Day 49: Canyonlands National Park

March 25th 2011
We spent the second-half of yesterday being blown away by the amazing Canyonlands National Park. One of the locals thinks it is America's best kept secret, with views- she believes- are more spectacular than the Grand Canyon. Coming from the same canyon system as the Grand Canyon and therefore resulting from the magnificent Colorado River, Canyonlands National Park lies just West of Arches. We hadn't been told too much of what we would find in the park, but I think that lead to a more breath taking experience. So as of today, it is Chandler and My favorite place yet!
To insure a spot at the campground (we traveled about 30 miles into the park to get there!) we went ahead and set up camp at spot number 2 of 12. It was conveniently located right near Green River View- where we later were able to watch the sunset. After claiming our spot at the campground, we went out to Grand View and hiked the Rim trail. We were captivated by the vastness of the canyons. we walked down the rim to get a better look of the vastness of the area. As we reached the tip we could see a storm heading our way. We quickly ran/hiked back to the car and arrived at our spot just in time to sit in the back of the truck and watch the flurries fall :)
After an hour or so of flurries, we ran down to Green River View and watch the sunset and also watched the paparazzi gather to photograph it... The weather grew much colder after the sunset, so all we could think about was cooking a hot meal and cozy-ing up in the back of the truck to read and watch the stars come out, which is what we did in good time :)

Day 49: Moab and Arches National Park, Utah

March 25th 2011

It was a long day driving down from Telluride to Mesa Verde, then up to Moab, Utah. Lots of beautiful countryside covered!
When we arrived in Moab we found a camping site along the Colorado River beneath a high rock wall. It was late and we were tired so we went straight to sleep to the sound of the rushing waters. When we awoke, we were able to finally see the magnificence of the land around us. The huge red rock walls were composed of the most vibrant reds and oranges I've ever seen in nature. They made you feel so small too, in a good way though.

We spent the morning and early afternoon exploring the ''gods playground'' at arches. Trying to fathom nature's delicate hand creating these perfectly balanced structures. It can blow anyone's mind. The rock has been transformed into animals, people, windows, and arches scaling hundreds of feet up in the sky. We hiked to the North and South Windows, and completed the hike out to the most famous arch, Delicate Arch.

Day 48: Mesa Verde National Park, CO

March 24th 2011
I have to say that leaving the snowy Rocky Mountains made me a bit sad. I loved the coziness of the ski town and there was a secure feeling being sheltered by those tremendous mountains.
Mesa Verde was a transition from the snowy high peaks of the Rockies to the dry desert and low canyons of southwestern Colorado. Mesa Verde is a National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was built to protect some of the most well preserved cliff dwellings in the world. It sends you back in time when you walk up to these amazing villages built in the canyon walls hundreds of years ago. You can easily pictures the hundreds of Native Americans that dwelled in the apartment-like buildings and traded goods on main streets.
When we arrived at the park, we went to the museum and viewed a video and walked around viewing the artifacts that have been found amongst these ruins. You wouldn't believe the elaborately woven sandals the Puebloans made out of the yuca plant. They seemed a better quality than many of the sandals I see today! The pots painted white with black geometric shapes were amazing too and I wanted some for my kitchen :)