A friend of mine needed a copilot for a portion of the drive from San Diego to Maryland and it just so happened that the portion of the ride she needed help with was one that I have not only made a few times, but was looking for the opportunity to do again (because it meant I got to go home to both Collbran and Fort Collins!).
So Jackie and I took off on August 31st with our first stop in Vegas. After a fun and random night of clubbing (all paid for by a group of gentleman who had just returned from Iraq) we left early the next morning for Bryce Canyon, Utah. A beautiful national park (but ridiculously expensive to get in AND to camp-$45 for the night total) sunset over the main attraction was a bit uneventful but the sunrise the next morning was absolutely astounding.
We then drove to Arches National Park in eastern Utah and did a quick drive-through and photo shoot of the beautiful stone features that were there. Jackie is a photographer so we took a lot of time finding good vantage points-which meant we simply drove and they appeared around every corner. Honestly I would highly suggest for one to stop in Arches as opposed to Bryce Canyon because it's much cheaper, it's larger, it has better views, and it's just better all around.
But of course in my hurry to get to the Collbran house in time for Nana's turkey dinner we left Arches without going to Moab for gas and a mere 2 miles from the Colorado border the car sputtered to a stop. Fortunately Jackie has AAA and we are both easy-going, so we listened to music and hung out until a tow company found us with some gas (2 hours later). Eventually we made it to Collbran and had some delicious turkey and stuffing that Nana prepared.
The next day we went and hiked on the Grand Mesa near some of the Mesa lakes, then went back to the house and played with two foals in the front apple orchard. Eventually night settled in and Linda and her family came over to join us for a backyard bonfire. My boss at UCSD's Alumni Affairs, Greg Murphy, also happened to be road-tripping the same route and he and his friend joined us in Collbran for the bonfire and the place to rest their heads.
Friday of that week we embarked on the 5 hour drive to Fort Collins to mom's house and with a full gas-tank we stopped by Glenwood to shop before getting to Denver and it's Friday afternoon traffic. Finally in Fort Collins we got some Thai food for the family then spent a night out on the town. Unfortunately my sisters weren't with my mom so I didn't get to visit with them this trip home as I had expected, but I got to show Jackie the town and re-unite with one of my best friends from elementary school in Carpenter, WY-Ali Epler :).
On Sunday Jackie and I shopped until after we were supposed to leave for the airport, and once again in a hurry, we ran out of gas on E470 after a confused detour (what happened with all the toll booths, seriously?). Because we were 1/2 mile from the exit with gas, I talked Jackie into walking to the station while I stood with her dog and the car, holding a sign that merely said "GAS". (A nice woman actually did stop and pick up Jackie as she walked along the interstate and gave her a ride to the gas station and back to the car! Colorado is such a great place to be!) Though I was an hour late for my flight back to San Diego, United happily put me on a later flight and I happened to be on the same plane as a good girlfriend on her way back from Kansas City!
Getting home was a relief after many worries about making it to the next destination but it was a great trip and 8 days were spent with Jackie with many laughs even through the stickiest of situations. Yay for good trips!
(ps pictures will come soon...they were all taken on her camera and I haven't gotten to see any yet)
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