The Drive

On day 32 I woke up and got going to get to the car rental place in time to pick up the car I will be in for the next two days.

I rented a full size sedan so hopefully my bike could fit in the trunk. Fortunately it did but it was definitely a tight fit even with the wheels and handlebars taken off.

And I was off! It took a little time getting used to driving a car. I kept feeling like I was going over the speed limit but usually I was under it. Haha one of the best things about being in a car was finally being able to listen to music and they even gave me satellite radio for free. It was AWESOME!

My first stop was Seven Falls. It was an amazing place to see. Unfortunately though a lot of it was shut down because of slippery steps. Also, it was kind of touristy for me. They decorated a lot of it for the holidays but all I saw were ugly decorations blocking gorgeous rock formations. If I'm going to check out nature's beauty I want it to be just that.

Next, I was off the Colorado's Garden of the Gods. It was quite a place to visit. If my bike wasn't all broken down, I would have loved to have ridden around it. Next, I had a bunch of miles to put behind me. I was headed to Cortez, Colorado to stop for the night. I drove well into the night and ended up pulling into a Walmart to crash. For as much as I was paying to rent that car it was definitely going to double as my motel room for the two nights I had it.

The next morning (day 33), I was off to check out Mesa Verde National Park. If anybody is ever near this park I would HIGHLY recommend it. There are some amazing views and the ruins are incredible. It was one of the best things I have come across in this entire journey and one of the major reasons I'm not feeling any ounce of regret for taking a car part of the way because I would have never gotten to experience it if I hadn't. Also, because of the geological makeup of the area, there's no telling how long some of the ruins will be around.

Next, I was on my way to Carson City, NV. Although I did have a little extra time so I decided I would try to stop near Moab, Utah to check out the Delicate Arch.

On my way I saw a large rock formation that looked like it had an opening you could drive through so I wanted to go check it out. When I approached the turnout for it I wasn't sure if I should have been going in there because it was a small opening in a fence that had a gate that almost looked like someone had busted down. But I saw somebody else that had just gone in so I decided to go for it. The road leading to it was a dirt road that definitely wasn't meant for a sedan. At one point I wasn't sure if it would make it. However there was no way of turning around and doing it in reverse seemed impossible so I trekked on. Fortunately I made it but unfortunately the "tunnel" I thought I saw only went about five feet in. It was still pretty cool to see up close though.

When I got into Moab, I stopped by their information center to find out exactly how to get to the Delicate Arch. If I was going to get any sleep that night I was going to have to make this next stop fairly short. When I inquired about the arch I also asked how long it would take to get there. The lady at the center told me it was about an hour drive into the park and an hour and a half hike to the arch. That seemed a bit extreme so I wasn't sure I was going to go. However, I decided to get a second opinion so when I got to the park I asked the lady at the gate. She told me it was only a half hour drive and an hour walk. I decided to go for it!

The drive was very scenic and had a lot of things to stop and check out but I had to make it to the Delicate Arch. The drive was the expected half hour. When I got to the hiking part I was off! Not only did I need to make good time to get some sleep that night but there were also some storm clouds rolling in that looked menacing. I'm proud to say it only took me a half hour to reach the top.

One thing people always seem to do is tell you about the destination and neglect to give any details of the journey. When I was reading about the Delicate Arch, I got nothing but details about how magnificent the arch was. What came to my pleasant surprise was that the trail leading to it was incredible in and of itself. In the end it was totally worth the time to stop and another place I would highly recommend, Arches National Park.

About two minutes after I got in my car it started raining and I was immediately thankful for how fast I was able to complete the trail. On my way out of the park I got an opportunity to pay it forward. A middle-aged couple was stuck walking on the side of the road in the rain so I offered them a ride. They were very grateful and even joked that I may have saved their marriage (the husband had wanted to take the long way around).

Next, it was full speed ahead to Carson City. Along the way I got caught in a pretty hairy snow storm but was able to drop in elevation before it got too bad. At one point I stopped to take a quick cat nap in the middle of nowhere. When I woke up I realized how far I was from any lights and how clear the sky was so I got out to check out the stars. I could pretty much see every last one of them!

Finally, I made it to Carson City and once again slept in a Walmart parking lot. Tomorrow I'm tackling those Sierras!