Life Elevated

I had never seen anything like it. Utah was pretty darn amazing. Everywhere we looked, we saw this:

and that:and that was just looking out on the main (??) highway.

We finally bought our National Parks pass and put it to good use during the few days we spent in Utah. Canyonlands and Arches were amazing!

We even made it on to Arches’ facebook page (well, Olivia and Skyhorse made the picture)!

Even though we were seeing unbelievable natural sites in Utah, we had to leave. It was just too hot for us and the pups. So back to Colorado we go! Looking forward to lush snow-topped mountains and cool nights.

Random thoughts/ month 2

We are rounding out this month in Northern Colorado and loving it! That gives us one month to get up to Alaska. In the mean time, we’ve been spending time in Golden, Boulder visiting an old high school friend and her family (thanks Zane and Blake for your hospitality!!), and trying tasty brews.

This month I:

+ learned that you can happen upon a killer farmer’s market when you least expect it. I live for farmer’s markets and this month we found our first when we stopped unexpectedly in Glenwood Springs CO. The second in Golden, a tip from new friends, did not disappoint either!

+ found out that grocery stores in Colorado carry the same beers as liquor stores but with a lower percentage of alcohol. And bars in Utah can serve canned beer with higher percentages of alcohol than what’s on tap. Damn lawyers.

+ am still amazed that people lived in cliffs. I mean, actually LIVED in a house that was built into a cliff! How was that part in history erased from school syllabi??

+ discovered Utah is flipping hot! But gorgeous. I never really had a burning desire to visit that state but after going to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, I would without a doubt return, mostly to see the other National Parks we missed.

+ noticed that this country is very dusty. And we are not very well sealed. = dusty dirty home 😦

+ think Hani is an unbelievable driver. We’ve hit some unfortunate roads in both Skyhorse and on the bike and Hani has expertly maneuvered us safely every time. And no, I have not driven again since last month. I am no match for the windy curvy death-dropping roads in Colorado.

+ love white water rafting!! We rafted the Numbers section of the Arkansas River while we were in Buena Vista CO visiting Hani’s friend Samer and his fiancé Julie. The water was FREEZING and of course I got soaked (Hani stayed dry). It was hilariously awesome and we were cracking up the entire time.

+ am still amazed by the generosity of people. After meeting Brady and Sue in Telluride, I figured we would meet others in a similar fashion. But Nina and Shawn in Evergeen were something else! While parked at a park in Evergreen, Nina and her kids spied Skyhorse. They were all awestruck. And after literally 5 seconds of conversation, Nina invited us over the next morning for breakfast. Just like that. Nina, her husband and her brother were super sweet, food was great and it was an awesome start to our day!

+ KNOW we need to visit more breweries! This month (well, this week) we did Breckenridge Brewery, Great Divide and Denver Brewing Co. And that list will be growing as we make our way around Boulder and Fort Collins.

+ visited 3 states and returned to one. I never gave much thought to living in Colorado until we came out here. It’s really an amazingly beautiful state. The mountains are breathtaking and everywhere you look is picturesque. Too bad we’d have to sit for an exam to be licensed here. And then there’s that little thing called snow which is on the ground from November through May. So maybe not…