Monday, June 27th (Happy Birthday, Emily)
Of course, we had to stop at the Russell Stovers in Kansas and stock up for the trip...
We drove as far as Dillon, Colorado the first day.
Tuesday, June 28th I don't really love driving I-70 through Kansas. Boring. But, I love driving I-70 through Colorado - particularly as it follows the Colorado River. This is my favorite rest stop ever because you can dip your toes in the river if you want. Or, you can see white-water rafters coming into port.
Because visiting National Parks was one of the primary objectives of this trip, and because we were going to be so close to Arches National Park in eastern Utah, we made the 30 minute detour and took the two-hour quickie tour. It was in the middle of the day and over 100 degrees so staying longer would not have been pleasant. Here is what we did get to see...
top photo is Balanced Rock
above photo are the North and South Windows
below is as close as we got to Delicate Arch (it looks really teeny but it is actually quite large)
Once we were finished with Arches National Park, we opted for an alternate route to where we had campsite reservations for the night - Kodachrome State Park which was the closest place to camp to Bryce Canyon National Park. (we couldn't get reservations for Bryce Canyon - waited too long). We took Utah State Highway 12 - which turned out to be a Scenic Byway and boy, was it scenic! Elise and I couldn't stop taking photos of all the amazing rocks and mountains.
It took us up over a mountain that was high enough for aspens and spruce...
We had to dodge free-ranging cows and we saw a doe and her fawn
It cut through part of Capitol Reef National Park that had such fascinating rocks and canyons. Look at the holes in the sides of the cliffs.... They were everywhere but the road was windy and narrow and we couldn't stop to take better photos.
At one point, the road was literally on the ridge of a mountain with drop offs on either side. Eeeeeeeee!
We finally made it to Kodachrome just after dark. Dinner was cold beanie weanies but we were so road weary, we didn't care. Elise couldn't pound her tent stakes into the rocky ground so this is how she slept. And very well, too.
Steve and I got to use our twin air mattresses for the first time and, while they were a snug fit in our little tent, they were WONDERFUL! I slept better that night than I did on the hotel bed!
Steve got a good fire going in the morning
and we enjoyed a good hot breakfast using just the pie irons we brought
In the daylight of the next morning, we got to take a hot shower and enjoy the beauties of Kodachrome State Park.
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