USA 03: Road Trip - Grand Canyon to Colorado

Friday, November 22, 2024

Our focus this morning was on visiting the Grand Canyon, so we got up early to head into the national park. Our hotel was just a short drive from the park entrance and, after paying the entrance fee, we soon arrived at the main visitor center. Thankfully the frigid cold of the previous night was gone and the weather this morning was quite nice.

Thinh and I walked over to the south rim trail, where we could properly see the Grand Canyon. We stopped at many of the viewpoints in order to take in the majestic beauty of the area. The sheer size of the canyon, having been carved from the rock by the Colorado River over millions of years, is breathtaking. The Grand Canyon truly showcases the true power of Mother Nature. The bands of different rocks and sediment that formed the rocks are a gateway to the past. The entire experience at the Grand Canyon is humbling as one realizes just how small we are as people.

We spent a while walking along the rim so we could admire different views over the canyon. At one point, we could see a helicopter flying down into the canyon itself and we spotted some people hiking as well. I told Thinh about when I worked for a company that did the helicopter tours of both Vegas and the Grand Canyon – and how one of the company’s helicopters had crashed decades before (I later learned that the company had another fatal crash in 2018).

The park wasn’t overly crowded with visitors this morning, allowing us to spend as much time as we wanted at each overlook – we didn’t have to worry about moving or making room for other visitors. Thinh was thoroughly enjoying the visit and was very impressed with each new view we got during the walk. We walked down one path that led towards the edge of the canyon so we could get a better view. It was a proper pedestrian trail, but I still got nervous – even though we were still far from the actual edge. Thinh was far more courageous and braver than me, having no fear of the heights or the edge. Thankfully, he didn’t go too close to the edge (I think he would have gone closer if I hadn’t been there worrying).

My favorite part of the visit to the Grand Canyon had nothing to do with the canyon itself. A few park rangers had telescopes set up for visitors to look through. They have nighttime stargazing with the telescopes and I regretted not organizing that for us during our visit. Today, however, one of the telescopes was fitted with a sun filter and pointed at the sun. The ranger explained to us that we could see some solar flares, so I eagerly queued up to take a look. The sun was a bright orange color in the telescope and, sure enough, I could see a large solar flare being jettisoned off of the lower right area of the sun. On top of that, I could see a few sunspots dotted across the surface of the sun. It was incredible! The ranger told us that the flare we could see was the length of six Earth’s placed next to one another! A second telescope was setup nearby to see the moon, but it was more difficult to see the moon since it was constantly moving out of view due to the rotation of the Earth.

We then returned to the car and began driving along Desert View Drive as we headed out of the national park. This road allowed us to make several stops at various overlooks so we could get new, different views of the canyon. This was an area of the park that I hadn’t previously visited and it was interesting to see how much the terrain changed as we drove further east through the park.

Our final stop at the Grand Canyon was at the Desert View Watchtower, located at the eastern edge of the park. This stone tower was designed in the 1930s and stands seven stories tall, with a small gift shop at the base of the tower. Thinh and I queued up to climb to the top of the watchtower – a park ranger was carefully monitoring the number of visitors in the tower. When it was our turn, we climbed up through the several floors of the tower. Each floor consisted of a walkway that ringed the walls of the tower, with the central area open, spanning several stories. The walls had various replicas of Native American cave paintings on them. At the top of the watchtower was a small observation room with glass windows overlooking the surrounding area. It was well worth the climb up the stairs – we could see so much of the canyon from this high up, including some parts of the Colorado River! When we descended the tower, we went out to the ground level overlooks for some additional views over the canyon.

Our time at the Grand Canyon, while brief, was magical and Thinh really enjoyed the experience. This was the first national park that he had visited, and I told him about the national park system in the States (we would be visiting a few more parks in the upcoming days). Back in San Francisco, we had seen a national park ‘passport’ book at the gift shop of Alcatraz. I told Thinh we could get stamps from the various parks that we visit. I now regretted not getting the book because it would be fun to have both for this trip and for future trips across the country in years to come.

