Drive from Denver to Salt Lake City: Utah

Once we got into Utah, the scenery changed dramatically.  There only impressive mountain ranges were in the distance.  We felt pretty let down. Luckily, Moab and Arches National Park were on our way to Salt Lake City. 

Pony friends!

The biggest disadvantage of vacationing during the winter is the lack of sunlight.  Sure, the weather isn’t ideal, but it’s tough seeing all the sites when the sun sets by 5.  By the time we got to Arches National Park, the sunlight was waning.

Entering Moab

Frozen Colorado River in foreground

At this point in the drive, I was so overcome by the park's beauty I felt like shedding a tear à la Double Rainbow Guy.

Then I realized I wasn't high or nutsy cuckoo, so I just took pictures instead.

With the little daylight remaining, it was crunch time for sightseeing.  This is where Ayk and I differ when it comes to traveling.  He wanted to stop at the Visitor Center to get advice on which sites to see.  I told him there wasn’t enough time, and hopefully my memory of my visit 10 years ago will help us navigate.  I guess a decade is a long time, because looking at the map didn’t really stir up any memories.

 

Inside Arches Park

 

See, I got my spontaneous and rushed method of traveling from my dad.   A stop at the Visitor’s Center was a foreign concept in my family vacations.  Anytime I wanted to take a picture of an overlook, he would slow down to 15 MPH and say, “Did you get your picture?”  “No, wait!” I pleaded. “Whoops, too late,” as he sped off chuckling.  Time was always against him and there was never enough of it to see everything if we dilly-dallied.

Windows: The Poor Man's Arches

It’s tough abandoning this hurried and almost frantic mentality, but I put this crazed family tradition aside and we made a plan to see at least one arch before the daylight faded.

 Exhausted from running to the viewpoint to see Delicate Arch before the sun set.

 Yeah, I guess it's worth being featured on Utah's license plate.

Four hours later we arrived in Salt Lake City at my sister Nicole’s house around midnight.  She stayed up to welcome us.  We all chit-chatted with my stepsister Kayla a bit before we hit the hay.