The End for Now...

After 46 days driving around the nation, my tough little Corolla and I finally made it safely home!

It was truly a great adventure and I couldn't be happier that I had the opportunity to do something like this.  In closure, I've decided to do a post here to answer some of the questions I've most commonly gotten about my trip.

What was your favorite place to visit?

That is certainly a hard one to answer because I've loved all of the places that I've seen, but for very different reasons.  As far as beauty goes, the grand waterfalls of Yosemite might be my first answer.  But Zion National Park also stands out in my mind as a place of wonderful natural diversity and peacefulness.  The Redwoods in northern California were wet and made for an unpleasant hiking/camping environment, but the area itself was among the most serene and interesting I visited.  

How much money did you spend on gas?

I have decided not to total that expense, mostly because I just don't want to know.  I will say that I got pretty good gas mileage the whole trip-- between 36 and 39 mpg.  I also drove a whopping 9,730 miles. 

How did you stay awake through all that driving?

My iPod was my savior.  I listened to 71 podcasts, plus most of the music in my library.  I also took a lot of scenic routes, which made the drives more interesting.

Weren't you lonely?

Yes, sometimes.  Loneliness is a funny thing, striking at the strangest moments.  I found myself wishing at times that I could share a view or an experience with someone I love.  But the truth is that I have shared those experiences with you through this blog and my photos.  I know it's not the same, but reading your comments along the way was such a comfort to me.  I really enjoyed meeting new people along the way as well, and I feel like if I had been with a friend or in a group, I wouldn't have ventured out of that protective shell nearly so much.  

Thanks for following my travelogue this summer.  If you have other questions about my trip, feel free to leave your comments and I'll do my best to respond.  I had an amazing and unforgettable experience, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it!

Flora and Fauna of the U.S.

There were many photos I didn't put up in blog posts (I took over 2,000) that I wanted to share of the wonderful plants and animals I saw during my travels.  The following are photos that have not previously been shared:

Brantley Lake State Park, NM

Sedona, AZ

Zion National Park, UT

Death Valley National Park, CA

Big Sur, CA

Redwood National Park, CA

Wait a minute....

Dead Horse Point State Park, UT

Colorado: Day 2

After sleeping for a whopping 3 hours while staying in Gunnison with the field campers, I left bright and early Saturday morning and headed east across the state.  As I was driving through Buena Vista, I stopped on a whim at one of the many whitewater rafting outfitters.  They had a spot for me for the afternoon's rafting trip down Brown's Canyon, but I had an hour or so to kill beforehand, so they recommended the Eddyline Brewpub for lunch.  Let me just say-- if you're ever in Buena Vista, you should go.  They have absolutely delicious pizza and beer, and the outdoor patio has a fantastic view of the mountains.  I unfortunately don't have any photos from the rafting, but it was awesome!

That evening I stayed in Golden with my step-cousin Rachel.  I hadn't seen her in about five years, and we had the best time catching up and talking about all the exciting things going on in our lives right now.

We enjoyed a bit of wine over the course of the evening, so I slept in late this morning before making the long drive on I-70 across Kansas.  It's just...so...flat.  But I made it safely to Kansas City, where I'm spending the night with my boyfriend's sister before making the final drive home to Kentucky tomorrow.  Hard to believe, but my adventure is nearly over!  Look for a wrap-up post in the next couple of days...

Colorado

Colorado at last!  Yesterday, I drove into western Colorado on the lookout for places to set up camp.  I settled on Ridgway State Park, about 25 miles shy of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Friday's destination).  It was storming when I arrived, and I didn't really realize how beautiful the place was until the next morning.

After taking a quick run around the park, I packed up camp and headed toward Black Canyon.  I feel like I've been to a lot of canyons this trip, but they're all so unique and different!

Pegmatite dikes (for you geologists)

And some green for my mom.  :)

After spending the morning enjoying the views in Black Canyon, I then spent the early afternoon waiting for AAA to come retrieve my keys from my locked car.  Sigh.

Tonight I'm in Gunnison, where the UK Geology field camp is spending their summer.  I really did enjoy my field camp experience last summer, but as I watch them sit on the floor pouring over their maps after a long day of hiking, I don't envy them.

Some photos from my drive into Gunnison:

Blue Mesa Lake

The Dillon Pinnacles, formed from eroded volcanic breccia.  (As an aside, it's funny how the older I get, the more I appreciate the exhibit signs explaining things like this.)

3 Parks in 2 Days

Tuesday afternoon I made my way toward the Moab, Utah area.  There are two national parks (Canyonlands and Arches) here, as well as Dead Horse Point State Park, and I visited all of them.  I would definitely love to return to this area in the future, but not in the dead of summer.  It is brutally hot, and shade is hard to come by.

Canyonlands:

Wednesday began early at dawn.  I packed up my tent and headed to Dead Horse Point State Park.  A big thanks to Dr. Moecher for the suggestion here, as I likely wouldn't have stopped otherwise:

After a hike around the rim, I drove south to Arches National Park.  Arches was the park that started the whole road trip idea, so it seems a little silly that I only spent half of a day there, but really it's not a very big place.  And I certainly packed a LOT into those 8 hours.  Here are the highlights:

Park Avenue

Balanced Rock

The Windows

Turret Arch

Landscape Arch (the largest one-- nearly a footfall field wide)

...And Delicate Arch, by far my favorite.

It's a pain getting to Delicate Arch, but it is just gorgeous.  (Truthfully, I had to take a little catnap in the shade before hiking up because I was so zapped from the heat.)  You don't see the arch until the very last moment of the hike, and I enjoyed sitting at the top listening to people's reactions change from out of breath grumbling to awe as they rounded the curve.  

But wow-- it really is just inspiring when the late afternoon sun hits it.

Salt Lake City and vicinity

After camping in northwest Oregon on Sunday, I spent most of the 4^th of July driving to Salt Lake City.  Even on the interstate (which I have avoided for a lot of my trip), it was a beautiful drive through Idaho and Utah. 

Once in Salt Lake, I made a quick Google search for fireworks.  At dusk I found myself in Jordan Park, a predominantly Latino area, but which happened to be only about a mile from the hostel where I was staying.  The fireworks display was pretty fantastic, in my opinion.

This morning I walked around Temple Square, the center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The grounds were actually very pretty, with lots of gardens and fountains.  The main temple is below.

And here is Assembly Hall, a smaller temple built with granite left over from the main temple.

Next stop: Arches National Park!