It takes me a while to sit down and write a post, plus I am going through some big life changes that I cannot wait to share! All good, I promise.
It wasn't until this week that I realized that it has almost been a whole month since I have taken the opportunity to sit down and write. With the amount of laundry I still have to fold, it is easy to put off something I enjoy doing for something that NEEDS to get done. I am trying to do more of what makes me happy - so here I am!
This is part two. So if you missed part of of my epic 30th birthday trip you can read that here: https://www.ithankfitness.com/post/my-30th-birthday-trip
Now, where were we.
Day 4 - Mesa Verde National Park & Moab
In the end of the last post we woke up in sweet Cortez, Colorado where we were going to be headed to Mesa Verde National Park. I am thankful for a friend that knows how to braid hair because everyone compliments me whenever I do literally anything to my hair. #ImLazy I am so not use to having my hair done, that I tried to keep it in for at least two days. You'll see proof of that in the following pictures!
Once we left this cute air b&b we headed to Mesa Verde National. Once you enter the park we did our normal routine. We took a picture in front of the National Park sign, explored, and then hit up the visitor center for our collectibles which isn't too far from the entrance! Once you finish with the visitor center, it is a small two laned road that weaves in and out of the trecherous mountain landscape. From the entrance to where you park for the tours its an easy 30+ minute drive. We got to the park a little bit before our scheduled tour time (will explain that in a few minutes) so we were happy when we saw that there is another sort of park shop that ALSO served breakfast about 3/4 of the way to our destination of the cliff palace dwellings! We stopped to take a look at the shop, use the restrooms, and grab a small bite to eat before our 11:00 AM tour time.
I messaged Rachel just last week and told her that we happen to get lucky. When we were there they had some construction equipment around the front entrance, which I was curious about what was about to go down. As of last week, they posted on their official Instagram account that you could not take a picture with the entrance sign. Do you know how bummed I would have been if we drove out here and couldn't complete our sign pictures!?
As I mentioned above, I paid for one of the official tours of Mesa Verde because there is such rich history around this national park. I really don't think justice would be served for the beauty at this park just to stop by and look and continue on; you really have to emersed yourself on why the pueblo people lived here, as it is important to history.
When we went only one of the two tours were opened so we got really lucky that we were able to snag tickets. The cliff palace tour was pretty relaxed and the tour wound up being one of my favorite parts of the WHOLE trip. I admire people who radiate that they love what they do... and our tour guide, "Ranger Dave" did just that.
This tour is not suitable for those in wheel chairs as there are places that you physically have to climb down or up stairs. In the tour we learned why the pueblo people chose Mesa Verde as their home. You learned how they would cook, hunt, find water, harvest their crops, and much more.
You could physically see how the pueblo people built their homes amongst the cliff based on the difference in rock and mud they used at the time. It was also fascinating learning about the inside of these dwellings and the deep routed spiritual side to most of the decisions the pueblo people made. I would estimate that the whole tour was about 1.5 hours. In the picture above to the far right, that is the exit to get out of the cliff dwelling.
After Mesa Verde we ate lunch at a place I researched from home; The Loungin' Lizzard and then we headed on to mine and Rachel's FAVORITE destination out west - Moab.
Moab Utah
From Mesa Verde National Park to Moab, Utah, it was an approximate 2 hour and 30 minute drive. We loved Moab so much the last time we went out west that we decided to stay in Moab for TWO nights, just to give the boys an opportunity to love it as much as we did. **Spoiler alert - I know they did.**
We arrived in Moab fairly early (around 4 PM) we went ahead and checked into our hotel. Yes, I said hotel. We decided to room in luxury since we were going to be spending TWO nights here and living Air BnB to Air BnB is sort of exhausting. Since Rachel and I hiked sunrise last time we were in town, we decided to go ahead and get ready to hike Arches and try and catch sunset this time around.
**I do want to note that two years ago when Rachel and I went to Arches National Park you did not need a timed entry pass to enter the park, however this time you did. I went ahead and purchased two passes, one for morning and one for evening just depending on which time we wanted to hike. Although doing that, I realized that we did not need them. For sunrise hikes and sunset hikes it seems that no one will be checking timed entry passes since you will be entering before the times available to purchase. I wasn't sure how that would work out since there was no timed entry passes for before 7 AM and no entry passes available for purchase past 4 PM. I didn't want to risk not being able to enter, so I purchased anyways.***
We were able to go into Arches National Park without issue. The visitor center was closed by this time so I did not stop and get a second stamp for my passport. I don't think about it often or anything....
Rachel and I were just as in awe as we were the first time we traveled back down the road to get to the delicate arch. I think the boys were just as interested as we were. We were able to find parking, thankfully, and we started our treck back to the delicate arch. Rachel and I were probably jerks, because we kept reminding the guys that we did this two years ago... in the dark. LOL
I am one of those people that just love being outside, doing anything; Being outdoors is where I find myself most at peace. As I found a place to sit alone, I just sat there and stared at my surroundings. While people were around me talking and trying to get the perfect Instagram picture, I was just in awe at how beautiful this landscape really is. It was the perfect hiking weather and there was a slight breeze from an incoming storm that you can see in the distance of my arches picture.
