“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.”
– Jack Kerouac
DAY 5:
With the rise of a new day came our inevitable departure from yet another city. We loved Glenwood Springs immensely. Every store, site, and person in that town was so unique. We grabbed breakfast at yet another gas station, Kum & Go to be exact, we left Glenwood Springs, CO for what we thought would be our final stop of the day, Kayenta, AZ. Boy, were we wrong.
We stopped for gas in Grand Junction, CO, then crossed the border into Utah 45 minutes later. It was our first time visiting that state, and we instantly fell in love. Gone went the snow and out came the sun. We had a lunch break at some cute yet seedy little spot in Thompson Springs. I sat on a log and shared my meal with Holly and Tru while Geoffrey walked up and down the road, taking in our mountainous backdrop. It turned out to be my favourite picnic of the entire trip, as odd as it was.
The rest of the day went south from there, and not just because we were headed in that direction. We drove through Moab, UT (which later became our favourite hidden gem of a city) and unfortunately couldn’t stop. We passed Hole ‘N the Rock, and were making our way through Monticello when suddenly, we got hit with what I considered a whiteout. When we did finally take a break, Geoff received a voice message where he was given awful and confusing news about his schooling. I wanted to turn around and go back to Glenwood Springs, CO, but Geoff said that we should continue on. For the next hour he drove while I repeatedly tried calling the individual who left the message. The weather let up, and we were back in the desert. Suddenly, out of thin air, we came upon Bluff/Twin Rocks, UT and the person in question answered her phone. I yelled, “pull over!” and Geoffrey drove into the little town and stopped in the parking lot of Twin Rocks Trading Post. We almost ran over a bride who was photographing her groom with the picturesque background. The dogs and I left the vehicle and went for a walk, while Geoffrey stayed on the phone. A few minutes later, everything was sorted out and with positive results! Bluff became our good luck charm, and so we bought souvenirs to commemorate the occasion.
We left Bluff and headed toward the Four Corners Monument in New Mexico. To accomplish this, we had to head east back into Colorado, and southwest to the Arizona and New Mexico border. Once again our expectations were high, since the was the furthest south that we were planning on being during our entire 9 day trip. When we got to the monument, we had to wade through mud to see it. Traveler’s photos had made it seem like it was a dog-friendly location, hence us going, but it turns out that dogs are not allowed there. However, the fact that we were literally in four states at once, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, was worth it. I’m glad that we went, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it again.
By the time we were done at the site, it was 4 pm. We had a hotel booked in Kayenta, AZ, but tired of driving through harsh-looking land, getting stressful news that day, and not feeling up to taking a chance at a new town in a strange state, we headed north instead of west to the state that always felt like our second home, Colorado. Our sites were set on a town called Cortez, and on the way Geoffrey frantically cancelled our hotel in Arizona and booked one for us in our newly picked city. When we arrived, it was pretty much a reflection of our day; rough.
Day 5 remained our most difficult and unpredictable day of the entire trip. It is also the most memorable, and for that, I love it.
DAY 6:
Day 6 was the first day that we had to begin making our way back to Canada. We left Cortez, CO after our usual morning that consisted of a walk, grabbing food, and getting gas, all before 8:30 am. Our goal for the day was to make it to Salt Lake City, UT. I was so looking forward to staying in a big metropolitan city, where, although obviously different from any other big city, it was guaranteed to have many amenities, a younger population, and a relatively maneuverable downtown area.
Our only planned stop along the way was Moab, UT, a mere 2 hours from our current location. Prior to coming to America, we hadn’t even heard of Moab. If it wasn’t for the day before, we would never have given the city a second thought. Now, we couldn’t wait for the opportunity to explore it and it’s breathtaking surroundings. It’s hard to explain, but Moab is just so unique, in the best way possible. I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and adventure when we drove through the first time, and I knew instantly that it would be a memorable city to spend time in. We weren’t wrong. We left Colorado, entered Utah, and drove like manics through the mountains and red, red earth back to Moab. Upon returning, the first thing that we set out to do was to take the dogs for a walk. We parked at Lions Park, and then spent the next little while exploring the amazing land. I collected a few rocks, and after driving around of a bit, we decided to press on. Whoever is lucky enough to live or have a vacation home there, is one of the luckiest people on earth. Have any of you ever been to Moab? If not, then I suggest going!
