip. It’s the most complete info on this region I have ever seen. 

Arches National Park – Days 1-2

Whether you are coming from the east or west, I urge you to skip the main access highway US 191 and go in the back way which is State Rd 128 – it runs along the Colorado River through some of the most magnificent canyons you will ever see. Plus there are many campgrounds and on the first week of October there were plenty of sites available. However, DO NOT think you’re going to find any last minute food or supplies at the exit or anywhere else on this road because it doesn’t exist. Stock up ahead of time or wait until you get to Moab.

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park

Of Utah’s Big 5 National Parks Arches is my 2nd favorite (sorry, Zion is even better). It is truly a wonderland and this time I went to places I’d never been to before e.g. Devil’s Garden (Wow!). Then there’s Delicate Arch, Fiery Furnace, Balanced Rock, and of course Park Avenue and the Courthouse Towers.

Every American should see these great wonders before you die.

Canyonlands National Park – Day 3

Canyonlands is a huge park that encompasses the confluence of the Colorado River and Green River. The northern section, called Island in the Sky, is accessed from US 191 via State Rd 313 which is much closer to civilization than the southern Needles section. Because of that remoteness I’d never been to The Needles before, but this time I camped as close to that park entrance as I could – not realizing that because this remoteness I could have gone to the Squaw Flat campground inside the park which was half-empty.

Grandview Point, Canyonlands

It turns out while The Needles can be seen in the distance from the park road, you can’t actually go explore them without at least a 2 day backpacking commitment and I’m too old for that.  There are a couple of canyon views in this section too but they don’t hold a candle to the overlooks from Island in the Sky, where I also was able to spend a few hours before heading off to my next campground.

Along the 50 mile road to The Needles you will also pass the famous Newspaper Rock petroglyphs. WOW!

Like the Grand Canyon, all of the main canyon views are from above.  Unlike the Grand Canyon, there are no guided horse treks to get you to the bottom of the canyons. You’re on your own if you want to explore the remote areas of the park.

Be sure to make the side trip to Dead Horse Point State Park which is really spectacular.

Capital Reef National Park – Day 4

I imagine you have not heard of Capital Reef – but you should have. It’s truly spectacular.  Unfortunately, as of October 2024 there’s a lot of construction going on, and the scenic drive that takes you to the most remote areas you can get to by car – well, it’s completely closed.  That was a big disappointment since my plan was to go all the way to the end and go for a hike which I’d not done before, perhaps to see the Golden Dome. The visitor center parking lot is also completely ripped up. 

Caleb Canyon Trail, Capital Reef

Capital Reef has within it a preserved historic town named Fruita. Yes it has a blacksmith shop and a fruit pie shop, but it’s really not that great.  There are viewpoints and trails extending from State Rd 24 so I hiked part of the Cohab Canyon trail and it was beautiful.  Maybe next time the construction will be finished.

West of Capital Reef on State Rd. 24, be sure to stop at Red Canyon. It’s well worth your time.

Grand Staircase / Route 12 Corridor – Day 5

The Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument is vast and remote. If you’re a backpacker or have an ATV you can go exploring, but otherwise you’re restricted to the highways that skirt the edges of it, like US 89 to the south and Historic Route 12 which is just about the only route from Capitol Reef to Bryce Canyon.  

Escalante Petrified Forest

The good news is there’s plenty to see along Route 12 and I try to go to new places every time.  This time, after leaving Capital Reef I found a campsite at one of the many campgrounds along the way.  Then the next morning before proceeding to Bryce Canyon I took I hike at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. Yes I saw petrified tree trunks. 

On past trips I have visited Anasazi State Park & Museum (very interesting) and camped at Kodachrome Basin St. Pk. which is named after the colorful landscape.

Bryce Canyon – also Day 5

Bryce Canyon is all about the hoodoos – those otherworldly spires that made this canyon famous. There have to be millions of them. And for me, therein lies the problem.  Much like you sometimes hear people say the Grand Canyon is “just a big hole in the ground,” I have to admit my attitude toward hoodoos is, “you seen one hoodoo, you seen ’em all.” 

Bryce Canyon

Bryce has one main road from the entrance to the far south end of the park.  There are many viewpoints and they are very beautiful but they all look the same to me.  You can remain in the Bryce Amphitheater area and end your tour at Bryce Point, but on this trip I drove all the way down to the end of the road at Rainbow Point hoping for a little variety but no, it’s just more hoodoos.

However, out on Route 12 east of the park entrance you will find Mossy Cave and waterfalls, which is about a one mile hike, very cool and something I’d never seen before.

Zion National Park – Days 6 & 7

Zion is my favorite national park and on this trip I allowed two days for it. What makes Zion so unique is that, unlike the Grand Canyon, or Canyonlands, or Bryce, the entry to Zion National Park takes you straight into the mouth of the most spectacular canyon you will ever see (my opinion), the Virgin River which flows through the canyon nourishes a forested canyon floor filled with wildlife, and there are such a variety of things to see!

Zion Canyon as seen from a rocky overlook

On this trip one week into October I was able to find parking at the Visitor Center as long as I got there by 7:00 am. The weather was good, the park was crowded, and the bus trams were still in operation until the end of the month. Get off at The Grotto, Court of the Patriarchs. Then the Zion – Mt. Carmel Highway takes you up the switchbacks to the WPA Project tunnel, Canyon overlook and spectacular views.

One thing you should know about Zion National Park is that both camping and anything like an affordable motel room in the tourist town of Springdale are basically nonexistent, and I was visiting on a weekend. While on the tram a couple was bragging about how they had found a good affordable room – but that was in St. George, 50 miles away! I had managed to find a bed in a four-person bunkhouse in La Verkin, UT, “only” 25 miles away. Good news! Even on a weekend, it was off-season enough that the bunkhouse place was mostly empty and I had an entire bunkhouse with kitchen and bathroom to myself for $75 per night. Yey!

Bears Ears & Natural Bridges Nat. Mons. – Days 8 & 9

If you’ve never been to Utah you’ve probably never heard of either Bears Ears or Natural Bridges National Monuments.  If you choose to read my next blog post which will describe the registry implications of a very serious medical emergency I experienced on the day after I left Zion Nat. Park you’ll know why I was unable to do much more than drive past Bears Ears on this trip. But I have been there in the past and I can tell you it’s just as spectacular as everywhere else in Utah.

Newspaper Rock !

Together with Glen Canyon Nat, Recreation Area, Bears Ears actually surrounds Canyonlands Nat. Park – Newspaper Rock is in Bears Ears, not Canyonlands.  From there Bears Ears extends all the way south to the Navajo Nation (which includes southernmost Utah). Natural Bridges Nat. Mon. is much smaller and located entirely within Bears Ears.

There’s just so much in Utah. It never seems to end. 

Northern Utah: August 2025

In early August 2025 I traveled through northern Utah – a part of the state I had not seen before.  I entered Utah from Nevada on I-80, which means I was headed straight through the Bonneville Salt Flats.  Yes it was hot & white & flat & it seems to go on forever.  After that my primary objective was to find a campground in Uinta National Forest, east of Salt Lake City.

A nice shady rest area in the Bonneville Salt Flats

The next day my first stop was the Uintah and Ouray Nation Reservation.  Anyone conversant with Utah’s history should not be surprised that native people here have been robbed of their lands.  In this case the invaders pulled their usual trick of steeling back reservation lands whenever they found valuable resources there.  The agricultural lands on native lands seemed as prosperous as nearby lands – which isn’t too bad. 

The main anglo town, Roosevelt, seems to be booming!  Everything is recent, but on the original old street grid.  It’s also a university town.  Duchesne is also an anglo town but it’s a dump.  The native reservation town is Fort Duchesne, and that’s a dump too.

Dinosaur Nat. Mon. & Flaming Gorge Nat. Rec. Area

Dino display building at Dino Nat. Monument

My next stop that day was Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in Ashley National Forest.  It’s mountainous and forested, it has all manner of recreation opportunities and lots on camping and lodging alternatives.  In hindsight I recommend going to Dinosaur National Monument, which can be done in an afternoon, and then heading up to the recreation area to stay overnight and recreating the next day.

As it was I had a campsite reservation at Dinosaur, which is desert-like.  Nevertheless that allowed me to see Dinosaur the next morning and I have to say it’s great!  Not only have they encased an entire hillside full of exposed fossils in a giant display building, but this national monument also does double duty as a major petroglyph site!  I heartily recommend it to everyone.

 Lessons learned? I believe I was the target of a police sting

Originally published at narsol.org

By Atwo Zee, Registered Traveler . . . Not long after I returned to Iowa after the 2024 NARSOL conference in Atlanta, I received an email forwarded by the national NARSOL office.  This message came to them on their main “Contact Us” email address, and whoever sent it was looking specifically for me, “whose story “Unwanted Images” hit home when I was suicidal and wracked with fear …”  The sender also complimented my travel blog and expressed a desire to have me participate in a podcast of some kind

This message was a little odd because of the reference to “Unwelcome Images,” the actual name of my prison story which I never even talk to anybody in our movement about (because I won’t bore you with my prison story if you won’t bore me with yours).  Nevertheless, seeing nothing suspicious, I contacted the sender with an “Okay, how can I help you?” reply.

I received a reply within a couple of days.  I was sitting at the public computer at my local senior center (because, as some of you know, I don’t have home internet service).  The sender said glowing things about me, re-stated his desire to have me participate in a podcast, and included a link to a “recent podcast” so I could see what it was all about.

I need to point out here that, like most senior center public computers, this one has only the most rudimentary software and certainly not much video software, so when I clicked on the link, I could hear the sound but the video only displayed some kind of error message.  Knowing trying to fix the video was useless, I leaned in to see what I could hear--which was a man welcoming everyone to the podcast, “We’re here in beautiful Hawaii today, which is such a great place for …”

… and then he used an expression which I recognized all too well from my bad old days online.  I won’t repeat that expression here except to say it’s an abbreviation, the letters of which refer favorably to a type of child pornography.  

As soon as I heard this abbreviation, I immediately blurted out, “WTF!?” and clicked the video away.  Then I replied to the message, telling the sender that if that’s what they are about, I wanted no part of it, and that they obviously have not learned the true lessons of my story (which of course is that no one should ever yield to the temptations of online CP).  Good bye!

The next time I was at the senior center, I found a reply in my inbox.  The sender apologized profusely, saying the beginning of the video was meant to be a parody, and it’s too bad I didn’t get the joke, and wouldn’t I please watch more of it before I made any decision …

Well, I couldn’t have done that anyway because of the software shortcomings of the computer, but also, now that this reply was trying to goad me into watching more of something I didn’t want in the first place, I started to become suspicious.  I forwarded the entire email exchange back to the NARSOL person who’d originally sent it to me, expressed my growing suspicions and asked, “For one thing, how did this person know to contact you asking for me specifically by name?  Nobody outside our group is supposed to know my real name – only Atwo Zee, Registered Traveler.  And now they’re trying to get me to watch more of this video?”

As my brother later said, “Cops know that sh*t.”  Exactly.  The NARSOL contact person replied, expressing shared suspicion, and promised to scrub whoever it was from their contact list.  Later I replied to the sender saying simply, “Go away.  You’re a cop doing a sting,” and I have not heard anything back since.

What lessons can be learned from this experience?  Well, the first lesson is that if you don’t want to get caught in a sting, be your genuine self when communicating with anyone online.  If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that anyone active enough in our movement to be reading this right now is part of the 95% of registrants who will never reoffend.  Therefore, acting like your genuine self is always best.

I’m sure that every cop--and every Florida state legislator who voted this year to give every Florida sheriff’s department grant funding to carry out these disgusting stings--will laugh and say, “Yes that’s exactly how the system is supposed to work.  You responded correctly, and you didn’t get arrested [well not yet anyway].  What are you bitching about?”  

The answer, as all of us know, is that there were any number of places along the way where, if I had acted perfectly innocently but only a little differently than I did, I could have unknowingly put myself in legal jeopardy.  As I thought about it, I realized that the cop’s first test had actually been to see what email account I might reply from.  Would I reply from some secret, unregistered email account?  If so, they could’ve arrested me on the spot for “failure to register an email account.”  But hey cops – guess what?  Nope!  I really don’t have any secret email account!  Just the one you already have in your records.

Then they must have been kind of confused about where my reply originated.  Why some random public computer instead of my secret home account?  But hey, cops--guess what?  Nope!  I really don’t have any secret home internet account!  That’s why you don’t have one in your records.

But the part that could have gone differently that I can’t get out of my mind is-- there I was, sitting at a public computer with other people around.  What if, just as I was leaning in to hear what was on the video, another senior had stopped to talk about something and I just muted the video but left it running while we talked?  What if it had run for enough time to get to the illegal part without my being aware of it?  What if the video suddenly began to work, showing illegal images while that senior was standing there?  Does anyone here believe that senior would not have immediately concluded they’d caught me searching the internet for those images?

Or what if I had been just a little bit less attentive to the sound track that day and not noticed that first ugly reference to a type of child pornography?  What if I had been distracted by the video problems and had persisted in trying to get the video to work long enough for it to suddenly pop on at the point where illegal images were on screen?  For me these are truly frightening counter narratives.

Or what if they had targeted this sting on someone else--and for that matter, what if they already HAVE targeted this sting on someone else--someone less active in our movement, someone less suspicious about the messages they’re receiving in their email account every day, someone who wasn’t listening carefully when the video came up, someone more naïve or just unlucky on that day.  This may have already happened--arrests may have already been made and we won’t even know about it until the county sheriff makes his big announcement about how great he is for “cracking down on sex offenders.”  By that time facts no longer matter.

I fear that law enforcement will draw the wrong conclusion from this attempt to sting me.  The right conclusion of course would be that there’s nothing nefarious to find here, just me and my one email account and no home internet service to investigate; the wi-fi card has been removed from my home laptop; I have no data plan on my phone, and that wi-fi is permanently turned off.  But I fear they will instead conclude that they’ll have to be sneakier about it if they want to catch me doing these things I’m not doing.  If they do decide to get sneakier, I fear that I could get tripped up in any one of a thousand innocent scenarios like the examples above that could get me falsely arrested.  And I hate law enforcement for forcing me to live in this paranoid state.

I also keep asking myself, why me specifically?  Why did someone contact NARSOL looking for me by name?  The only answer I can come up with is that this person thinks I’m some big deal activist, and it could discredit our movement to lure me onto a CP site.  Of course I’m not some big deal activist; I’m just the travel guy.  But it occurs to me that if they’re looking for me, they could be looking for other “big deal activists” too, especially those associated with Orange County or other Florida counties receiving sting grant money.  So actual big deal activists should be extra careful.

Lastly, what if this incident has made me completely paranoid and it’s not a police sting?  Who else could it have been?  It has to be someone who (a) knows me by name and by my two online outlets and (b) thinks NARSOL is a good place to look for me.  Could it be a vigilante or a scam artist?  If so, they must have access to information about me only the cops should have.  Or could this be a real online minor-attracted person delusional enough to think I want to be part of a CP-adjacent podcast?  It’s hard for me to believe, but I’d be interested if someone can come up with a believable innocent explanation.

Meanwhile I’m trying to get this story posted on as many sites as possible, both as a warning to others and as a way of getting my side of this incident--which is to say the truth--out there before somebody else tries to twist this truth into a lie and an arrestable offense.

 What if your travel plans crumble?

On my most recent cross-country trip my travel plans really did go kerfluey, so I decided the best public service I can perform is to tell you about it, and tell you how I fixed registry-related issues as I went along, so you too will know how to repair travel disasters on the fly.

My story actually begins a few weeks before I began this road trip, when I had to junk my old beast of a car and get a “new” one – new to me anyway.  And I must say I am so far very happy with my new car, despite the fact that later in this story it will be the cause of one of my registry-related road trip disasters.

Until now, everything I owned was registered and plated in Florida.  I have a Florida driver’s license.  But now I was junking the old beast in Iowa, registering and plating the new Sienna in Iowa while still retaining my Florida driver’s license.  Question: Is that a thing?  Can I really do that and will either state’s DMV or SOR office care?

Answer: Yes, I can and did do that, and nobody cared.  I even pointed it all out to everyone at both registry offices and DMV’s (little did I know how soon I’d be back in Florida so I could take care of that part) and they told me point blank – nobody cares.

There were two little problems, however.  One was that my old car’s title was in Florida and I had to have a friend find it and mail it to me.  The other, more germane to you if you’re a registrant, was that while my Iowa registry office was happy to remove my old car from my sheet, they insisted on keeping the old Florida license plate number on it, apparently out of fear I would use that plate to go commit a sinister crime (!), until I could produce an official Florida return of license plate receipt.  

My new car - with Independence Hall in the background

After groaning over that for a while I just tossed my plate in the car, figuring it’ll be where I need it when I get back to Florida next winter.

A few weeks later I went to the Johnson County sheriff’s department to report travel.  For this trip I had cobbled together four unrelated errands all of which were somewhere in the eastern U.S.:

1.  Attend the NARSOL conference in Atlanta.

2.  After stopping at my sister-in-law’s house in New Jersey to take measurements for #3, go to Maine to make this year’s attempt to go whale watching (see my Maine blog entry).

3.  After stopping at my brother’s house in Rhode Island, go back to my sister-in-law’s house to do the strangest errand of this trip, namely load into my new Sienna an old school telephone booth to be transported to Iowa.  I’ll explain that later.

4.  Join my family, who were also on the return leg of their vacation by this time, in Philadelphia, to spend three days exploring Pennsylvania before we went our separate ways back home.

Now, how shall we report this travel to my local sheriff?  By the way, how to report multi-destination travel is a frequently asked question for me as a travel advisor.  I decided to give them as destinations any place I would be staying more than one night.  These were: the NARSOL conference hotel in Atlanta; the state park in Maine where I would camp while trying to see whales; and two nights at a hotel near Hershey, PA with my family.  Everything else, including visiting my brother and sister-in-law, was no more than an overnight stay while traveling to the next destination. My sheriff’s department was happy, and of course that’s what I live for.  Now let’s see how all this turned out.

1. NARSOL Conference in Atlanta 

NARSOL Conference

So I set off for Atlanta, and wow that was a great conference.  But while there I got on the hotel computer to pursue a different project that few people outside the Florida Action Committee know about.  I am determined to take control of my own end of life destiny by establishing my own assisted living / rehabilitative care / end of life care facility which (a) will accept registered people (including me) and (b) complies with all of Florida’s horrible residency requirements.  Because all the goodwill in the world is worthless if I can’t register that address at the sheriff’s department.

2. Maine whale watching  Divert to Tallahassee

So the first step in this project is to find and purchase the right property.  And much to my surprise a property had just then come on the market that was absolutely perfect.  I would never be closer to Tallahassee than I was right then in Atlanta, so I dropped everything and headed south that Sunday to participate in a frenzied bidding war that I ultimately lost.  I hadn’t put my finances in enough order to be in a bidding war anyway, but I’m now fixing that and will be ready next time.

However … this little Florida escapade raises a couple of registry questions.  Most obviously, the second thing I had to do Monday morning was call my Iowa sheriff’s department and attempt to delete the Maine state park and replace it with my home address in Tallahassee for those three days.  Fortunately the woman behind the bulletproof glass remembered who I was and cheerfully made the change.  I was even able to catch up to my previous travel plans by proceeding to my brother’s house in RI with a stop in NJ to take measurements.  

But here’s the odd thing: Because I was originally supposed to make both of these one night stops while returning from Maine to Philadelphia, they were not “destinations” on my sheet.  My next “destination” was the hotel near Hershey, PA.  By catching up to my original plans I would be, in fact, off the registry’s radar for several days, in a completely different part of the country from where they thought.  Hmmmmm …

But why was my call to Iowa the second thing that morning?  Because they were in a different time zone from me, so I could first go to the Leon County registry office to “check in” AND “check out” because I’d be leaving 48 hours later.  I took that opportunity to delete my old car and add my new one, just as I was supposed to.  Then after calling Iowa once that registry office opened I moved on to Priority #3 which was finding my old FL license plate right where I had tossed it, turning it in at DMV and obtaining the all-important official Florida return of license plate receipt.

Last Florida thing – I knew from past experience that if I tried to report the rest of my trip as being from Florida they would require me to change my home there from “open ended temporary residence” to “permanent residence” and have a return date.  That certainly would be a disaster.  So I told them I was returning to Iowa, to the permanent residence they had on file for me there.  As far as I’m concerned that was a true statement – they were returning me to the tender mercies of the Iowa registry, and if anyone wanted to call the Johnson County sheriff’s department they, after all, would know right where I was.  Well, once I was in RI they would.

3. Car trouble in Rhode Island

Then as I was leaving Florida on my way to get back on track, I started having car trouble!  Specifically my car started misfiring –which to my chagrin was the same problem that caused me to junk my old car! (see my Missouri blog entry for more on this).  But this time it was only at high speeds.  I only had to back off to 65 mph to make it all go away – so much so that by Virginia the idiot lights even went off, a sure sign my car hadn’t misfired in a long time.

Still, while I was in New Jersey that first time I went to my sister-in-law’s car repair guy (her husband was a car repair guy so I trust her judgement) that Friday morning to get diagnostics.  His verdict – Ignition coil #2.  Just take it easy until you get back to Iowa and you can get it fixed then.

So off I went to Rhode Island.  But as I was passing through Westchester County suddenly my car started misfiring again, with a vengeance and at every speed.  Shit!  I limped on and the Connecticut Turnpike was a nightmare.  I called ahead to my brother and said “As soon as I get there you have to take me to the nearest Toyota dealership!”  They were the only place I knew would be open both Friday evening and all day Saturday.

When we got there I admit I was a total jerk.  NO, you cannot schedule this job for Monday!  NO, this has to happen right now!  You have to push all your other customers out of the way and work on my car NOW!

But aside from being determined to get my trip back on track, there was also a registry-related reason that I was acting like such a jerk.  Anyone who’s ever participated in an ACSOL monthly zoom call knows that Rhode Island has the shortest registration grace period of any state – just 24 hours.  Janice announces it every month just like clockwork.  I who have a brother living there know this very well but as Janice always points out, it’s a small state and I’ve never had any reason to be there more than 24 hours (see my Rhode Island blog entry).

Well guess what?!  There might be a first time for everything after all!  I had entered RI at about 4:00 pm, so I had until 4:00 pm on Saturday to get the hell out of there!

Downtown Providence on a summer afternoon

Now let’s be realistic for a minute.  I already told you I had not reported Rhode Island as a “destination.”  Nobody either in Iowa or Florida even knew I was there – even though it was exactly where I was supposed to be on that day when I originally reported my travel in Iowa.  Once I was in RI my trip was officially “back on track.”  So if I were to stretch the boundaries of Rhode Island’s registry law, no one would ever know.  On the other hand, any encounter with law enforcement while stretching that boundary would be … unfortunate, not to mention so paranoiac I’d probably have a heart attack.

But despite my behavior … or perhaps because of it … Toyota didn’t get to the diagnostics until Saturday morning.  So my brother took me on a walking tour of downtown Providence – which turns out to be a really cool place – followed by dinner out joined by my sister-in-law (his wife).

The following morning Toyota got around to the diagnostics.  Their verdict – Ignition coil #2.  Mercifully they had one in stock!  They also wanted to replace all my spark plugs so I said fine.  $788 later I was out the door by 1:00 pm and out of RI by 1:30, leaving 2 1/2 hours to spare.  After one pre-planned stop in CT I was on my way to the Garden State.  And I must say, my car has been purring like a kitten ever since.

4. Loading a phone booth

So what’s this about a telephone booth?  Well, after my brother died my sister-in-law asked us whether we wanted any of his personal items.  I thought about it for almost a year before saying, “I want the phone booth.  I’m going to bring it to Iowa and set it on my patio and have it to remember him by.”

Yes it fit!

Now, when you say something like that you’re kind of obligated to getting around to picking it up and taking it to Iowa.  That’s what this errand was all about.  That’s why I’d had to go meet two days ago with a couple of my brother’s car buddies who had been enlisted to help me load it – they couldn’t believe it was going to fit in the back of a Toyota Sienna until they measured it for themselves. I was back that Sunday morning to get their help sliding it in. Then I was off to my next stop, Philadelphia, to meet up with my family.

5. Touring PA with family

The next 2 1/2 days went very smoothly, I stayed at the same hotels as my family, just a different room, we toured Pennsylvania Dutch Country which I hate (see my PA blog entry) but everybody else loves. On the day the kids went to Hersheypark my BFF & I instead went to the American Antique Car Association Auto Museum also in Hershey. It’s really great and I have mentioned it before (PA blog entry again).  Then we did laundry together, which is super romantic.

Cool looking mural in Philly

On the third day we separated, but before heading home to Iowa I had one more overnight stay, this time at my sister and brother-in-law’s house in Maryland.  When I set this stop up I asked them, this is the night of July 3 – are you sure that’s okay?  Are you going anywhere for the holiday?  But they said no problem, come visit.

6. DC on 7/4

Once that was settled I started to think – Hey, I’m going to wake up on July 4 just minutes away from Washington, DC.  Wouldn’t it be fun to spend that day as a tourist in DC?  I didn’t think about this seriously until after I left Iowa, so does adding this extra travel day present any registry issue, either in Iowa or DC?

Answer: No worries.  My experience in both Iowa and Florida is that nobody cares if return a little late – just settle up when you check back in at the end of the trip.  In this case I had actually told the lady behind the bulletproof glass that I was returning Friday late, so I’d be back to check in on Monday.  If this little side trip delayed me until Saturday it wouldn’t change anything.

I must say that the epic failure of my trip to DC wasn’t registry related.  Perhaps you will recall it was only a few days before July 4 that (a) Biden had a poor debate performance and (b) SCOTUS made things infinitely worse by granting all presidents immunity for “official acts.”  I don’t know about you but I became very distressed over this, even as I was travelling with family in Pennsylvania.  

In my distress I realized I was going to be in Washington, DC on July 4.  I fantasized there might be protests or marches on that holiday, and I would be there for that …

Then two things happened: (a) I realized that this was perhaps the most unrealistic fantasy I’d ever had (and that’s saying something!) and (b) I found the act of making my own protest signs to be quite cathartic, so by the time I finished them I no longer felt the need to use them for anything.

And so, of I went to Washington, DC with not greater aspiration than to make the Supreme Court one of my stops and perhaps yell at them for a few minutes.  Of course my rant would include cussing them out over Smith vs. Doe.  But unfortunately I got off at the wrong Metro stop ( Note to self: Capital South is the closest station – not Judiciary Square) and after wandering aimlessly lost for a while came out on the National Mall near the Smithsonian.

At that time the annual DC Fourth of July parade was assembling in that area and beginning its march down Constitution Ave.  I noticed that many of the causes or populations that I might sympathize with had been co-opted by the parade.  Many had floats and teams of marchers.  No wonder they weren’t protesting.  Got a worthy cause to promote?  Join the parade!

Worthy groups who might have reason to be a little worried about the future.

Notice police in the background.

Later I told one of my Florida advocate friends that I no longer want to go vigil on the Supreme Court steps next year.  Instead I want a float in that parade!  I want WAR to bring their coffin and display it on our float.  And I want Derek to be on the float with a microphone reading his list of victims of vigilantism as we march down Constitution Ave.  Yes Derek I was really inspired by that …

Well there goes another unrealistic fantasy …

After having lunch from one of those super expensive food trucks that are all over the place in DC ($12 for shaved ice??) I returned to my car and left for Iowa. The rest of my trip was uneventful.  And yes, when I returned to the Johnson County sheriff’s department to “check in" the following Monday, I tried to slide the official Florida return of license plate receipt under the bulletproof glass but the lady refused to even look at it up close.  She just deleted my old license plate and was done with it.  I guess she was aware of the stupidity of her job.

Phone booth standing on my patio