7/9/09

The landscapers woke me up way too early this morning but it was good because there was a lot to do before we set out on the road again. I woke up, well frustrated at first because of the lawn mower but then I had a strong mix of sadness and excitement. I was super excited to be heading out to our next destination but sad that I would be leaving my dad’s. I see him so rarely that I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye.
We packed back up the Winnie, had a delicious breakfast with dad that he made for us and said our so longs. With tears in my eyes and love in my heart we hit the road, destination: Arches National Park, Utah, about a 5 ½ hour drive from Denver.
The drive took us high into the Rockies and through many little towns. We had some good laughs as well. Some of my favorite parts were when every time we would pass a big truck loaded with livestock Kat would assure me that they were being taken to a big field at a really happy place to live, not to a slaughterhouse.
We arrived at Arches National Park around 3:00 in the afternoon and once again we were both completely blown away with the views; the red rocks against the blue sky were stunning. We both agreed that it looked like a movie set background rather than real.
The map we were given when we arrived at the park had all of the good spots marked on it and we stopped at each one of them. The first time we got out of the Winnie we were both slapped in the face with, by far, the driest, hottest heat we have experienced on the trip yet. It was also very windy so it pretty much felt like we were sitting in front of a heater.
The arches were unbelievable. We hiked up to one of the bigger ones which, in that heat, was rough. It was hard to believe that they were all created by nature and not man made. It was also a bit nerve racking to stand under them and wonder when they were going to fall down. We also saw a lot of balancing rocks which were also strange to see. How the rocks don’t just fall down I don’t know.
After our big hike up to the arch we decided that, due to the heat, we would be doing a Winnie sight seeing tour of the park rather than getting out of the air conditioning to see stuff. We figured we did our part and hiked and got dirty and it was time to just relax so we turned on some good music and continued on through the park taking lots of photos and of course lots of laughs.
Almost three hours later we were both ready to leave the arches behind and hit the road yet again, now headed towards Arizona. We drove for about an hour and both agreed that we were tired and ready to find a place to stop. We found a little RV park in Monticello, Utah that had showers, hook ups and, most importantly, wireless internet.
So, here we are, both sitting at our computers after much needed showers and dinner. We are looking forward to seeing what Arizona will offer us in the next couple of days.

Photos from today can be seen at: www.stopbathstudio.com/utah