As mentioned in my last post, I recently snuck out of town to visit friends in Colorado. LA has been feeling a little too confined of late so I figured I would attempt to find rest and relaxation elsewhere. Considering Ken and KT and Steve and Katie have all lived in Colorado for years now and I have never visited, it seemed like a no-brainer to drive out and visit them.
I’ve always found long drives to be meditative. Much like running, there’s a singular focus that demands the majority of my attention, so it’s hard to let my mind wander too far. The prospect of a 12 or 13 hour drive is has never felt daunting to me. I see it as an opportunity to clear my head. On the first day of my adventure I drove from Los Angeles to Moab, Utah. I spent the night kind of in between Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.
The 40th US state I’ve visited, Utah, is easily one of the prettiest I have explored. The colors and the landscape are quite unique. I would compare it to Wyoming in that the geography boasts a stunning blend desert and forest, but the redwall limestone is what sets Utah apart. The drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas through a sliver of Arizona and into Utah on the way to Moab didn’t start out all that visually stimulating but it turned out to be one of the most scenic drives I’ve taken in recent years.
Even having left early in the morning, I didn’t reach Moab until after sundown. Because of this my approach obscured the beauty of the area. It wasn’t until I awoke the following morning that I noticed the jaw-dropping landscape that surrounded me.
Even on a Thursday morning, cars snaked down the highway for a mile outside Arches. A short ways down the road was Canyonlands, which had no line whatsoever. It might not have those Instagram-able arches, or hoodoos like Bryce Canyon has, but it’s still a beautiful park.
Having accomplished the bulk of the drive on day one, the Moab to Denver leg of the trip was a cakewalk. And, to be honest, as much as I enjoyed the drive through Utah…Colorado might have been better. The 41st US state I’ve visited, Colorado’s geography combines lush forests (with changing foliage this time of year!), the arid valley of the Western Slope, and of course the Rocky Mountains.
My trip along I-70 took me through Glenwood Springs (home of Casey Brewing and Blending) and Vail along the road to Denver. I stopped for lunch and some beer hunting in Glenwood Springs, pulled off the road at nearly ever scenic view, and hung out at Vail Pass for a few minutes before finishing the remainder of the drive.
I’ll continue with more photos from my travels tomorrow.
Umberto – White Night [MP3]
