Reminiscing (part III)

Leaving Colorado we saw some epic scenery; I’m not using that word lightly, the scenes were EPIC – monumental in my 20 years of life.

We drove through jagged cliffs, mountains changing shapes and colors every turn we took, wildlife peeping at us in the brush, water melting, trickling down the mountainsides, small villages in the lower hills, ski towns and resorts, and long tunnels leading into new light. It was the journey of a lifetime and I will be telling it for years to come.

When we came out of the mountains the measure of open space was shocking. Dessert surrounded us in every direction. We were on our way to Zion National Park.

We made a stop in at Bryce Canyon to wonder at the cavernous ravines. “Hoodoos” (defined as: skinny spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and “broken” lands) made of bright red rock filled the canyon, marvels that you don’t see everyday.

We drove in, climbed to a few viewing points, snapped some pics, and drove out. We needed to make our check in at the next park; we were not going to lose our reservation at the famous Zion campgrounds.

On our way, we stopped to take some photos of a Buffalo herd just outside the park. (Or were they Bison… I strongly encourage you to google “Buffalo vs. Bison”. It will be to your amusement, I am sure of it.) The pictures don’t quite capture the magnitude of the size of each animal or the herd as a whole - delightful creatures. 

Driving into Zion was an instant shock of awe and grander. The road was a stark shade of dark brown; against the red mountains towering over us, it looked like a road leading to anything. Silence filled the car as our minds focused in on the beauty before us.

We got to our spot, set up camp, and strapped up the hammock on two tiny trees that didn’t look strong enough to hold. (That didn’t stop us.) We sunk in and down we went. Darn gravity.The skinny trunks were far too slim to keep the polyester straps from slipping downward when our weight was added. Second try. We strung the straps around and around until there wasn’t an inch of slack. Gently plopping in, we looked at each other, and realized we were still airborne. Success! We opened up a bottle of homemade cold brew and gazed up at the orange peaks standing against the crisp blue sky. We were at peace. 

The plan was to keep this night mellow. Wandering out of the park, we entered into the little town of Zion, Springdale (population 547); bought some firewood, a pot to boil water, and mugs for coffee. We built a fire with the help of way too much lighter fluid (I still haven’t mastered the natural method) and cozied into the night.

The next morning, we awoke to the sun peaking over the hills beside us; absolutely magnificent.

Stories were told us of the most splendid hikes in this national park. Many of them would take a whole day and we didn’t have but a third of that. We chose an easy trail that led to an “emerald pool” in the lower peaks. It was still a magnificent hike. There wasn’t a cloud to be seen in the big, blue sky above us. Bright-colored rocks lined the trails and orange dust kicked up with each step we took, making the path look as though it were glowing.

The contrast of colors in this region of the country is astounding. Everything has a vibrancy, a brilliance that can’t be missed. The leaves look greener, the sky looks bluer, the waters look crisper, and the mountains pop out against the splendor of colors.  

Many pictures were captured in every which-way; up, down, sideways, upside-down, panoramas, and self-timers of course. This was the last day on our week-long adventure and we were going to take it for all it was worth. 

We had to leave the park much earlier than we wanted and after a hard goodbye, we made peace with it, and drove out westwards.It was Wednesday afternoon and we would be spending the rest of the day driving all the way back to our little hometown of Carpinteria, Ca. Lunch was made on the go – turkey sandwiches, crunchy Claussen pickles, and cheesy Doritos. This meal really never gets old on the road.

Before it got dark, we were enticed by road signs to visit “Peggy Sue’s Diner”. Isa was entranced with the idea of diner coffee and homemade pie and would not let it go until she had what she wanted. I let her stop, and it was worth it. (I learned a lesson that day: never miss an opportunity to enter a funky diner in the middle of nowhere.)

Utah quickly turned into Nevada and Nevada into California. Driving home is never fun but the longer we traveled through the desert, the flat dry heat rendered a desire for home that we could not displace. There was a minor car problem on Highway 40.

(Side Note: It stinks when you’re caught in the middle of “what I’ve always been told – don’t swerve to not hit something if you can avoid it” and the ever so daunting “quick wit”. I’m pretty good at following instruction; not the best with thinking on my toes.) 

Anyway, my direction got the best of me, and I drove over a piece of busted tire that was far to large for our car to clear. It managed to detach the under-panel that protects the parts beneath the car. Nothing major, but of course, it was something. Isa and I changed seats. Dumb luck!

I will say though, the trip wouldn’t have been complete if it hadn’t  ended with one more little bump in the road. Sorry Isa.

My advice to you all:

• Travel in the country you live.
• Travel through America.
• Travel to as many natural landmarks as you can.
• Travel in your car.
• Travel with a tent.
• Travel beside your best friend.
• TRAVEL.
• TRAVEL.
• TRAVEL.

Happy Roadtripping!