We now set off for the drive to Moab, Utah, where we would be staying for the night. We stopped to get some lunch near Cameron, Arizona before starting the four-hour drive. As with previous drives, Thinh put on more Dateline podcasts for me to listen to while he slept. Is there a better way to pass endless hours of driving than by listening to Keith Morrison colorfully narrate true crime? Exactly – I didn’t think so!

Around 16:00, we crossed into Utah and stopped at the state line so I could take a picture of Thinh with the “Welcome to Utah” sign. Shortly after this point, we entered Monument Valley. I was particularly excited to drive through this area because it has been used as a filming location in numerous movies. As we drove, we admired the various rock buttes that seemed to sprout up randomly from the flat desert floor. I was blown away by the natural beauty of the area – I quickly decided that I liked Monument Valley more than the Grand Canyon!

The sun began to set shortly after we reached Monument Valley, which gave the buttes some rich coloring, but also prevented us from getting the best views of the area. We finally reached “Forest Gump Point” and pulled off the road to snap some photos. This was where a scene from the movie had been filmed when the titular character was running across the country. There were a few other cars that had pulled over as well, but only Thinh and I were out snapping pictures. Since the area was so remote, there was no traffic on the highway, which allowed us to stand in the middle of the roadway to take pictures. The viewpoint was at the top of hill that looked down upon all of Monument Valley – it was breathtaking!

Now that the sun had set, out focus was on reaching Moab. After a few more hours of driving, we finally arrived on the outskirts of the town. We had to drive down a hill to enter the town and the speed dropped from 65mph to 45mph in the middle of the hill. I spotted a cop parked on the side of the road and quickly slowed down to the 45mph, but the cop still pulled out behind us and proceeded to follow us into town. He didn’t turn his lights on to pull me over, but he was clearly following us. The speed continued to drop and I reduced my speed accordingly, but still the cop followed us. I hadn’t done anything illegal and he was clearly looking for any reason to pull me over.

When we finally arrived at the hotel, the cop pulled into the parking lot as well. He parked a few spaces away from us and walked over to our car to talk to me. He said that he had noticed me reducing speed when entering town and claimed that I had “brake checked” him a few times, to which I responded that I was reducing speed to match the speed limit signs. The cop said I hadn’t done anything wrong and asked a few other mundane questions, which I answered as briefly as possible. He eventually left – not that he could do anything since I had done nothing wrong. I think he had hoped that I would be visibly intoxicated or otherwise impaired when I got out of the car, but since that was obviously not the case, his last chance to “get me” vanished.

Our hotel in Moab was very nice, with two large beds and a separate sitting area. Thinh and I were both very impressed with the hotel! Once we were settled in our room, we deiced to order pizza through Uber Eats since there was not much open in Moab late at night. The pizza arrived about half an hour later and really hit the spot. As with previous evenings, I had to get some work done before bed. Thinh watched videos on his phone while I worked. We were both exhausted after the long day, so we went to bed around midnight.

 
Saturday, November 23, 2024

This morning we went down to have breakfast at the hotel. It was the standard breakfast found at most hotels in the States. Thinh had never seen the waffle maker before, so I showed him how to make one for breakfast; he had a regular waffle, while I had a cinnamon waffle. It was an alright breakfast – not great, but it was enough to fill us up before starting the day.

Our plan for this morning was to visit Arches National Park, which was just a short drive away from our hotel. Once we paid the entrance fee, we drove through the park and stopped at various viewpoints along the way. We eventually stopped at the entrance to a hiking trail so we could get out and walk around for a little while. The trail led off into the park, winding down through the rocks and taking us deeper in amongst the rock formations. It wasn’t a strenuous hike and I enjoyed getting the exercise. We eventually turned around and climbed back up to the parking lot. The climb back up the stone stairs was tiring and we were both happy to reach the car once again.

