Goodbye Denver, Hello Utah
It is impossible not to compare Asheville, NC to Denver, CO. One major aspect that Denver has over Asheville, in our eyes, is the fact that we did not have altitude sickness at all. The drive from Kansas into Denver is one of the best ways to become acclimated easily.
We love Colorado. It is such a huge state and there is so much more exploring to do. Staying in Denver makes hiking a little more difficult since the big mountains are at least an hour away. We decided to make the best of city life and explore every aspect of Denver that we could. Staying in Capitol Hill with close access to Cheesman Park & a rooftop was crucial to helping us feel connected to nature.
The Importance of Airbnb Selection
I am finding that our Airbnb selections can make or break our stays. We really enjoyed our last Airbnb, but because we were in the city, it was smaller than we would have liked. The kitchen was big and the bed was really comfortable. On the other hand, the shower kept clogging, there was no full length mirror, and the sofa was terrible.
From Asheville, we learned the importance of having backs to chairs. In Denver, we learned the importance of having comfortable chairs for reading. I am sitting in our next Airbnb and I am thrilled to be writing from a recliner chair. I should say, my back is thrilled.
Fave
- Friends & Family
- ABBA Night
- Scenic Views Everywhere
- Autumn Cheesman Park
Not Fave
- Distance to Hikes
- Snowy Mountains (We wanted to hike)
- Work Time Difference
- Warm Fall Weather
The Drive from Denver, CO to Moab, UT
On our way to our next month-long stay, we decided to stop in Moab, Utah to visit Arches National Park. Usually, there is not much content to write about for the drive, but the drive from Denver to Moab was life-changing for me. It is a drive I strongly recommend nature lovers doing in their lifetime.
Behind every turn, the weather and the terrain was different. I felt like we drove through all of the seasons. The best way I could describe it is nature’s gallery. I could not believe that some of the pictures I took were sights I saw in person. In the first part of the trip, we were driving through sleet and snow, so the windshield was filthy. Even though I tried to clean it off, when we started driving again, there was more dirt. Unfortunately, this ruined some of the beautiful views in my camera roll.
As we were driving along, we saw signs for Vail, Colorado. I am not sure why (because I hate the snow), but I have always wanted to see Vail in person. We decided to stop to take a picture. Well, taking a picture turned into shopping in the village and grabbing lunch. Sometimes the best stops are accidental. One of the coolest shops we stopped into was called Crazy Shirts. It is a company based out of Hawaii that dyes their shirts naturally. Some were dyed with volcanic rock ash, hemp, or coconut. On their website, they have so many more types of dyes. I love it!
Leaving Vail, CO
After leaving Vail, the snowstorm turned into sunshine. Throughout the drive, it felt like Winter to our left and Fall to our right. The left side was shaded, so snow stuck to the ground. The right side was sunny and melted all of the snow. One of my favorite sights was the red rocks covered in snow. Since it was on the driver’s side, it was really hard to take a good picture.
A few hours later, we were blessed with one of the most gorgeous sunsets I have ever seen. We later found out that the mountain range is the La Sal Mountains. These are the mountains you can see from Arches National Park. At this point, I was driving and I had to stop to take a decent picture. I wanted to make sure there was no potential dirt to disrupt my sunset.
By the time we reached Moab, it was pitch black. We drove down the main street to our hotel and were surprised to see so many stores. In the morning, we were happily surprised to see that we were surrounded by red rocks. Moab, Utah deserves its own full post. I will be writing it next. Also, the drive from Moab to our next month-long destination deserves a post of its own. Needless to say, my first week in Utah, I have a lot of writing to do.
Challenge
Split your drive in half by adding a stop whenever you can. It breaks up the driving and adds another adventure to your list.
