After a whirlwind 6 months abroad, AJ and I decided to spend the fall in the US in order to spend time with our families and friends. One thing we also wanted to do while we were here, was explore our own country a little more than either of us had in past. So after a month in New York and a few weeks in St. Louis, we once again loaded up into an RV for a road trip across the US to explore our National Parks in southern Utah and Northern Arizona. 

We started the road trip in Denver and drove through the Rocky Mountains, already capped with snow, to our first stop, Moab, Utah. We arrived to Moab in the evening, and while we saw incredible landscapes on our drive in through the mountains, we were not expecting the beauty that awaited us when we woke up the next morning. Surrounded by beautiful orange rock formations, and a perfectly pink and orange sunrise, we drove through the quaint town of Moab and into Arches National Park. We chose a tough hike, 8 miles of trekking and climbing, to see the 7+ main arches and circled back to the beginning via the Primitive Trail. Neither of us has ever done a hike like this, never explored our national parks, and never been to the Southwest US. Because of this, I don’t think either of us were expecting the complete feeling of awe that overtook us during this first hike. To see these incredible, delicate, unique, and perfect structures are breathtaking on their own, but then to think about HOW they were formed and how long it took (millions of years) for Mother Nature to create something so spectacular is dumbfounding. It’s completely humbling to be in the presence of something no human, no artist, no machine could ever duplicate. We continued on our hike, stopping at least a couple times an hour just to look around and say “wow”. We conquered some scary slopes and descents, one that had me physically shaking, and emerged at the end of the trail feeling accomplished, refreshed, exhausted, and a little closer connected to nature. We celebrated this feeling by consuming a week’s worth of calories at a local Mexican restaurant and sleeping for 10 hours.

On our second day in Moab we drove down to Canyonlands National Park and were once again left stunned by what we saw. Although just an hour down the road, the landscape was completely different from what we experienced at Arches. We hiked through a sand river, across large boulders, slot canyons, and even a 2 ft. wide alleyway - all created by nature. By pure luck, we arrived to the parks at a time when the busy season had ended, but the weather was unseasonably warm - leaving us with cool, sunny days and nearly having the parks all to ourselves. AJ sustained a slight injury on day 1 so we cut our Cayonlands hike short, but it gave us a perfect reason to go back. 

That night we stumbled across a food truck that was attached to a co-working space where the food truck customers could pop in to eat. While we were waiting for our food, we noticed a man preparing to begin a presentation so we decided to stay and see what it was all about. It turns out that Jonah a.k.a www.dudetrek.com is planning an 8-10 YEAR (!!) journey across the United States to explore its lands and rivers, and to better understand how people interact and treat nature across the US and northern Mexico. We thought we were appreciating it by spending 3 weeks on the road, imagine spending the next 8-10 years doing that. 

After a few memorable days in Moab, we continued West to Bryce Canyon. There is no way to describe just how beautiful Bryce Canyon is, so here are some pictures that might do it justice: 

Bryce was a quick stopover before we kept driving on to Zion. There have been a couple times during this year that I’ve been left speechless, jaw to the floor, unable to grasp what I was seeing. The first was driving to the Isle of Mull during our road trip in Scotland, the second was driving through the streets of Cairo, and the third was driving into Zion National Park at sunset. The towering cliffs, hidden rivers, and the intricate facades and textures - all illuminated with a purple-pink sunset hue, created a stunning mosaic that overwhelmed the senses. It was a moment I will never forget. 

We settled in for the night and made AJ his first proper s’more of his life, gearing up for the next day where we would try to tackle the infamous Angel’s Landing - a hike that at its entrance lists how many deaths there have been on this trail. The easy part of Angel’s Landing is 100% not easy. It’s a paved path where we never felt unsafe, but it is essentially a one hour hike at what feels like a 90 degree incline. We were panting about 20 min in and did not stop panting for the next hour. The butt workout to end all butt workouts. After the hour climb, we arrived to the base of Angel’s Landing, a very narrow cliff with one chain to accommodate two directions of traffic and 200+ people. In the end, we decided that that portion of the climb was not worth it, and the amazing views we were seeing from the base were more than enough to leave us feeling fulfilled.

Angel’s Landing ended up being the last hike on our National Parks tour, except for a quick hike in Joshua Tree. We hit some bad weather on our route back to Denver and decided to play it safe, but needless to say, this trip left us with a taste for more national parks. It’s amazing that such sites can be found in our own country, which we are now realizing is far more beautiful that we ever acknowledged. It’s also great that this beauty can also be seen simply by driving through - you don’t have to be an athlete or in shape or tackle the highest mountains to see just how spectacular these parks are. 

Glacier, Yellowstone, Yosemite...we’re coming for you!