12 hours, 5 states, 4 stops, and 1 box of gas station nachos later, we've finally made it to our first destination in Colorado! Never have we ever spent so much time just sitting and driving. As mundane as it sounds, it was actually pretty amazing getting to see the landscape change from state to state, something we would've ordinarily missed out on had we not been driving. It was a beautiful, clear, HOT day as we drove through the desert. Did we mention hot? We started our trip at about 7:30AM PST at 75 degrees in California and by the time we were in the middle of Arizona, it was a scorching 105 degrees. In an effort to not overheat the car, we began our trip with the windows rolled down for natural AC, and didn't remember that our actual AC worked until we were sitting drenched in our sweat heading towards Utah. On top of that, the car windshield was like a magnet for flying insects... So much bug guts splatter... Really though, heat and bugs aside, nothing compares to witnessing the sunset over edifices of multicolored natural rock formations across an expanse of land with no other cars in sight.
For the most part, everything was pretty smooth sailing. We hit a minor speed bump when Nics accidently locked the steering wheel at one of our gas stops. That really only consisted of about 2 minutes of panic until we figured out how to unlock it. She also ran over a huge tumbleweed which caused an ungodly scream to emerge from her throat which caused Riks to wake from her naptime slumber.
We got in to our first "couch surfing" stop at around 8:00PM (Mountain Time) and our wonderful host, Pat, and her cat, Oreo, met us at the door. (Side note: Oreo is one of the smartest cats we've ever met. She can roll over on command and brush her own fur with a comb. No joke. She's a YouTube star in the making). After making small talk with Pat and settling into our cozy new quarters, we made a shin ramen dinner, reminscent of our days in undergrad. Pat's been so friendly and accomodating since our arrival, it's a shame that our stay with her is going to be short-lived.
We've had an incredibly long day and although it's only about 10:45PM now, we're going to call it a night so we can get up and hit the road early. The adventure continues...
Stay Tuned!
Nics & Riks
For the most part, everything was pretty smooth sailing. We hit a minor speed bump when Nics accidently locked the steering wheel at one of our gas stops. That really only consisted of about 2 minutes of panic until we figured out how to unlock it. She also ran over a huge tumbleweed which caused an ungodly scream to emerge from her throat which caused Riks to wake from her naptime slumber.
We got in to our first "couch surfing" stop at around 8:00PM (Mountain Time) and our wonderful host, Pat, and her cat, Oreo, met us at the door. (Side note: Oreo is one of the smartest cats we've ever met. She can roll over on command and brush her own fur with a comb. No joke. She's a YouTube star in the making). After making small talk with Pat and settling into our cozy new quarters, we made a shin ramen dinner, reminscent of our days in undergrad. Pat's been so friendly and accomodating since our arrival, it's a shame that our stay with her is going to be short-lived.
We've had an incredibly long day and although it's only about 10:45PM now, we're going to call it a night so we can get up and hit the road early. The adventure continues...
Stay Tuned!
Nics & Riks