Colorado to Arizona (CO, UT, AZ)

February 28th

I have to admit, this has been the part of the trip I’ve been most looking forward to most! I’ve wanted to see the American Southwest ever since I was introduced to the writing of Edward Abbey. I can now say that it did not disappoint. I was completely mesmerized and it definitely caused some distracted driving.

Back to the beginning of this part of the trip – I got up early, said my goodbyes, and hit the 7-11 for coffee and gas. I’m glad I got moving early as Denver’s traffic was fairly free flowing at that time of the morning. I got to I-70 and continued my journey west. I twisted through the Rocky Mountains enjoying the snow covered scenery. There were so many places that I would have wanted to stop and see.  Fortunately for my drive schedule, it was early and they weren’t open.

I didn’t really have a specific end point in mind for the day. I wanted to get as close to Prescott, Arizona as possible without burning myself out on the drive. I was scheduled to meet with admissions for Prescott College as they have a Master’s Degree program for Adventure Education – one that I’m considering adding to my list of certifications.

After a fuel stop in Grand Junction I was off to cross into Utah. After twisting my way through narrow canyons, Utah’s open vastness was quite a change. The desert opened up before me with snow-capped peaks of the La Sal Mountains in the distance. I saw a rest stop and had to stop for a few pictures.

It was another several miles before I got off the major highway to head South towards Moab. I was planning on stopping in Moab for some Mexican food. As I got off the interstate I noticed a garish black and green gas station called, “Jackass Joe’s UFO Jerky.” Of course, I stopped to snap a picture before heading South. If the reviews are to be believed, the place is quite dirty and the gas over $5 a gallon.

I was enjoying being on a two-lane road where I could really feel like I was driving through the desert. It was about 30-miles to Moab and I was cruising along comfortably.  Time to take a break from podcasts and put on Trampled By Turtles, a bluegrass band from Duluth, Minnesota.

As I descended into the Moab Valley I found myself instantly taken by the red rock walls that surrounded me. It was truly a place of grandeur and beauty. As I approached the entrance of Arches National Park, I quickly changed my plan and got into the turn lane. I decided I could spend an hour or so exploring this geological wonder.

Arches National Park has a unique geology as it is settled on a massive salt bed that led to easily eroding sandstone. Sediment in the air has created several natural arches and spires over millions of years. It’s always a place where you can see a geological timeline, with each layer being millions of years of time. It’s one of those places that words cannot adequately describe.

After exploring a bit I headed into Moab for lunch. Moab is one of those places that mountain bikers talk about with great reverence. It is home to some of the most famous mountain bike trails in the world. It’s a small town built around adventure travel with many competing guide services. I ended up at The Peace Tree Cafe for a delicious Cuban Sandwich, they used a chipotle sauce to give it a unique taste (clearly I failed at finding a mexican restaurant).

With lunch done, I continued my journey South towards Arizona. I chatted with my friend Brian while still awestruck by the desert around me. It really is a special place. I crossed the border and got fuel at a gas station in the Navajo Reservation and continued Southwest toward Prescott. As the evening set in, I started working on finding a campsite to spend the night. I was concerned because the temperature varied between the low 50’s down to the low 30’s, depending on my elevation.

Using the iOverlander app, I thought I found a nice remote campsite in some national forest. What I didn’t realize was that I would spend an hour working through forest service roads as I climbed up to the Snowbowl Ski Area. I found myself on top of a mountain with it too cold to camp.

Defeated, I drove down to Flagstaff, Arizona for a cheap motel and bed. They only had suites available ($77), which provided me a stove to cook some ramen for dinner that night. It was nice to sleep in a bed and have running water before I went to the college.

March 1st

Showered and on the road to Prescott, I continued south through Arizona. My friend Sherri put me in contact with her friend Cara who works as a guide for Higher Grounds, where they do adaptive outdoor sports and programs for veterans. The program offers recreational therapy adventures for those who veterans . She took me through her story of how she got into guiding and what they do for people. It was a great conversation and a great contact for the future.

Prescott College has a small campus that reminded me of my time at Penn State Mont Alto. They had repurposed several old building along with building some of their own. They used a lot of reclaimed materials and the landscaping were all rescued plants from other places. The campus, though small, was quite vibrant with people excited to be there. It definitely gave me a lot of think about as I go forward.

I was there the learn about the Master’s program for Adventure Education. It allows you to build it around what you want to do with your career. It also would allow me to do most of it remotely as I work in the field. It sounds like an exciting way grow professionally.

I got into Sedona later than I planned so swung past the festival to pick up my swag. I got to where they had us camping and started setting up my tent when another rider showed up. We chatted for a bit and traded our stories on how we got to the festival.

Once I was set up, I decided to go for a bit of a ride around the camping area. I made my way up the Bruce Brockett Trail which led out of our campground. I found it to be a rough cattle track but gave me my first desert ride. The altitude was really affecting my breathing. I climbed up above the campground and found myself making a rocky, technical descent down into the next valley. There I connected to a smoother trail that followed a river. I pedaled until I hit the start of a wilderness area where I couldn’t take my bike. I turned back and road out the rest of the trail, popping over the rocks and having some fun. I then got back to the road and did some more exploring as cows grazed around me. These cows were a bit skittish as one hopped out as I got close and actually jumped over a fence!

I got back from riding and ended up hanging out with some other campers until it was time to make dinner. I made a bowl of ramen, enjoyed the memories of a satisfying day, and then finally hit the sack so I could start early tomorrow.