Reminiscing (part II)

I have a little extra time to write today, and in light of my overwhelming realization of how much I miss my best friend, I thought I’d start up on Part Two of our wonderful car-ride adventure.

After a long and drawn out day of driving, we finally were in Colorado and a new day had come. We got back on the road in hopes of not breaking down (we still hadn’t done anything about the oil). We made it to our destination, Castle Rock, in less than two hours and pulled up to the first mechanic we could find.

The couple that owned the shop were nice. They had two dogs that hung out in the lobby with us while we waited for the diagnostics. The car needed an oil change, bad. It was going to take them about an hour to get us in and fixed up. They offered to drive us to their favorite breakfast place to get a bite to eat while they worked on the car. This was an offer we couldn’t deny. I hopped in the passenger seat while Isa jumped in back with the dogs. The wife drove us, telling stories the whole way of how she met her husband, places they once lived, and how they ended up in Castle Rock.

The breakfast place resided in an ordinary house that had been transformed into a restaurant. There were entryways to different rooms here and there. We took a seat in a booth made from church pews, ordered coffee and the usual, 2 eggs, hash browns, and toast, but this time we decided to splurge and added a side of french toast. Looking around we noticed a few guys wearing either baseball caps or cowboy hats with shirts tucked into their jeans, brown belts and boots; we weren’t in Carpinteria anymore.

We were supposed to call the lady to pick us up, but we felt awkward making her drive us all around so instead we walked. The town was small and dainty with the appearance that it had recently been remodeled to look quite perfect and very clean. We found our way back pretty quickly, paid the couple, thanked them for their hospitality, said goodbye to the pups, and were on our way.

That day we attended an old friend’s wedding in Colorado Springs. We took showers, got our fancy clothes on, watched them say their vows, wondered about our weddings, and danced the night away. 

The next day we explored a bit more of Castle Rock. We took a hike up to the infamous rock (where I’m guessing the town got its name). The view was nice from the base of the huge rock, but we were seeking more adventure. A friend had told me that you could climb to the top, so we ran around to the other side till we found the safest looking place to scale our way upwards. The view from up there was spectacular, green trees for miles and the Rockies standing proudly in the distance.

We said goodbye to the friends we were staying with and started towards our next destination, but before we made it out of Castle Rock I decided it was necessary to stop at Walmart (Isa had NEVER been!). She might not admit it, but I think it was a magical experience for her. 

Denver was much different that I expected. For some reason, I had got it in my head that it was a city set at the base of the mountains (shows you how great I am at geography). I was slightly disappointed at first, thinking they put in in the wrong place, but I got over it quickly as I realized it was a pretty cool city.

It was big enough to spend the day exploring but small enough that I didn’t feel too claustrophobic walking around it (seeing as I am, no doubt, a small town girl through and through). The city was vibrant and clean and speckled with tall buildings to gaze up at. There was pieces of art on every corner, funky bookshops to peek your head into, green trees growing in the sidewalk, buildings made of brick, tracks headed down the main strip supporting trolleys full of frantic shoppers, lots of good smelling food, and of course a Patagonia store to meet all your cold weather needs.

We ate buffalo burgers at a famous diner in the heart of the city and then left in time to check out the REI; I was told it was awesome, and it was. I walked in pretending I had enough money to buy something special for our last couple days of camping, but in reality I was broke and we left without any cool new gear. Our next destination was about 30 minutes out of the city to stay the night at another friend’s house. 

These friends were a family we knew from church back home in Carpinteria. They had moved to the Denver area and were faithfully serving the Lord there. We had a blast hanging with their kids, seeing Colorado through their eyes, and being filled up to the brim with joy and thanksgiving from their loving and generous hearts. They opened their arms wide to us, saying “this is Jesus’ house, how could we not have you stay with us!?”. These words have affected me to this day.

I can’t wait to end up somewhere new and have the same God-fearing attitude as them! We only stayed a night, waving goodbye to our hosts, the six Benders, in the morning as we headed towards Boulder to explore this renowned mountain town.

Again, we had planned a full day of driving and were only able to whet our appetites when it came to hiking these beautiful trails that wove into the Rocky Mountains. It didn’t stop us, we were amped and ready to get our hike on! We did the best we could and, although our hike looked more like a morning walk, we were able to get a feel for what life in these mountains could be like. It was really hard not to try and figure out a way to relocate to Colorado. We ended up spending our time in the car thinking how we could move there to serve Jesus and hike mountains.

These past few days in Colorado were spent reconnecting with old friends, making new friends, and discovering a love and curiosity for this beautiful inland state. We had known that this trip would make us want to move more than ever, but we never guessed we would actually end up planning our lives to make that happen in Colorado. It only got easier to picture our lives there as we drove west and our eyes were set on the most beautiful jagged peaks we had ever seen.

Part Three, The Drive Home, Coming Soon :)

Happy Roadtripping!