Dear God did we both need a shower!  We woke up after a hot night—-hard to sleep when you are sweating.  Got an early start and did the hike up to Landscape arch.  We took a couple of side trips over to Tunnel arch and Pine Tree arch.  We were both really too tired to do anything so it was harder than it should have been.  Left the Devil’s Garden and headed out of the park–stopped to view Delicate arch on the way out.  Got on the road to Salt Lake  and the day was already heating up.  There is not much to speak of along the drive to SLC, stopped at a truck stop town called Green River and thought of CCR.  Nothing impressive, not the food or the place,  the people all looked stuck and numb from a life probably spent dreaming of something else.  Drove a winding road to SLC and arrived in the late afternoon heat at our friend Tuckers house.  He welcomed us into a cool house with a shower and some great company.   Tuck and Blake spent the rest of our time in SLC doing the music thing,  Telesa cooked us a long awaited home cooked meal and then she and I hung while the guys had pub night. SLC seems like a pretty cool town, wish it were a little cooler.

So we were both blown away by the beauty of this drive…leaving Colorado and all its majestic green and traveling into Utah with the a landscape I cannot describe. Utah is like another planet unto itself….complicated and mysterious. I had a hard time paying attention to the road the closer we were to Arches with all the crazy rock formations and rich reds everywhere you look. Right before we drove into Moab we stopped at the Hole in the Rock. Check it out at: http://www.theholeintherock.com it is a pretty cool place and story. We had some ice cream and did the tour of the house and then drove on through Moab to Arches National Park. Really I cannot stress enough how much Americans pay no attention to our land….please think about visiting a national park soon….Arches would be a great place to start. We arrived in the heat of the day and set up camp at the Devil’s Garden Campground. Breathtaking views…no shade. We decided to hike up to Broken Arch. Not the best idea in the Utah heat of the day. It was fun and beautiful, but we were wasted by the end. We decided to drive to the visitor’s center for some ac since it was no cooler at our camp and no showers. We then decided to treat ourselves to a dinner in town, so we drove into Moab and relaxed over Italian food. We probably did not smell to great, but what are you gonna do. We drove back in time to catch the sunset and a ranger presentation. The ranger was very nice and we talked to her a little before the show. Found out that they(the man) are cutting funding once again for the park services, she is already doing the job of the three rangers and not getting compensation to match…sad. We are planing on a early hike up to Landscape Arch tomorrow morning and a short trip to see Delicate Arch before we drive on to Salt Lake City.

Ok so these cliff dwellings will blow your mind. How? How did they get up there or down there? Well, I will tell you…. they were flying ninja fish people. Seriously, it all makes sense. We had fun roaming around and climbing ladders and developing our theory all day. Realized that most Americans don’t come to National Parks. We are surrounded by other languages and are in the minority here at the park. Lots of Germans(Jules) and French(Casey), kind of like we are on vacation in Europe. The park is beautiful, but we are both exhausted from last night. You know what it is worse than sleeping on the ground? Wet ground. We woke up to a rainstorm last night. Not a big deal till you feel a wet spot underneath you and realize that the rain is getting in tent. So after little sleep I am calling it an early night and Blake is hanging outside. Tomorrow we head further west into the land of Utah. Never been there either.

Flying Ninja Fish

Went back into town for a stroll and a coffee breakfast.  Sad to be leaving, but excited to continue on the journey.  The drive up to Mesa Verde was quick and beautiful.  Colorado has a feeling about it as soon as you pass into the state.  We both have never been through this state before.  The mountains and the green sweep you along the road.  We arrived at Mesa Verde National Park and realized it was gonna rain soon so we had to beat the clock on getting the tent up.  Only ten minutes after finishing it was raining and the thunder was all around.  That storm blew over pretty quick so we found ourselves with some leisure time to relax.  We decided to make a fire and roast some dogs.  Not the best meal we have ever cooked, but it was nice to relax and enjoy the night.  Tomorrow we will go on a tour of Cliff Palace and roam around the park all day.  Sleeping on the ground is not  as fun as you think.  I have developed some bruises and I NEED a massage in the worst way.

sunset

5 and a half hours..320 miles…gas $3.29/gal

Started the day early with a swim and the let’s get the hell out of Texas.  Drove through some small towns today with nothing much to see except mills and silos.  Lots of sky to look at and some good music courtesy of Bob Dylan’s radio show on XM.  Arrived at Santa Fe and immediately realized this place is amazing.  As we where pulling in a big thunderstorm was making a show for us over the Pecos Wilderness.  Rolled down the windows and the air was clean and cool.  When I stepped out of the car the smell of pine and the air baptized me and everything inside me sighed.  We set up camp, rather I set up camp while Blake watched( thanks Jim).  Drove into to the city, and walked around all afternoon.  This city really is a place I would like to live when I am about 45.   I cannot express in words the connection I feel to the earth here.  We came back out to the KOA and the night sky is full of stars.  Tomorrow we will be heading to town again before driving to Mesa Verde National Park.  I will give you guys some more photos soon.  xoxo Jenn

Our trip has officially begun. Day one brings us to Lubbock, TX which for those of you who don’t know is the armpit of Texas–flat and uninteresting. There is however a marvelous breeze and a welcome lack of humidity. We found out our new friend Maggie(our GPS) is not as smart as she lead us to believe, but we love her anyway. She has different ideas about shortest routes than we do. Stopped for lunch in Brownwood, TX at Underwood’s Cafeteria. Nice place to take a load off for an hour…mmm ribs and cobbler. We arrived at our friendly Lubbock KOA to find that most of the people here are “permanent” residents. We are the only true campers. Here is the first days photos…tomorrow it is off to Santa Fe!

Ready Set Go

Food!!

The Open Road

Our 1st night