Movin’, Movin’, Movin’; Charlie loves travel days; Grand means Grand; and it’s time to throw the towel in!
This past week and the next couple of weeks have us moving pretty frequently as we make our way to Idaho. Which is kind of exciting as you get to see more of the country as you drive to each new location, experience new places and meet new people. This past week we took Highway 70 from Bryce to Moab (about 235 miles)-talk about a beautiful drive! Each turn unveiled a new topography and was even more beautiful than the last. Peder and I were in constant awe of what we were seeing: prairies, mountains, canyons, desert, wild flowers, snow-you name it we saw it. Most consider Highway 1 up the coast of California to be amongst the most beautiful roads, I would suggest that this was, in many ways even more spectacular-every turn brought something new to view and appreciate!
Hot Tip #1: Put your iPad, phone or book down and enjoy the scenery!
Our goal the past two weeks was to explore as many of the National Parks in the Grand Circle that we have not already seen in the past. I think we did a really good job! The Grand Circle encompasses 10 National Parks that are all near each other and all uniquely beautiful. The Grand Circle is located in the Four Corners region of the US and covers most of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and a small bit of Nevada.
We have now been to six of the parks, we will have to catch the lesser known parks (Black Canyon, Capitol Reef, Great Basin and Mesa Verde) on another trip. Although we weren’t able to visit all of them, I have no doubt that we saw the most popular and beautiful ones! People have asked which was my favorite, so hard to answer, but if I had to pick, I would say Zion. Primarily because you are actually walking along the canyon floor dwarfed and surrounded by the enormous rock structures. The intensity of the colors: scarlet red rocks, snowy white clouds floating in pale blue sky, the blue/green tint of the Virgin River and the sage green grasses and trees all make you feel as if
you are in a watercolor portrait. The variety of colors and how each one blends into the next make this a sight that is almost too beautiful to take in and certainly one you will never forget! That being said, the Hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) in Bryce Canyon are a sight to be seen and so spectacular!
Oh, I should also mention that the bike and pedestrian trails are so well done and maintained and away from the car and bus traffic. We must have biked 10-12 miles through the park. And I didn’t fall once!! ☺️ Biking through the park definitely enhances the experience and makes you feel so one with the landscape.
Hot Tip #2 Try not to compare each of the parks you visit; instead appreciate each park for its own unique beauty!
Bryce Canyon National Park-Yes Coach Addy made it through the tunnel!
Arches National Park-The Arches are cool, but The Balancing Rock was the coolest!
Canyonlands National Park-What a beautiful lunch spot!
Our two campsites have been perfect. We stayed at the KOA in Beaver, Utah while we visited Bryce and then Spanish Trails RV Resort in Moab where we drove through Arches and Canyonlands. You should have seen Coach Addy workin’ his way up the hills and around the switchbacks! I think the adeptness of the driver might have had something to do with our smooth travels. One of our favorite things to do is to find a pull out in the park with a majestic view, pull over, put the kitchen slide out and make a picnic lunch and take in the view as we eat…better than any restaurant, that’s for sure!
Hot Tip #3 Stop and enjoy the moment! Every time we stop along side of the road for lunch, we pinch ourselves that we are dining in some of the most beautiful places in the world! You should have seen the rest stop that we stopped at on our way to Moab! Simply incredible!
The Creamery in Beaver Utah was quite the happenin’ place! It’s huge and divided into three parts: a restaurant, a store and the best part-the ice cream shop! We rode our bikes to The Creamery twice, once for lunch and again for ice cream. The ice cream flavors were so original and yummy that it was difficult to choose. Peder enjoyed The Jolted Cow (sweet cream ice cream kissed with espresso and swirled with caramel and fudgy brownies,) but I have to say that I thought my Bourbon Butter Pecan ice cream was to die for! So much flavor, so creamy and served in a fresh homemade waffle cone. Of course we had to buy some cheeses in the store and had we not been on our bikes, I would have stocked up on ice cream!
The town of Moab is best known for its beautiful scenery and being the gateway to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Our RV park is surrounded by rich red rock and snow capped mountains, just stunning. But it is also a hub for all types of outdoor recreation: mountain biking, river rafting, hikers and off roaders. It has an adorable main street with tons of shopping and quaint restaurants. Peder and I rode the bikes into town twice (about a 12 mile round trip ride) and stopped at the Moab brewery one day and the Moab Food Truck Park the next day. The brewery was good, nothing special, but good beer. But the Food Truck Park ROCKED! What a great idea and so well executed. The place was packed and there were so many good food choices. It reminded us of The Friendly Garden Food Cart Park in Eugene, Oregon. So fun!
Moab is also known for its annual Canyonlands PRCA Rodeo and it just so happened that the Rodeo was in town the same weekend that we were in town! The arena was only about a mile and half from our campground, so yep, you guessed it-we hopped on our bikes and went to our second rodeo of the trip. This rodeo was much smaller than the one we attended in Texas, but I have to say, it was just as much fun! And because the arena was smaller, we were closer to the action which made it just that much better! So glad that I kept my cowboy hat and boots on board Coach Addy!
Hot Tip #4 Apparently, size, when it comes to Rodeos, doesn’t necessarily mean that bigger is better…
I mentioned in the intro that it was time to “throw the towel in.” I should have put the phrase in quotes, as I am literally not figuratively throwing the towel in. I think I have mentioned that I have these cute kitchen hand towels that I found in a cupboard before we left on our trip. They are a set of 12 towels, one for each month. The set was still in its plastic shrink wrap and must be at least 20 years old! Anyway, I thought they would be fun to put out each month to mark the passage of time. I can’t believe that it is June and I have already put out 6 months of towels: January, February, March, April, May and now June! Which means we are close to half way through our adventure. Wow! That hardly seems possible!
I can only hope that the next 6 ½ months will be as much fun and enjoyable as the past 5 ½ months have been. We have seen a lot and had so many memorable moments, but we have so much more to see. In fact the second half of the trip involves way more driving and more frequent stops for shorter periods of time, which in many ways, I am very much looking forward to. Later this morning we will be driving to Colorado to visit friends and family. We will even be taking in a Padres vs Rockies baseball game. For those of you who know me, you know that I am a huge Denver Broncos fan, and I am so stoked to finally be visiting the great state of Colorado. I have never been there and everyone talks about how absolutely gorgeous it is. The only downside…I think it is expected to rain most of the time that we are there…oh well, I should be used to that by now! So glad that we had PERFECT weather while in Utah!
Lesson Learned: Rest stops don’t have to be boring and ugly! Such was the case along Highway 70!
Bummer of the Week: Kind of wished that we had plotted our trip to include all of the National Parks in the Grand Circle. It’s a bummer to think that we were in the vicinity of all of them, but didn’t prioritize them in our trip planning. But it just wasn’t feasible this trip as some just weren’t in our path of travels. Oh well, I guess it just gives us a reason to make our way to this area again!
Highlight of the Week: Meeting new friends (Janice and Russ) our “neighbors” in Moab. We invited them over for some wine and Peder’s delicious home made Pizza. We had such a nice visit and they were so impressed with Baker Pedee’s pizza dough and cooking talents. It’s not easy making the perfect pizza on the great open road! This is what being on the road is all about, the people that you meet along the way, the stories that you share and the memories that you make.
Sounds like Peder's EXPERT driving made this section of your journey one to enjoy! Taking in all of these small and large moments is bringing such joy to your lives...taking in each moment as a gift is what life is truly all about. Your patriotism is consistently expressed as you celebrate our great country! Much love heading your way!