As much fun as it was being home the reality was we would eventually find ourselves westward. After flying home different flights we decided to stay in Denver for a grand total of 36 hours or so. Then we were off again.
First thing on the list was a full day of skiing. Candace is really getting the hang of it. We both felt like it was the most fun ski day we have had so far this season. After skiing we had some time to kill before Matt and Lindsay got off of work. So perfect time for some grub and suds. Then we stayed in the mountains to get a head start on the drive for the next day.
Next on the list was to visit Candace’s family in Las Vegas. As long as the drive was it didn’t seem bad at all. It was very different than we expected because the scenery was covered in snow until we reached the Nevada state line. Needless to say, her family was very excited to see her, because her grandmother had a home cooked meal waiting on us. It was delicious just like every meal that followed. We spent the next few nights visiting with the fam and then took a couple nights to ourselves on the strip. After watching the exciting BCSNC and one last night in Vegas it was about time to hit the road.
We woke up the next morning and decided to keep heading west and southwest at that. After a few hours driving on the most remote stretch of roads I had ever been on. We found ourselves in the middle of the Mojave Desert in Joshua Tree National Park. J-tree is in southern California it has a rich geological history and an abundance of desert wildlife. As you may have guessed a rock climbers paradise, but unfortunately for me the grades were supper tough and it was difficult to find stuff I could actually climb. We stayed three nights and drove around looking at sights, went on hikes, and took in the unbelievable views. The one bad thing was, Candace hurt her somehow Vegas, so we didn’t get to hike as much as we wanted. But we definitely had a good time.
With less than a week until school started, it was time to start heading northeast. The Grand Canyon seemed like a good choice. The drive wasn’t bad at all and the next thing we knew we were there. With snow on the ground and old man winter hanging around camping was out of the question. So we got a cheap hotel about an hour outside of town. Woke up the next morning and made the drive in. One thing that surprised me was how many trees and plant life there are on the rim of the canyon. I had pictured a desert setting with the occasional tumble weed passing by, but it was a deer filled pine and juniper tree forest. The canyon itself is indescribable. I can’t think of words that can give any insight to the scale of this magnitude. The Canyon is one big hole in the ground. I think I will leave it at that.
Next stop Zion National Park. The way a crow flies around one hundred miles, problem was we were on the south rim of the Grand Canyon because the north rim was closed for the winter. Now we had to drive around it. So about five or six hours later we get to witness a breathtaking sunset as we entered Zion. We got a good night sleep and hit the road early. Zion is an enormous sand rock Canyon with diverse and interesting terrain. It has 3000 ft sheer cliffs with a warm, green valley with tall trees and a high alpine forest on top. The difference between the two canyons is at Zion you can drive to the bottom of the canyon. We started at the bottom and drove the curvy switchbacks to the top. On the road to the top there were two huge tunnels carved through the mountains. They were just as long as any tunnel I have been through. At the top we did a little two mile hike to a nice view point of the road we drove up and the valley below. We couldn’t stay long we had a lot of miles in-between us and our apartment.
The most logical choice might have been to go straight to the interstate and start heading home but since we were out there and we had the time we decided to take the scenic route. So after leaving Zion we headed on a remote scenic byway to Bryce Canyon National Park. The drive was beautiful we went from snow covered canyons to mountains into the most interesting red rock canyon I have ever seen. The deep and delicate canyon is filled with these interesting rock formations called Hoodoos. Hoodoos are odd spires sticking out of the bottom of the canyon. The hoodoos are made by strong winds and water erosion. I think that we both thought that of all the parks we saw this is the one we will be coming back to first. Just like most of the places we went this one is hard to put into words. I would suggest just going.
On the Drive home we went way up into some Utah mountains and saw another picture perfect sunset. Right before it was to dark to see we saw one of the funniest things on the trip. We saw a deer crossing sign posted right next to a cow crossing sign. Within a minute of passing the sign we passed two deer and two white cows in a little pack. We laughed and laughed, what were the odds? Then back though the high desert and we were in Colorado. A few more hours and some of the worst winter weather either of us has driven through and we were home.
A day of rest and we were back at it. School is underway and I am working at the moving company still. We have plans for skiing this weekend and can’t wait for Kevin and Kerri to make it up.
 |
| Sunset at Joshua Tree |
 |
| Grand Canyon |
 |
| Grand Canyon |
 |
| Ouch |
 |
| Excalibur In Vegas |
 |
| Cholla glowing |
 |
| Buffalo!! |
 |
| Zion |
 |
| Bryce |
 |
| Amphitheater at Bryce |
 |
| Bryce |
 |
| Cholla Cactus Garden at Joshua Tree |
 |
| Fountains at the Bellagio in Vegas |
 |
| Fox in Joshua Tree |
 |
| At the Grand Canyon |
 |
| Grand Canyon |
 |
| Joshua Tree |
 |
| Joshua Tree |
 |
| Joshua Tree |
 |
| Coyote in Joshua Tree |
 |
| Nonna and I at Ellis Island |