This trip to the delicate arch was different from the first and not in a bad way. Our first trip there were definitely a lot more people there waiting for the sun to rise. This time there might have been 20 people? I think the most annoying thing about the whole hike was watching the same three guys take probably HUNDREDS of pictures of each other. I am sure they were "influencers" in some sort. Don't get me wrong, we definitely took our far share of pictures. HOWEVER, we didn't disrupt the view of the arch for others who were there to witness the natural beauty. Aside from that, I also enjoyed that this time around everything wasn't necessarily new to me, so I was able to focus more on the beauty that natural beauty that surrounded me. It really got me in my 'feels'. I had to make sure to stop and get a selfie with the arch since my coworker went to Moab AND DIDN'T TAKE THE HIKE TO SEE THE DELICATE ARCH. Who does that?! Sorry for calling you out.... :p
We were probably at the arches for about 45 minutes as we were watching the sun set when we decided to leave a little early than I think we were all anticipating. There was a serious storm coming, at least that's what the radar said. We somehow got lucky because even on the hike back it didn't hit us. It seemed that no one else was really worried about it because as we were leaving there were still people that were headed to the delicate arch. I like to live life on the edge, but not "thunderstorm in terrain I am not prepared for" edge. That's where I cross the line.
We made it back into Moab about 8ish PM and grabbed a few amazing tacos at a local taco joint and then called it a day. We accomplished so much a such a short amount of time. Story of our trip.
Day 5 - Moab
This was our 'chill' day - if that is even a thing... If you have seen me wear my Moab coffee shirt, you know the first thing I had to do waking up on day 5 was hit up the Moab coffee shop for some of their iced coffee.
We chilled down town for majority of the morning and went shopping. I am actually really surprised that amongst us all we didn't spend a grand down town. Moab has really anything you could think of, it is a semi touristy town. Rachel and I bought our collectibles, I think we all bought a couple shirts, I bought a water bottle and an under armour satchel for the rest of our trip.
After around lunch time we went back to the hotel where Cody and I enjoyed some time by the pool, playing cornhole, ping pong, and connect four, and Rachel and Michael decided to hang out in the room and chill for the evening to come.
Rachel and I have spend months planning this trip so we had a little something something up our sleeve on this day. We told the guys that we had a surprise for them and that they needed to dress a in something comfortable and bring water. We told them it probably wasn't the best idea to wear a hat and they should probably wear boots or sneakers instead of crocs or hey dudes.
We then went to dinner at a brewery where we told them the surprise! We were going on a SUNSET SEGWAY TOUR! I would post the video, but I think I am going to keep it for my amusement. They were so pumped! Which makes me giggle even moreso now. We talked over dinner at the brewery and gelato afterwards about how none of us have been on a Segway before and how one of us will DEFINITELY be eating shit when we can't learn how to control the bad boy. Hahaha.
We gave the guys directions to the Segway tour place and told them to park in this gravel parking lot. Imagine the confusion on their face whenever we pull up to a bunch of UTVs and Rachel tells them to pick which color they want... LOL. It was funny seeing the sadness in their eyes when they learned that we weren't doing segways, but the pure 13 year old buy thrill when they realized that we were going to be going on a bad ass sunset ATV tour, even more bad ass.... WE WERE GOING TO BE RIDING HELLS REVENGE!
If you aren't familiar, Hells Revenge is a popular ATV/UTV and 4x4 trail that is popular in the ATV and Jeep world. It is rated extremely dangerous for inexperienced drivers. The whole route is approximately 6.5 miles long and takes a few hours to complete.
From beginning to end, we had the greatest time using: https://epic4x4adventures.com/
We weren't even SUPPOSED to use this company for the tour, but Rachel kind of got screwed with a different company (long story) so we happened to book last minute with this company and don't regret that decision at ALL.
We signed some papers, did a quick introduction, and were ready to roll with the group. Rachel and Michael and Cody and I were the only two on 2 person UTVs, there was another group that was with us (who the tour guide named the brady bunch) that tagged along in two UTVs that held 4 people.
The tour was amazing. We went through some sandy portions that we were allowed to go into 2WD and go ham. The guide (I believe his name was Joey) took us through some of the obstacles and told her where to go step by step. We did all the major obstacles and he was great about letting everyone switch drivers, so yes... I got to drive too! They also were great about telling stories and showing you the picturesque spots.
One one of our breaks, that's where he showed us a place that it looks like you're holding on to the side of a cliff. One of my favorite pictures that I will cherish forever!
Although there was a small little storm that was supposed to hit us that evening too, we managed to just have it sprinkle on us for about 15 minutes. Which was actually quite nice to help cool us off from the day.
We finished the tour stopping at an overlook that told the story of one of the oldest dinosaur fossils that was stolen from the area and of course we found a dog to pet. (We thought for a moment that we were going to have to take it home with us...) and then we got back into our UTVs and headed back to town.
