Racing the Grand

Hello all! This is the first time I've had the time and opportunity to access the Internet. We made it through Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. We are now in Glenwood Springs, CO--the location of one of the largest hot springs in the world.

B's dad is expected to be released from the hospital tomorrow morning, and so we are going to stay in Colorado a bit longer and spend tomorrow hiking around Aspen.

In the last four days, we've traveled through five states. We've done a lot of driving, but we've also done a lot of other things that were by far much more fun and have made the trip worthwhile:

• Swam in the Great Salt Lake (it really is saltier than the ocean!)
• Hiked .5 miles in the desert to visit Delicate Arch (Arches National Park)
• Braved the rapids of the Colorado River (and took a very cold swim)
• Walked through the farmers market in Pendleton,OR and cooled off with homemade raspberry lemonade
• Had Buffalo burgers at Buffalo Point on Antelope Island outside of Syracuse, UT
• Took a scenic detour along Route 30 (the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway)
• Saw the great Shonshone Falls (WOW!)
• Admired the wealth and planning that went into Temple Square
• Kayaked Highline State Park in Loma, CO
• Stayed in a cash only hotel in Moab, UT (where we could have gone swimming, but the Health Department had not cleared the pool)
  

In some ways, the trip is better than I imagined it to be. In others, well, I miss the dogs terribly and have a lot on my mind--school, internship, finances, B's dad, getting to Nashville in time.

We have had moments of incredible fun and moments that have proven...stressful. This is the closest I have come to traveling outside of the country with B. (Sometimes, like when in Moab, it felt similar to small tourist towns of Indonesia or Thailand. Ubud, for example, offers a similar list of outdoor activities and quaint little cafes.

Bound only by departure and arrival dates, we have almost complete freedom in between. It's in such situations that I feel I come most alive. There is still a lot that is known and expected. And yet, there is so much to see and experience just by being open.

More...along the way.

By the way, I think Glenwood Springs looks amazingly like Gero Hot Springs in Gifu Prefecture. It even has the same feeling. Maybe the two towns are sister cities?