Next, we drove through more mountains and slowly made our way to Salt Lake City. The drive was once again spectacular. Colorado-spectacular.
I had no idea as to what to expect in regards to SLC. If I did have any expectations, they would have been blown out of the water. The heat! The mountains! The spotlessness! The architecture! What an incredibly gorgeous-looking city! Once we arrived at our posh hotel and handed over our vehicle to valet, we took the dogs and explored the downtown area. Everyone was dressed so formally, it was such a refreshing change from the rest of our trip. However, the dogs soon became scared of the loud noises, and we had to return back to our hotel room, where we spent the rest of the night eating out, working out, playing with Holly and Truman, and watching a bit of TV. Honestly, the splendour of SLC is unlike any that I have ever come across before. What an astonishing place.
DAY 7:
On day 7, the distance between our starting location of Salt Lake City, UT, and ending at Idaho Falls, ID, was only 3 hours. You’re probably wondering why we didn’t drive further. It turns out that we had also planned on visiting Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve that day as well. That added on an additional 4 hours. Was it worth it? Mayyyybbeee not when there’s snow on the ground!
I had no idea what to expect when driving through Idaho. This was our first time visiting the state. It was very nice, but after have been spoiled by mountains and desert, it almost couldn’t match the versatility of some other states. I would love to take another trip back to Idaho, if only to explore it further and see what it really has to offer! Regardless, it’s still way more exciting looking that ole’ Saskatchewan, Canada. :-)))
Craters of the Moon is definitely a place that everyone who visits the area should stop at. The only other time I had seen similar terrain was in Australia. The visitor’s centre was extremely informative as well. However, if you’re going to visit, make sure to go during the summer months. The snow, although beautiful, doesn’t do any wonders for the site itself.
After leaving the national preserve, we made our way to Idaho Falls, or what we considered, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Holy, goodness, does it ever look like the city that we live in. I told my Instagram followers that if they were never planning on taking a trip to Saskatoon, then just go to Idaho Falls and it’s like being in our city. Given that our hotel was amazing, I felt at home there. Only two more days remaining.
DAY 8:
Day 8 was our last full day in America. Our sites were set on northern Montana, but our hearts were torn. A part of me was a little excited to return home, restore some stability for my dogs, and get started on the many orders that had accumulated in my store. The other part of me was sad to be leaving our trip since it was going exceptionally well. Sooner or later though, all vacations must end. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be called vacations. They’d be called something else. Retirement, maybe.
A few hours into our drive, we stopped in Butte, MT to go antiquing. I scouted out at least 5 stores in a 3 block radius before we came to Butte, but like most other antique stores in the US, they were closed when we pulled up to their doors. That was fine by me, since the further that we drove into Butte the more we were mesmerized by its old-timey feel. We both felt as if we had stepped back into the Gold Rush era, with the brown and red stone buildings and layout of the streets. I also did manage to find one great vintage shop that spanned two storeys. But, like my ring shopping, I had to rush while Geoffrey waited with the dogs. Oh well!
The remainder of the drive was as beautiful as ever. While I will always be a prairie girl, I will miss seeing hills and mountains once we return home.
By the time we got to Havre, MT, we were thoroughly tired. If you guys were ever wanting to stop in this town, I beg of you, keep driving. Discussing our adventures in the mere 15 hours that we were there could fill an entire book. However, I wouldn’t want to offend any Havrians who might find their way over to Hello, Scarlett Blog. Short of going into gruesome detail, let’s all just stay away. (Or perhaps I should make an entirely separate post about the town?)
Good night, America!
DAY 9:
It took us about 5 hours to return home, and we did so fairly easily and with little to report. All in all, it was such an amazing trip. I was initially going to post our video on Monday, but you guys will have to wait just a few days longer. I failed to realize that St. Patrick’s Day falls next week, and I have a couple of posts on the festive holiday!
Have a wonderful Friday 13th! I absolutely love these days. What better way to enjoy it than to have another road trip for the entire weekend, which is exactly what we’re doing. See y’all on Monday.
Overall
Places we could live and work:
Denver, CO
Salt Lake City, UT
Douglas, WY
Places we would like a vacation home:
Glenwood Springs, CO
Moab, UT
Cheyenne, WY
<3
Emory
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