Cross-country trip DAY 12: Moab, UT -- Arches National Park

I was concerned... It is the Memorial Day weekend when most people decide to go somewhere, a lot of them came to the Arches National Park last year causing this. Luckily, the park officials decided to do something about it in 2016. I was not relying on them though...

I woke up bright and early at 6AM, quickly took a shower and gulped down my cup of coffee, raced to Eklecticafe to grab a sandwich and by 7.40AM was at the gate of the park. No wait, no traffic. After speaking to a ranger at the visitor center, I headed straight to the Delicate Arch to complete my first hike. It was not easy as it is uphill the whole time, but the view was worth it.

The next hike was Devil's Garden trail that I did not complete because of elevation. Yes, I am fearful of heights, especially when going down :)

Precisely here I ended my hike...

I completed pretty much all the easy hikes, but was kind of tired and by 2 PM I headed out to get my lunch.

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful... Oh wait, I did decide to go to the mechanic, because every time I hit the brakes my steering wheel would shake. He discovered warped rotors and had them adjusted. Yes, I did change them a month before, so the other mechanic paid for it. Who knows how long this adjustment will last.

Ed's shop is the right place to go if you have troubles with your car in Moab, UT

After a long day hiking, I rested on my private porch at AirBnb, watched hummingbirds flying around and got eaten by mosquitoes.

Have a good night, Moab :)

Cross-country trip DAY 11: Denver, CO to Moab, UT

My plans for today were quite extensive. My little itinerary consisted of 3 spots that I wanted to see and another one that I decided to skip due to the lack of time.

First, I stopped at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, which was lovely, but quite a bit cold because of its high altitude.

My next stop was supposed to be at the Hanging Lake, but lucky me, it was closed that day.

I was not very excited about my next stop, Colorado National Monument, but boy, was I wrong...

Oh, and here is a drive-through video.

As I crossed the state line, my GPS kindly welcomed me to Utah. The next stop was rather spontaneous. Just past the state line there was a scenic view pullover, where I decided to stop. The view was worth it:

I then headed to a ghost town Cisco, UT. Initially, I thought I was only going to take pictures there and leave, but the ghost town kept me much longer... Or was it the stupid Google maps that decided I could not make a U-turn until I reach the end of an isolated, poorly maintained (if at all) road.

Instead of leading me to the highway...

...Google decided to take me for an adventure tour of a real ghost town. At that point I have not yet realized that it wanted me to turn around, but blindly followed the smart phone. Here is where I realized that there was no exit ahead and turned around:

Remember, that my car is fully loaded and low to the ground, so any bumps on the road, especially on a road like this one really mess with the shocks. Oh yeah, and there was that bridge... Only a ramp with two wooden tire tracks were provided. You can imagine how frustrated I was when I realized that I had to go over it not once, but twice!

About an hour later of slow driving, hoping to get out of there, I finally found my way out, but not before I stopped thinking of living in an isolated place.

Cross-country trip DAY 10: Denver, CO

I once again decided to use Gray Line Tours and take a Denver Mountain Parks with Optional Denver City Tour. I wanted to do both. The first part was quite interesting, but the second part was just alright. I guess I am not that much into the city life after all...

I arrived at Cherry Creek Shopping Center where our tour was meeting at 8 AM and, of course, was the first one. In order to remember where I parked, I just had to take a picture of the parking spot, or another car parked near my parking spot:

On the other hand, I familiarized myself with multiple shops that were conveniently closed so that I would not spend any money, and the restroom area that I would use quite often.

The first part of the tour featured the Red Rock Amphitheater:

The drive to other mountain parks that are abundant in Denver (in fact, just as the Minnesota guide, the Denver one claims they have the most parks in their city - gotta check this out :/).

Look at the beautiful Continental Divide in the back!

On the second part of the tour, Denver Highlights, I saw a bit more of the city architecture and design and learned about history (which I have already forgot for the most part, you know those blondes...)

Here is an interesting point, a Chinese time clock that shows the exact time, really amazing:

And here is Molly Brown's house, the survivor of Titanic who got rich and famous:

Another interesting site that I probably would never visit without a tour is a Capitol:

The tour comes to a conclusion at some sort of stadium that I could careless about:

After the tour I find my car (since I took my picture of the parking lot, of course) and head to a well-reviewed on Yelp ethiopian restaurant nearby my AirBnb, Queen of Sheba. The service is fabulous, and food appears a bit too spicy to my taste, but it is homemade, so I am happy!

Tired and a bit sniffy, I head to my AirBnb and go to bed early :) Yes, I can do anything I want, I am on vacation!

Cross-country trip DAY 9: Rapid City, SD to Denver, CO

The drive to Denver was very picturesque. The majority of the way was a two lane highway with miles and miles of open area and rolling hills. I did not take too many pictures as on my agenda today was not only to get to my AirBnb, but also to visit Colorado Springs and its Garden of Gods. I was exhausted by Denver traffic and really did not feel like driving another 60 miles to Colorado Springs, but I knew I would not be able to do it any other time.

I did not regret my decision. The views were amazing. But judge for yourself:

Rock climbers were everywhere! I looked down once and decided to get off the large rock I was sitting on!

Cross-country trip, DAY 8: Badlands National Park

After a required cup of coffee at Starbucks to get the day going, I headed 60 miles away from Rapid City, SD, to Badlands National Park. Located at exit 110 on the eastbound I-90, Badlands National Park is known for its enormous size and beauty. You judge for yourself:

One thing I knew before I came to Badlands... Rattlesnakes, and lots of them, as described by other people. Indeed, there are signs like this all over warning people of possible unpleasant encounters with this creature.

Hence, I decided not to hike, and just drive along the nicely paved loop stopping along the way. It worked out fabulously!

I then checked out a local well-rated "pizza" place. Haha, yeah right! Here is my review.