When I first found out we would be taking a trip back out to Colorado Springs, I didn't want to waste the opportunity to see more of the Southwest. I had already been to Colorado Springs and I didn't want it to just be another stay there. I will be turning 30 in few short days and Kaleb and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage this year so I wanted to do something special.
I started with the map. I started looking at routes and planning stops. The goal was The Grand Canyon, but it was over a 10 hour drive to get there from COS. Driving 10 hours is not the most fun and I knew that there had to be fun stops along the way. We would be flying back out of Denver so the trip had to be one big circle with The Grand Canyon to be the center and heart of the trip.
It proved to be quite a challenge. I didn't want us on the road for much more than 5 hours at a time so that we could maximize our time at each stop- some of which we would only be there for one night. I also wanted to make it within said 5 hours to a destination worthy of our time and attention.
I looked at the map and saw that the Utah/Colorado state line looked to be pretty close to half way. That is how I found Moab, Utah. I just picked it and to my surprise found that it was a gem. There are all kinds of treats there to be discovered and we never even knew. Kaleb and I have both talked about how we cannot believe that we have never heard of Moab or Arches National Park before. We didn't even know such a place existed. We do now, and are so glad we stopped here and saw just a small portion of the treasure that Utah has to offer.
We woke up early Friday morning and headed out around 7AM to Moab. We went Interstate 70 from Denver. Wow! That is sight in and of itself. You go through the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Forest and its spectacular. We drove on 70 for almost the entire drive and then we took scenic byway 128. This road needs a paragraph of its own.
I wanted to really feel like I was getting a good feel for Utah while we were there as we would be there less than 24 hours. I had stumbled upon, at the last minute, the night before a blog about this scenic byway 128. It is a state road and you get off the interstate in Cisco and get on the byway and it takes you straight to Moab. I read that it is a spectacular stretch of road with stunning scenery around every corner. They were not kidding. I seriously kept my phone out the entire 46 mile stretch. Actually, it doesn't get good until about half way down. It is like the secret garden unlocking new beauty around every turn and corner. I think I made Kaleb stop 5 times before we arrived in Moab. Below are just a few pictures that of course cant capture the true awe of driving down this road. This trip was full of bucket list moments and this was for sure one of them. I will recommend it to anyone heading out this way.
After the wonderful drive, we arrived at our way overpriced hotel. The Hyatt. I love Hyatt. It and Marriott are my favorites and my go-to’s but this was in a tourist location and way too expensive, but I got to SIT BY THE POOL! Praise be to God! After all that cold, wet, snowy weather, I got to put on my much neglected swimsuit and sit by the pool. It was like I was in a dream. LOL, I am dramatic, but I really felt that way. I hate the cold and I especially hate it when its supposed to be warm.
We stayed by the pool for a few hours before having dinner at the hotel and calling it a night. Laying in bed that night, I had found yet another helpful blog about hiking to The Delicate Arch in the Arches National Park. Thanks to that blog, we decided to do just that before heading to Arizona the next morning. We per usual went to bed early, and woke up early. We are old folks, what can I say? We do this normally at home, but it came in extra handy for a road trip as we were up and at em and out the door by 7am every day.
Arches National Park in Moab Utah is full of some 2,000 naturally formed arches. I had read countless times that you need 2 full days to explore the entire park. I felt a little down about that because we didn't even have one full day much less two. But while laying in bed that night, I just really wanted to try and do something more before we left. I read a blog about hiking up to The Delicate Arch. At first the 6 (Enneagram) in me was like, “no way”. You gain some serious elevation on this hike and it's no joke. You also have to go around a rock ledge that is pretty high up. I would be lying to say I wasn't a little freaked. I was however, determined to conquer some fears and see that arch. I read if you can only see one, it is the one to see. So if I had to hike up 1.7 miles to see it and face my fear of heights. I would! I did!
The blog was right. It is almost entirely an uphill battle. It is also almost entirely unshaded and and on slick rock. This is where I first learned that my Nikes were not the shoes for hiking. There are several warning signs at the trail head. “ Wear sunscreen. Bring lots of water. Wear hiking shoes.” Yeah, I ignored that shoes part. I get it now. I slid so many times. Thank God for Kaleb. I got so many weird looks. Here comes the basic white girl hiking a serious hike with a 5 star difficulty rating in leggings a white v neck t shirt and Nike sneakers. Hahaha….*shoulder shrug here*. The hike was just as the blog described but I didn't find it to be that bad honestly, especially had I worn proper footwear.
It was worth the getting up early and making our own parking spot at the trail head because we wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise. It was worth the climb and the rock ledge. It was amazing. I have no words to do it justice. We hiked back down. We lead someone to our makeshift parking spot so they too could experience what we just did and got into our car and drove to Arizona where yet again our way was saturated with God’s stunning design. When I think about all the places I have been and the things I have seen, what I witnessed in Utah is and always will be on the forefront of my mind and forever in my heart.