After a wonderful month in the Midwest catching up with friends and family, working, studying, and helping with my brother's wedding, the time had come for us to make the move to Oregon. When Devin moved to Iowa in 201, he bought a car that then sat in Iowa for the four years we lived in Spain. So we packed our little car to the brim, and hit the open road.We decided to take our time on this drive, including a few more people in the Tour D'Friends, and taking in the scenery along the way. Our first destination was Colorado, where we spent a week in visiting three different people and of course, enjoying the Rockies.
We first stayed with my good friend and roommate from Spain, Rachel. Rachel left Spain two years before we did and has been settling in Denver. She recently got married and bought a beautiful home, which she was gracious to share with us just weeks after moving in. We enjoyed spending time in the Washington Park neighborhood, hiking in Boulder, and even got to spend some time with Rachel's parents, whose visit overlapped with ours for a day. It was so good to spend time with someone who has also experienced the move from Spain to the U.S. and understands the different aspects of that. It was so fun to be "roommates" again for a few days!
When we left Rachel, we went another part of Denver to spend the weekend with my college best friend and bridesmaid, Sammie. Sammie and her husband Joel are both busy medical residents, and were so kind to spend their weekend with us! We started our time together by attending a Brendan James concert downtown. I am a HUGE fan and loved introducing Sammie and Joel to one of my very favorite artists. On Saturday, we ventured into the mountains and did a beautiful hike to a lake and visited the small town of Idaho Springs. Sunday we made it to a pumpkin patch near Boulder . We had a blast chasing one other through the corn maze and admiring the farm animals. Sammie and Joel are uniquely thoughtful people who live their live with much awareness and intention. They are a couple I have admired since the very beginning, and one I will always long to spend more time with.
When Sammie and Joel had to return to work, we continued to Ft. Collins to spend time with my Uncle Dave and Aunt Debby. Visiting them is always a pleasure, and this time was no exception. We love talking with them, hearing their stories and perspectives, and relaxing in their beautiful home with a mountain view. They had great suggestions of new things to check out in the area, and took us on an evening hike on a trail we had not been on before. They are fabulous hosts, and we cherish our time with them!
From Dave and Deb's we drove through the Rockies with the destination of Moab, Utah. On the way, we stopped near Grand Junction to do a hike up to a lake. The hike was not long, but made up for it by being quite steep. The lake was certainly worth it, with crystal clear water and a waterfall jetting out of the rock.
We arrive in Moab in the evening, but could already feel the energy of the surroundings. As we left the Rockies we saw the landscape transform into dry, red rocks. We couldn't wait to explore more the next day! When the sun came up, we made our way to Arches National Park. The road winds around different rock structures, offering different views of unique formations. There are various opportunities to stop and hike to get up close and marvel the enormity and rareness of the rocks. We completed a few different loops in the sunlight, and then went to Dead Horse State Point to watch the sun fall for the evening.
From Moab, we headed North to Salt Lake City. On the way, we stopped for a hike to _____. In SLC, we were fortunate to connect with an old college friend Deborah and her husband Anthony. They live in on the Utah State University campus while Deborah completes her PhD. I have not seen Deborah in many, many years, and although Anthony attended APU, our paths had never crossed there. We loved catching up on all of the happenings of the years since we met as college freshman. They shared many humorous things about life in Utah. For example, all beer served on tap cannot be over 4%, but some restaurants serve other beers they make that have a higher alcohol level, but they must be in a can. Many facts like this just made us chuckle and ask, "Why??"
Our final leg of the trip brought us through Eastern Oregon, to the lovely city of Bend. We have spent a couple of days in Bend before, but decided we would stop and take in some new hikes before driving the rest of the way home. We finally made it to Tumalo Falls and continued on the trail past it to see a few more falls. After a night in Bend, we hit the final stretch, stopping to hike to the infamous Blue Lake. The trail to Blue Lake is a fairly flat path surrounded by mossy green, and at this time of year, bright Fall colors. Starting our time in Oregon in the outdoors was the perfect way to get us excited about the new possibilities we will have as we make our new home!
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