kittenmmm's blog post - August 12th and I'm with the bikers

Ah, let's see where do I start? We left Vegas in the morning with my son asking when we could leave because it smelled. I guess he's too used to the country now. We baled out quick and headed towards Utah. The scenery is amazing in that part of the country. The desert is beautiful in its own way and I actually prefer it to the prairie lands in South Dakota and Wyoming. In all actuality if I had a sure footed mount y'all would probably never see me again....guess I'm a cowgirl at heart.

Utah's topography is amazing. We visited Zion and Arches National Parks and I can't wait to share some of the pictures. While we were in Utah we contacted Mr. Write but were unable to meet up because of distance and work schedules. I do have to thank him though for his assistance with routes and for his obvious concern that I make sure I get enough rest. He did say he was impressed with my driving abilities despite being an amateur. LOL. As it turns out I did need to take his advice.

That night we stayed in a hotel in Utah not far from Arches Park. We got the internet but they had a filter on it and I couldn't get to the site to update anything. The next morning we went to Arches and then headed into Colorado. We hit Rocky Mountain National Park just as dusk was coming in. The timing was perfect. The park was quiet and we got to see a lot of wildlife. We no sooner got into the park when we spotted a herd of elk grazing. I tried to get some pictures but the lighting and way too much coffee made it a little difficult. The herd was pretty far off for the camera's zoom and I couldn't stay still enough to take a clear picture. I did manage to get a fairly good one of the moose we saw a little further on.

The roads in the park are amazing. Don't look down. I'm actually kind of glad that on the way down it had gotten dark because I probably would've been freaked out. It was bad enough going up. The curves are pretty hairy and there are no guard rails between you and a 2 mile drop. Right as we reached the top we ran into a family of elk crossing the road. They were amazing. The babies are adorable and they make they coolest sounds. One of the babies was stuck on one side of the road and wanted Mom but was afraid to cross because of the cars.

As we got to the top we heard some popping. One of the empty bottles we had in the car was compressing. You're up 2 miles above sea level and yes, the oxygen is much thinner. And, there was snow on the top of the moutain damn it. I cannot tell you how many times my ears popped during the drive. We finally made it down and out of the park and I started to look for a place to stay. No luck, there was some kind of sculpture conference in the town and all the rooms were booked. So, I kept driving.

I ended up in Cheyenne, Wyoming and still couldn't find a room. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me but I kept heading to the next town. In the meantime a big storm was brewing and I watched the lightning show in the distance. At a certain point after not finding any rooms I finally pulled into a truck stop and got some sleep in the car. I heeded Mr. Write's advice and just pulled over at a truck stop instead of trying for the next town. When I finally woke up I was freezing. I must say...I do not enjoy the northern climes as much as the southern. Then again my husband says I'm a reptile because my skin is always cool and dry to the touch despite the heat.

So what was going on...which I found out today...was that one of the biggest bike rally's in the country was going on. Sturgis bike rally was in South Dakota and I just happened to hit that area at the same time as the bikers. So we toured Mt Rushmore with the bikers...and we watched the prairie dogs in Wind Cave National Park with the bikers...and we had to drive way out to the middle of nowhere with the bikers to find a hotel tonight.

So tonight I'm in Murdo SD...with one store, a dairy bar and a restaurant but ...internet access..so I can't complain. That and the room is under $100. Well, tomorrow is another day and another goodness knows how many miles...lol. But it is fun.