Setting off to drive further into the park, we stopped off to get a view over the petrified sand dunes area. From there, we could also see some stone formations that looked like small towers. Once of them is nicknamed “Phallic Rock” because it bears a strong resemblance to a men’s genitals! The entire park was beautiful and we were both enjoying the scenic drive.

We stopped off at the parking lot near Double Arch so we could get out and walk around some more. This area of the park was crowded with visitors, many of whom were climbing around the rocks throughout the area. We stopped to admire the nearby Turret Arch before walking over to Double Arch. Double Arch was very impressive, with two consecutive arches formed in the rocks. They were massive and made us feel very tiny when we got up close to them. It was a lot of fun to get out and explore this park and to admire the natural beauty.

It was late afternoon by this point and we decided to head out so we could reach out next destination before it got too late. There was more to see in Arches National Park, but Thinh and I were ready to head out – we can always come back again in the future. When we got back to Moab, we stopped for a late lunch at a nearby café that our hotel had recommended (we had received a coupon for 10% off at the hotel as well). The staff at the café were very friendly and explained the extensive menu. Thinh ordered a sandwich and I ordered a wrap. They each came with a side, so he got potato salad and I got coleslaw. We also got small slices of pumpkin pie included with our meals. Near the register was a pumpkin coffee cake that I insisted on buying – I can’t get enough pumpkin! The meal was very good and filling! It was only after we finished eating that we realized that we’d forgotten to use the coupon, but it wasn’t a big deal.

Setting off on the road once more, we headed southeast towards the Four Corners area. Our destination today was the small town of Cortez, Colorado, which was only a couple hours away from Moab. The drive today was uneventful and we pulled into Cortez in the late afternoon.

Our hotel for the night was called the Retro Inn Motel and I had picked it because it advertised itself as harkening back to older roadside motels. The exterior definitely accomplished this, with the rooms all having exterior doors opening onto the parking lot, with cars parked right outside the doors. After getting checked in, we were shown to our room, located next to reception. Our room was Brady Bunch themed, with various posters from the TV show hung up on the walls. There were two beds, a small table with chairs, a tiny kitchenette, and a decent bathroom. Everything appeared dated, but that was intentional and part of the retro style of the hotel. It was a unique place to stay for the night and allowed Thinh to experience yet another side of Americana.

It was too early for dinner and we both wanted to hang out at a coffee shop for a little while. The only problem was that all of the coffee shops in Cortez were closed by this time! Thinh managed to find a place that was open a short drive away in nearby Mancos, Colorado.

The M Bar and Coffee was an adorable little café with two seating areas. The barista was very welcoming and we chatted with her while she made our drinks. Thinh and I sat out at a table while we enjoyed our hot drinks and spent some time playing on our computers (I took the opportunity to do some blogging). It eventually got cold inside, so we moved to a table near a small fireplace to stay warm. I have always loved sitting near a fire while working or reading – there is nothing more cozy or inviting! After spending a few hours at the café, we decided it was time to head back to Cortez for dinner. We both agreed that Mancos was far more charming than Cortez.

Back in Cortez, we decided to have dinner at the Denny’s across the street from the hotel. Thinh had never eaten at a Denny’s before, and it was one of the few places open this evening. I told Thinh to lower his expectations – the Route 66 diner we ate at en route to the Grand Canyon was far better than anything Denny’s could offer, but I told him they were similar in style. Dinner at Denny’s was good and filling, while not being anything remarkable. When we returned to the hotel, we spent some time relaxing before going to be early – we had another long day ahead of us and we needed our rest.

 
Sunday, November 24, 2024

This was our final day of the road trip and we still had a lot to do before driving to Castle Rock. The hotel had breakfast available in the lobby, so we went to check it out this morning. It was a disappointing breakfast, unfortunately: muffins, bagels, yogurt and cereal. I had a bagel, while Thinh had some yogurt. We had wanted to shower this morning, but the water in the shower failed to get hot at all, so we had to skip showering.