I would 100% recommend and might consider doing it again if I make it back out that way!
It was quite a long day, so after the UTV tour, we headed back to our hotel, showered, and talked about the next day and what was to come.
Day 6 - Capitol Reef National Park & Bryce Canyon
On day six, my well thought out plans starting becoming derailed. But that's the pro and con of these sorts of trips. The cool thing is, we all just roll with the punches and everything happened in perfect succession and we got more out of the next two days than I even thought was possible!
We woke up and of course I purchased my Moab coffee. We walked around Moab looking for something small to eat for breakfast and we found a bagel shop downtown where we grabbed a bite to eat and then hit the road.
On today's agenda we were going to be headed to Capitol Reef State Park and then headed to Bryce Canyon National Park where we were going to be staying the night.
From Moab to Capitol Reef National Park it was an estimated 2 hours and 30 minutes. I didn't have much planned for this national park aside from going to the visitor center and seeing the popular hieroglyphics that are on the side of a popular cliffside.
Not that I didn't like this park, but this park would fall on the lower side of a rating scale if I was to rate all my national park experiences from my favorite to least favorite. We did follow popular highway 24 through the park and parked outside of Fruita to see the hieroglyphics that I wanted to see. They have a nice wooden pathway that takes you alongside the cliff where you can try and find your OWN hieroglyphics that are carved in the side of the cliff. Please don't be like some people and carve your own initials into the side of the cliff... I'll keep my thoughts to myself on people who do that...
Another con of this park is that next to the visitor center there is close to NO parking. There MIGHT have been 20 parking spots... Of course we got to the park around 11 AM so it was probably one of the busier times to go. But thankfully we weren't in an RV because there MIGHT have been 3 or 4 parking spots for them. Not enough room. Because it was so busy, we found a spot to pull off off the side of the visitor center and ran inside really quick and then decided to head on to our next destination.
On the way to our next destination there was one spot that I read that was a decent picture location called Panorama point. We did stop there, take a quick look, took a few pictures, and then headed on our merry way!
From Capitol Reef National Park to Bryce Canyon National Park it was only a 2 hour drive. Since we didn't spend a lot of time in Capitol Reef National Park we were able to make it to our destination fairly early. Earlier than planned, again.
When we made it to the little town where our Air BnB was, in Panguitch, Utah, we decided to do some exploring and check out the little town that it was in. We found an old antique store that we browsed for a little bit and then decided to go ahead and check into our Air BnB.
I will say that the pictures doesn't give this little place justice. This was one of my favorite Air BnBs that we stayed in. It would be the cutest little apartment if I had the chance to rent it out. I don't think that pictures gives it the amount of room that is actually at the location.
This is where my 'plans' derail in the best way possible. Since we got there so early and were already checked into our Air BnB, we decided to go ahead and take the drive to Bryce Canyon National park and take a look around. The reason I chose this particular Air BnB was because of it's close proximity to the park. We weren't planning on going to Bryce Canyon until TOMORROW, but here we are with nothing but time on our hands so we went ahead and seized the opportunity to GO GO GO!
We drove the 27 minutes to Bryce Canyon National Park and of course, we did what we always do first. Hit the visitor center for our stamp in our passport and our collectibles! We had an almost heart attack when Rachel thought that she left her GoPro at the national park sign. But don't fret, she didn't.... and we continued on!
Bryce Canyon is one of the parks that I MUST go back to. I wasn't planning on doing much in this park either. I definitely wanted to hit up some of the more "touristy" locations, but once I got there and realized how beautiful it was, I am going to have to get back and do more hiking amongst the hoodoos. (Hoodoos are pillars of rock, typically between 5 and 150 feet high.)
We parked in a parking lot along the main road and hiked from sunset point to sunset point and back. The views are incredible. Some of my videos of the panoramas of this park are some of my favorite videos of the whole trip! I do remember that this was the first time in this whole tip that I thought, gosh... I'm chilly. On the walk back to the vehicle it was getting dark and it was a little windy so it had gotten significantly cooler.
Once we made it back to the vehicle it was past 7:00 PM and we were headed back to Panguitch. I had already looked into a place to eat for that night in Panguitch, called Cowboy Smokehouse Cafe. With a name like that, you know it's going to be good! Since it was going to be close to closing time when we would get there, we decided to call in our order. It probably looked like we were starving travelers because I think we all got a full meal, a salad, and we all got desert. Something about traveling takes it out of you and I guess the fact that food stops might be few and far between doesn't help either.... (;
After we picked up our food, that night was one of my core memories from our trip. It was so nice having dinner like a "family", laughing at the fact that we scarfed down our food in like 5 minutes flat. Once we finished dinner, we decided to have no mercy on each other in a couple 'friendly' games of UNO before showering and heading to bed.
What a great, unexpected day. Getting the opportunity to see two national parks in the same day.
With more time tomorrow... what 'trouble' are we going to get into next?
xoxo Krysta
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