But first, backtrack to a simpler day — our 24 hours in Wilbur Hot Springs. You don't know how good this sign makes me feel whenever we enter.
The first morning found us waking up in Austin, Nevada, a town we had approached in complete darkness. It's the first way-point on Hwy 50, "The Loneliest Highway in America." I think there might have been one stop sign in the joint. Great desert hospitality, though. The folks at the newly refurbished Silver State Cafe served us up some hearty portions of fried meats, salty garlic bread and salt-free mashed potatoes smothered with lukewarm gravy. A lovely bed was had at the Pony Canyon Motel.
The drive on 50 was mind-expanding and deeply humbling, like a peyote trip without the downside. Unfortunately, we passed by much of Nevada's vast (and I'm convinced UFO-riddled) landscape without much time to dally on stop-overs. When we got into Utah, though, we just had to mill about on this salt lake-bed. The landscape was difficult to do justice to on camera, so here's Amberly by it's edge.
The landscape once we left 50 and got onto I-70, the landscape started to get dramatic. The best of it we didn't capture, but I highly recommend the drive! It also presaged our journey into Arches National Park. Another photo not taken was sunset as we drove into Moab (just outside Arches), which produced colors int the sky that nearly made me drive off the road. Intensely saturated purples, pinks and blues, pictures of which you always assume to be digitally manipulated, filled the eastern sky as the sun set opposite. Simply stunning.
The horizon at Arches alternated between amazing geological formations and vast plains. The sky was huge.
More Arches pictures can be found at our
Flickr site. Here's one with the iconic Delicate Arch in the background.
After a lovely lunch at Vail, we finally made it to Fort Collins, where Lisa (above, with Amberly) showed us a great time, including a cool tour of Rocky Mountain National Park. We drove up to 12,000 feet! I'm glad we unpacked the car some, because I don't think she would've made it. We also saw some elk.
After a weekend of relaxation and non-driving (thanks, Lisa, for being chauffeur!), we are ready to hit the road again. Tomorrow, we're off the South Dakota to see some dead presidents on a cliff.
HEY!! More posts please!!
Your boxes should be there by now--hope everything gets there in one piece!
LOVE YOU GUYS--and am SO glad you came to see me! I can't wait to hear more about your travels!
PLUS...I want a list...top 10 (or 20?) cheap (under $20) wines....GO!!!
xoxoxoxo--ME
Posted by: lisa | October 24, 2007 at 02:34 PM