6/23/11 Moab, UT

Here we are driving through Utah, passing through the canyons and rolling hills of what once used to be ancient land, roamed by creatures of the past and ruled by the dinosaurs. We just left Moab, Utah where we took the day to ride the mountain bikes in the valley of Arches National Park. We took a mountain bike trail up Klondike Bluff, where we passed by the remnants of dinosaur tracks fossilized in the stone. Once at the top of the trail we hit a lookout over Arches that was truly magnificent. There is a deep sense of peace and contentment overlooking the canyon valley and gorge below without any other people for miles. It is truly a different world out West..

From Steamboat Springs, CO, we headed west to Dinosaur National Monument and Flaming Gorge. Dinosaur is part of deposits from an ancient sea formed over a billion years ago where fossils have been found of creatures from a time we only know of from the history books. We camped out in the back country there, on top of a ridge of one of the deposits where It got so windy in the night I almost thought our tent was going to fly away with us inside. With little sleep gained from the gusty winds of Colorado we headed north on the way to Yellowstone National Forest.

We stopped at Flaming Gorge, a deep canyon consisting of rocks of a deep crimson color with water so clear and blue, it was impossible not to swim, and with no one around for miles I found it a good time to strip naked and jump off of the rocks into the luscious waters below. Needless to say, It was much colder than expected and jumped off again. Jon and I hit the road again northbound when we saw snow still covering the mountains that we were heading to with temperatures dropping into the 30's in June. We realized that it was still too cold to be taking a Northwestern route. We headed southwest to Salt Lake City, UT where we spent the night with Jon's family and rode the bikes around a bit through unmarked trails and exploring over a small cave on the mountain side.

We are on our way to Zion National Park in Springdale, UT before we head into Arizona and Las Vegas. Until then I wish the best to all of my friends and family.