We set off from the hotel early so we could make the 40-minute drive to our first destination of the day. Four Corners is a small park located at the point where four states meet at one point: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The park is in the middle of nowhere and we had to pay a small entrance fee to reach the park itself. The site has a large concrete plaza that shows the borders of the four states. At the point where they all meet is a circular monument with the seals of each state displayed. I had Thinh stand in all four states at once and then we spent a few minutes walking around to take additional photos. The park wasn’t busy so early in the morning, which was nice. There were rows of stalls all around the plaza where vendors could setup to sell souvenirs, but only a handful of them were actually open today.

After spending about 30 minutes at Four Corners, we got back in the car and set off for our next destination: Mesa Verde. We had to drive back through Cortez and then through Mancos, where we made a short stop at M Bar to get some coffee. The drive to Mesa Verde took roughly an hour and, after paying the entrance fee for the national park, we proceeded to drive through the park. The route took us up into the foothills, where we could get some amazing views over the surrounding areas.

Mesa Verde contains some ancient Native American dwellings, many of them built into the sides of the cliffs. The Ancestral Puebloan (also known as the Anasazi) lived in the Four Corners region for centuries, but it was during the 1200s that much of the area was developed and the cliff dwellings were built. The famous Cliff Palace itself was abandoned around 1300 AD.

When we arrived at the turn off for the Cliff Palace, we were disappointed to discover that it was closed for the season! There were no signs or notices at the park entrance that the majority of the sites were closed, which was quite frustrating. We continued further into the park to see what was open, though I was upset that I was unable to show Thinh the true wonders of Mesa Verde. We eventually reached an overlook that offered us some views of the Cliff Palace in the distance. From there, I was able to tell Thinh more about Mesa Verde and what made it so unique. We could see several cliff dwellings all along the cliff opposite to the overlook, so we were able to appreciate some of the park.

I had last visited Mesa Verde as a child (probably 30 years ago), but a lot of things came back to me while we gazed out at the dwellings. I distinctly remembered walking through the ruins and seeing the Cliff Palace – I wished that I could take Thinh through it all, but that was sadly not possible. We drove a bit further along the road and found an even better overlook closer to the Cliff Palace. Despite the disappointment in much of the park being closed, we were still able to enjoy the parts that were open.

We then made our way out of the park since there was nothing else to see or do. Back on the highway, we started the long drive to Castle Rock. The drive through the mountains was really beautiful and Thinh marveled at the beauty of the surrounding area. We stopped to have lunch at Jimmy Johns in a small town, which was a nice break from the long drive.

The last part of the drive was all highway driving along I-25 as we headed north towards Castle Rock. Thinh slept during much of the drive, while I continued to listen to Dateline podcasts. There were some fascinating episodes during this evening’s drive, including one about a serial killer in Colorado!

We finally reached Castle Rock around 20:00 and I was glad to finally arrive at my parents’ house. The road trip had been incredibly fun and we had seen/done a lot during the past week. I was happy to be able to show more of the States to Thinh, and he had thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

My parents were watching TV when we arrived and they were happy to see us once again. I had last seen then in Paris back in August when we had attended the Paris Olympics, but Thinh hadn’t seen them since our last trip to the States ended back in February. I took our bags down to our bedroom in the basement while Thinh chatted with my parents. I could tell they were all glad to see one another again. Thinh and my mom have been chatting via WhatsApp throughout the year and I was glad that he felt so at ease with them – it’s not always so easy to do so with one’s in-laws!

Mom made Thinh and I some chicken nuggets in the air fryer for our late dinner. Once we finished eating, we decided to head to bed. It had been a very long, tiring day and I was ready to curl up in bed. It was nice to be back visiting my parents and I was soon fast asleep.