Our trip started out by Jeff and I flying into Denver, CO where we were picked up at the airport by his parents. We then drove 2 1/2 hours to Beaver Creek, CO, where we attended the wedding of Jeff's cousin Sarah. It was absolutely beautiful, and I can now say that I have eaten buffalo. (surprisingly, it was quite tasty) The condos we stayed in were AH-mazing. Mom, you would have killed for the kitchen and bathrooms! I wish we had had more time there, because we didn't really get to explore the area. I'm sure the area is just as beautiful, if not moreso in the winter, but after 2 nights, we were off...
From this point on we were riding in Jeff's parents' (Mike and Becky) truck following behind Jeff's aunt and uncle (Susie and Tom), and his cousins (Bobby and Betty) and their kids (Jordan, Andrew, and Sofia) in their rented RV. I can't tell you how many times we thought about passing that slow RV we were behind until we'd realize that we were following them on purpose! :)
So after sitting in traffic FOREVER (I thought we left CA), we made it to Rocky Mountain National Park. The RV-ers stayed in a campground inside the park, while we stayed in Estes Park, CO which is just outside the park. After studying the map of the park, Jeff and I picked out the trail we wanted to hike the next day which would allow us to see several waterfalls and lakes. Bobby and Betty decided to join us on the seemingly "moderate" trail.
The hike ended up being 9.5 miles, and in the first 3 miles, we hiked up from around 8,000 feet to right below the tree line. CRAZY! We thought we were going to die, but then the remaining 6.5 miles were flat or downhill, so we kept hiking along. We saw some pretty amazing sights, hiked across snow in August, got rained on, drank a million bottles of water, looked like the least in-shape hikers in the world (note to self: invest in hiking poles so as to look more professional), and learned just how much we love our oxygen. Do we regret it? No. Although that's easier to say now that our muscles aren't as sore. 
The next day we drove through the rest of the park, saw elk, moose (and squirrel), and deer. And it just wouldn't be right if we didn't get hailed on or drive through a lightening storm. RMNP was absolutely beautiful, regardless of the weather. The sad part was knowing that it will never look the same as it did then, as the bark beetle is quickly destroying the trees. There were some hillsides that were already completely brown with dead trees. Who knew such a little bug could be so devastating?! I would have loved to spend more time there (not sure my muscles would agree), but we were off and running... Goodbye RMNP! 
Our next stop: Glenwood Springs, CO. Apparently there are some caverns there, but we didn't really have much time there. Then why did we stop there you ask? Because we had dinner with Jordan's teacher from this past year who just moved out there. We couldn't get too comfy, because then we were off again in the morning!
After stopping to get the RV's fridge fixed, we made it to Arches National Park in Utah. The sun was quickly setting, so we only made short hikes around a couple arches. We climbed on a couple of 
them, which I'm surprised they still allow, and avoided stepping on the black mold plant thing on the trail. We didn't spot any bighorn sheep, but lots of lizards and few jackrabbits. I really do wish we had more time there because I feel like just driving past most the arches didn't really allow us to take it all in. Again, the RV stayed in a campground inside the park and we stayed in Moab, UT which is right outside the park. The Wall Arch had just fallen 2 days before we had gotten there. Glad we weren't hiking under it at the time! The next morning Jeff, his parents, Bobby, Jordan, and Andrew went on a quad ride while Betty, Sofia, and I went on a Hummer ride. 
Basically we rode in a Hummer over the big giant rocks. You know whenever there's a boulder in the way of your car and you have to drive around it? Not us! We went over it! Very bumpy but lots of fun. Made me miss the Trooper a little bit too...but not that much! :) Sofia helped me study while we waited for them to get back from the quad ride. Then after a quick lunch, we were on the road again...
Next stop on the trip...Bryce National Park. I don't even know how to describe the hoodoos, except for that it looked like we had landed on a different planet. We went on a short hike (1.5 
miles) down into one the canyons and ate lunch down in there. It was so surreal hiking down in there as we were surrounded by the rocks. It's so weird how this world was made, but so beautiful at the same time. It was pretty warm and sunny at first, and then when we were at the very bottom of it all, the weather quickly changed, and we found ourselves caught in the middle of a thunder and lightening storm. I don't think I have ever heard thunder that loud, and I hope I don't again. 
We ended up finding shelter under a giant boulder, along with families from Belgium, Italy, and Germany, and sat there for about half an hour. Then the steep trail we had to climb back up, quickly turned into a river and thick mud. FUN! Somehow, Sofia managed to fall asleep during all the commotion. We were wet, and covered in mud, but had survived quite the adventure. The kids were pretty freaked out, but now they'll have a good story to tell their friends! After changing into dry clothes, we parted ways from the RV. They stayed in Bryce for a few more nights and then moved on to Zion, Vegas, and home, and got home today I think.We drove through Zion National Park later that day on our way to Mesquite, NV, which is just inside the border. Zion was pretty cool, but I think I liked Bryce better. Big rocks are cool, but nothing compares to the hoodoos!
At this point I was completely exhausted. After losing $5 to the slots in the casino, we called it a night, and zonked out at around 10:30. We slept in too, and gaining an hour from switching time zones helped in the sleep department. Still, I took 4 naps on the drive home the next day. It was really nice to finally be back in my own bed. It was a really fun trip and I'm glad it all worked out and we kept it on despite the gas prices. I think I might be caught up on sleep now, but I don't think I'll ever have too much sleep! Thanks Mike and Becky for this amazing trip. Melissa and Derek, we missed you guys a lot and wish you could have been on the trip with us! Lots of great memories from this trip, and I'm glad I got to see some national parks that I hadn't been to. And with all that, I think it's time to call it a night!
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