Our Utah Adventures: Getting There Via Scenic I-70

I am so excited to begin a new travel series!  Last month my husband, son, and I took a road trip to Utah.  We drove 3,146 miles round trip and visited three national parks:  Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Arches.  

The best part of road trips, is all the sights you see and fun you have along the way.  We left our home  on Saturday morning and arrived at Zion by 4:00 on Monday.  We made brief stops in Vail, Colorado for lunch, and at Glenwood Springs, but like the first time we made the journey in 2016 we had the most fun on Scenic I-70.  

I already wrote a post about Scenic I-70 HERE when we drove it the first time.   I don't want to repeat myself in this post but I did want to share a few snapshots and new experiences.  This time we took the drive we had a brand new SUV to drive, and let me tell you that Kia Sportage drove those steep inclines and curves like a dream!  What a difference from driving a small car vs a SUV.  

It was my son's first time out west.  The only other time he saw mountains before was at the White Mountain Forest in New Hampshire, so he was pretty excited!

The landscape on Scenic I-170 is like nothing you would see anywhere else in America.  There are plenty of rest stops on the drive where we you can pull over and enjoy the scenery, walk around a bit, and read about the area.

My son was pretty blown away by the landscape.  It was far different than the White Mountains of New Hampshire and even more different than the forests of Wisconsin where he grew up.

Everyone always asks me when we do long road trips how we can stand being in the car that long, the answer:  have fun along the way!  Now,  I know that's impossible in some states (I'm talking to you Illinois, Nebraska, and Kansas 😊) but it's very possible in most.  On this trip, the first day was the worst (getting through Iowa and Nebraska), but by day two, once we reached Denver, we were already seeing some amazing views!

It's so hard to capture in photos the size and vastness of the Scenic I-70 landscape, so I always try to put people in the photo for perspective  Look how small the people are  walking a path in the picture below.

In this next photo, we captured a train going by.

All along this highway is one jaw dropping view after another.  And ever rest stop has walking paths and look outs to get even better views.  I think we stopped at every single lookout as we were not in a hurry!

This is one of my favorite spots on the highway.  If you look to the middle, far left of the picture, that is the highway.  Driving through those mountains is such an incredible experience.

The last time we were in this area it was spring and there were so many beautiful spring flowers in bloom.  This time it was fall, so it was interesting to see the different plants.  There weren't a lot of flowers, but we saw lots of pretty grasses.

This yellow blooming plant was everywhere.

When my son saw this view he said "Who needs to go to the Grand Canyon?".  My husband just laughed and said that the Grand Canyon was a lot deeper.

So many people fly into Vegas and drive to Utah's National Parks, but when they do that, they miss the beauty of much of Utah.

Next week I'll begin with our first hike in Utah:  "Lower Emerald Pools".  I expect this series will last for many months as I plan to cover each hike we took of every park individually.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

The Wildflowers of the West

 My husband and I took a trip out west at the end of May and traveled through the states of Utah, Arizona, and Nevada.  I do a travel post every Wednesday about our adventures and I have written two posts covering days one and two of our road trip so far.  If you missed these posts, you can catch up HERE and HERE.

Since Sundays are days I like to reserve for flowers and gardening (along with other home decor/lifestyle topics during the winter months), I thought I would share with you the amazing wildflowers we saw out west.

I first must say how fascinated and surprised I was by all the beautiful flowers growing in the desert.  I recognized some that we grow as perennials here in Wisconsin for our hot and dry spots in our gardens, but most were new to me.

I don't know what it's like for flower viewing in the west for the rest of the year, but it is gorgeous in the spring.  I was actually astonished to find so many beautiful blooms in such a dry, hot climate.  It is amazing to me how nature finds why a survive and flourish even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Please don't expect me to be able to identify any of these flowers.  I am a mid-western gal and I could probably tell you the name of every flower you can grow in Wisconsin and their habits, like/dislikes, but I know nothing of desert flowers (unless they can survive Wisconsin winters and we grow them here as well).  But if you recognize any in the following photos, I would love for you to tell me in the comment section.

This beautiful flower we discovered in a rest area in Utah.  It reminds me of a yucca plant.  There is only one type of yucca plant that we can grow in Wisconsin, and it's not this type.  I just loved these tall stems and beautiful bell shaped flowers.  The spikey foliage is probably very attractive year round too, making it an attractive landscape plant even when it's not in bloom.  And by the look of the flower shape, I bet it attracts lots of birds and insects.

This lavender daisy is so pretty and dainty looking, yet it must be very hardy to grow in this dry soil amongst all the rocks and boulders.

 I loved this pretty orange flower.

These little white ones were popping up everywhere on gravel paths.  We saw a lot of them.  They must spread by seed, for they don't make large clumps, but just tiny little plants like this scattered here and there.

Flowering cactus was everywhere in the west.  I couldn't believe how many different colors there were too!  The flowers open in the morning, but close during the heat of the day.  I love the dark red color of this one.

And here is a flowering cactus in pink.    I also saw many different shades of pink, plus white and yellow.

This yellow flower we saw everywhere we went too.  We saw it all over Utah and in Arizona. It reminds me of the invasive purple loosestrife we have in Wisconsin.

The picture above shows a close up of a singular plant, but the picture below shows a far away shot.  Do you see the three clusters of yellow flowering plants in the middle of the landscape?

We found the same flower (or at least I think it is, it might be a different variety) growing at the Grand Canyon.  Look how hardy this plant is.  I see nothing but rock, yet it is still growing and blooming.

And it made a beautiful foreground for my picture of the Grand Canyon too.  Lucky flower...he gets to look at this amazing view everyday.  He chose a perfect spot to bloom and grow.

And here is the same flower in Arches National Park in Utah.  I just love the contrast of the yellow against the bright blue sky and red rock.

On the left is a shrub with pretty orange blooms growing on the cliff side edge of the Grand Canyon walls.

I found the thin silhouette of this lavender flower so interesting up against the wide expanse of the Grand Canyon.

And what do you think of this flower?  Yikes!  I've never seen anything like it before.  Can you believe how tall it is?  The stem felt like a tree branch.

Here is a pretty red plant growing amounts the rocks.

We loved this daisy like yellow flower in Arches National Park.

 

 The same pretty lavender flower I showed you earlier, made a nice foreground for the massive stone structure in the distance.

And finally, a beautiful, dainty, but bright yellow flower looks stunning against the red rock.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE.