Mountains, Wildlife, Red Rocks, & Sunset

Dear Colorado,

In the short time that we had together, you showed us your true beauty. I will never forget how you graced us with your frigid weather and snow covered streets. While you are cold in temperature, you are oh so warm in spectacular scenery. Just when we felt like we really knew you, you showed us a new side of yourself at each new bend in the road. It seemed like the love was mutual. Our skiing experience was threatened by -15 degree weather but you showed us the sun which warmed the slopes just enough to be perfect. You were so gentle as you wrapped your canyon walls around our vehicle through your highway 70 West. While neither of us wanted to say good-bye we both know it is for the best. I would have to spend to much money to live in our Beauty and for now, we will just be your beloved visitors.

Yours Truly,

M&M

Continuation...

With Colorado behind us we began to feel a sense of sadness. We felt like we should have spent more time there, but we had to keep moving forward. So we decided we would just drive directly though Utah until we arrived in Salt Lake City. However, Utah had a different itinerary for us...

While we were speaking on the phone with our friends Grant and Marie, we passed the billboard for Moab, Utah. On that billboard was a very familiar picture, it was a picture of "The Delicate Arch". For one reason or another this was not in our road-trip plan and we had no idea it would be on the way.

So being the spontaneous couple that we are, we decided to take the 60 mile detour and go see what it was all about. When we arrived to what we thought was going to be a Native American tourist trap selling souvenirs, we were shocked at what we saw. We pulled into the National Arches Park and started driving up the curvy mountain range. We were stunned by how large and surprisingly beautiful the mountains were. This National Park is a red, desert that is filled with oddly shaped sandstone (the balanced rock, the delicate arch, etc...). Along the way we saw the very ellusive Winter Coyote, and from that point on Melissa was infatuated with what wildlife could eat us in the Park. We stayed there for over 2 hours and watched the sun go down behind the mountains in the distance. We left the park and continued on our journey to Salt Lake City completely dumbfounded that we almost missed this stunningly beautiful National Park. From that point on we had a new found respect and love for the state of Utah.

We arrived in Salt Lake City late last night. The first observation we had was how incredibly fast the people drive in this city. The speed limit is 65 and everyone seems to drive 80+ mph morning, noon, and night. The mountain views from the city are actually better than the city itself. It seems to be struggling to find its identity, or maybe we just don't recognize it. If we had to compare it to back home, we would say it is like having Springfield transplanted into the greenery of Vermont and the snow caps of the Rockie Mountains.

There are some nice homes on top of the hills, but not too many trendy shops or restaurants like we saw in Colorado. But all in all the views make up for what the city lacks.

Colorado was a place that we have always wanted to see and Utah was pleasant surprise to say the least. We can't wait to see what else we stumble upon as we take off for Seattle this afternoon. 

Days traveled: 11

M&M