From Utah to Colorado
Originally we thought this trip would be too brief to blog about, but it turns out, you can fit a lot into a long weekend! Between Thursday and Sunday we visited multiple states and there was no shortage of good views or special memories made.
To begin our adventure, we caught a flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City and rented a car heading to Grand Junction, Colorado where our friends live. The primary reason for the trip was to spend quality time with them but It wouldn’t be a Dan and Laura road trip if we didn’t stop to see a few National Parks along the way.
Once we secured our rental car at SLC we drove a few hours toward Canyonlands National Park stopping only for a quick lunch at Cafe Zupas. Don’t be fooled, Zupas is a fast-casual chain in Utah but it’s perfect for travel days because it has healthy options like beefy salads, hearty soups, and grain bowls. Quick and nutritious is the name of the game on road-trips. Dan squeezed in a stop at a recommended old-style deli in Spanish Fork called Little Acorn to pick up a sandwich for our sunset dinner later. Our final stop of the day was sunset watching at the Grand View Point overlook in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands. You never know exactly how the timing will shake out on road trips but we were lucky enough to make it there in time for the sun to put on her show. We took a stroll around the view point while the sun fell slowly behind the iconic red rocks of Utah.
Grand View Point Overlook, Canyonlands National Park
By this time, it was about 8:45pm and time to make our way to camp. Dan prepared a few potential BLM spots in the Mineral Bottom area and like the pro he is, set up our tent in the dark—something we’ve done many times before. Laura did what any helpful girlfriend would do and brushed her teeth, found a good spot to pee, and switched clothes for the night. Truly, I don’t know how he makes it through these situations without her. Laying in our tent, the stargazing was spectacular — something we both look forward to anytime we camp.
In the morning, we were pretty much up with the sun and decided to drive to a scenic spot to eat our breakfast. This involved driving down into the gorge at Mineral Canyon which was thrilling!
The views on the way down were truly magnificent. We were even lucky enough to see a young sheep staring at us frozen in the middle of the path below. We took a moment to appreciate her and then continued down the winding dirt road. At the bottom, we found a picnic table to eat our high protein breakfast that we had each packed. Laura packed hard boiled eggs and a protein bar. Dan ate his trusty peanut butter sandwhich and leftover grain bowl from Zupas. We were so pumped to start our day knowing what the day would bring! A scenic hike at Arches National Park!
The Main Attraction: Arches National Park
Trail: Fiery Furnace
Style: loop, maze, scramble
Distance: 2 mi.
Level: Intermediate
The park issues a limited number of permits each day for this particular trail. Before you check in to get your permit, you need to sit through a brief orientation video. We were encouraged by the park rangers at the visitors center to explore dead ends because there’s a greater possibility for wildlife and rock structures that wouldn’t be found on the main trail. The two of us are always aiming to see as much wildlife as we can, so we welcomed the opportunity to explore a path beyond a “dead end” sign.
There were four things we had to watch out for and weren’t allowed to touch or step on: the cryptogam (biological soil crust), vegetation, sand dunes, and the arches.
The park rangers also said it’s common to get lost and encouraged us to take pictures along the way of notable landmarks to help retrace steps. They also warned us that the trail markers weren’t obvious and it’s very possible to miss them. With all of this information, I’m not sure why we weren’t prepared to get lost—but it happened! Somehow, somewhere, we got turned around and eventually had to turn back to the beginning, unable to complete the loop. Since we were on a time crunch, wanting to make it our friends house around 4-5pm, we didn’t have unlimited time to figure it out. A good excuse to come back to Arches because its one of the most enjoyable parks for the both of us.
Overall, the hike was very special. We spotted all types of lizards, chipmunks, and sheep. In one of the dead ends, we found a “pothole” of standing water teeming with parasites, toad tadpoles, and a small species of shrimp which only dwell there.
After navigating our way back through the maze (~2 miles in 4 hours), we headed into town and rewarded ourselves with Singha Thai Cuisine which was delicious and hit the spot. And then for good measure we got coffee for the road. We chose Coffee at Moab Coffee Roasters just down the street…honestly it wasn’t super memorable but did its job.
All fueled up, we began the final leg of the drive to Grand Junction. We chose the scenic route—literally—the Colorado River Scenic Byway (Utah Route 128). The sights from the road were spectacular as it felt like we were driving through the inner gorge of the Grand Canyon at moments. There were dozens of stop offs and side canyons deserving of our attention (Grandstaff Canyon, Onion Creek, etc.), but due to time constraints, we had to keep moving.
Two hours later we made it to Grand junction.
We relished in our friendship reunion and immediately washed up for dinner at a brewery called Base Camp, located in the neighboring town of Fruita.
Saturday morning we enjoyed snuggles with baby Arlo and a nice homemade breakfast. In the afternoon we hiked as a group of five (baby included) at Mesa Lakes and although we chose the more difficult route, it was 100% worth it for the view at the end.
The Fam Hike: Mesa Lakes
Trail: Lost Lake
Style: out and back, mostly shaded, snow drifts
Distance: 3.5 mi.
Level: Easy
The drive up to the top of the Grand Mesa is a scenic trip itself. Starting at the river, you climb over 5,000 ft. in about 15 miles, passing through a couple small towns and ranches until reaching the top, which sits at 10,000 ft. Greeting us at the top, in addition to the pines and fresh high-country air, was the Mesa Lakes Lodge and Picnic Area where we parked it for the afternoon.
We had several options for hiking, as the area had numerous lakes and trails to explore. We were constantly trying to gauge how much snow was left on the upper trails, being mindful that we were bringing a five month-old in a carrier for one of his first hikes. At each patch of snow, we would assess and help navigate each other through—total team effort! After a couple miles of gradual ascent up through the forest and talus fields, we descended down a bowl and into view of the emerald-green beauty called Lost Lake. After snapping a few pics and finding a nice resting spot, the next thing we had to do was jump in. The plunge was cold but definitely refreshing, as shown in the photos below. The prize at the end was more than worth it: snacks, photo shoots, baby squeezes amongst a majestic lake all to ourselves—we didn’t want it any other way.
No one prepared us for the pride we would feel seeing a pair of our closest friends become parents and then - 5 months postpartum complete a hike, Monika having to feed her baby along the way. Here is our view of the lake at the end of the trail. One of my most favorite memories to date.
On the way back from the Grand Mesa, we capped the day off with a stop at Restoration Vineyards in Palisade. It was a lovely way to wind down, listening to some live western folk tunes with a bottle of Gewurztraminer.
Our last day with our friends was somber. We enjoyed one last breakfast in town at Cafe Sol and Dan bought some new trail shoes at a local gear shop before we hit the road back to SLC. Trips like this with nature and good friends is always SO nourishing. We didn’t realize how much we both needed it until we were there.
Until we see you again UT and CO. <3
