DAY TWENTY SIX

MOAB, UT - DENVER, CO

373.9 MILES

We wanted to wake up early this morning, but that really never happens even when we try. Somehow, our other headlight managed to go out last night (yes in the same day we spend $500 getting it fixed at the dealer) so Kenny went out to an auto store and replaced that bulb. We finally got a move on at 11am. We drove back past Arches National Park, back through all the road work, and got on route 70 towards Denver. 

The scenery around here in Southern Utah is truly amazing, with rocks of so many colors, canyons, and trees. We entered Colorado at 12:20pm, and the landscape started changing. The rocks became more mountainous, and the trees became thicker.

 We stopped in Grand Junction to eat at Golden Corral, which is OMG amazing. I've never been to one before, and man I loved it. 
The best part was definitely the cotton candy for dessert. This was our first encounter with Colorado residents, and they really started us off on a friendly foot. From here, we kept driving along 70, which started getting more and more beautiful. I70 is considered to be the most eco-conscious high way in the US, and it's clear why. They created a two level high way that curves through the mountains so smoothly and hardly interrupts any of the natural scenery. 

This drive runs along a river, and in between the Rocky Mountains. We stopped off in Glenwood Springs to check out the Hanging Lake. I wasn't sure what to expect, and when we got there we read signs that the trail was difficult, but we decided to go for it anyway. 

That hike was H-A-R-D. It was 1.2 miles each way, and ascended 1000 feet along the way. Plus the altitude here is so high anyway, that it was really easy to get out of breath, especially since we're not used to it (or because we're out of shape). The rocks were steep and sometimes unstable, but it was so worth it.

 The view from the top was so beautiful, a blue-green lake filled with fish and algae, and a waterfall emptying into it. The water was so cold, but refreshing after the intense hike. 

On the other side, we were also able to see miles of trees and mountains. Once we started climbing down, it was a lot easier, but still took a while because it was so steep. I came close to hurting my ankle on a few bad steps, but in all we got down the mountain in about a half hour. In all, the hike took us about an hour and forty minutes. 

We kept driving from here, stopped by in Vail, a pretty cool skiing town, and got stopped on 70 for about a half hour for tunnel blasting. The altitude here is 10,063 above sea level, and we noticed our empty water bottles puffing up due to the air pressure! 

We drove over to Golden, Colorado, a little city right outside of Denver to meet friends for dinner at Woody's Pizza, who gave us some awesome tips for sightseeing! They so very kindly offered us to stay at their place, which was a welcome change from Motel 6 for the night!