the turquoise trail

{utah} It was a very short drive from Page across the state line into Utah, where I left civilization and gained cell service.  Utah has been high on my list of states to see for a while, so I was very happy to get across the state line and start exploring! Welcome to Utah! My first destination was Grand Staircase National Park, although I hadn't done my due diligence to realize that most of the park is only accessible by 4WD.  I stopped off at a little ranger station where Buckskin Gulch was recommended, so I headed towards that.  It was about 9 miles down a questionably drivable dirt road to the trailhead, where I followed wire pass through a dried-out wash into a slot canyon.  Not very far into the canyon there was a 8-foot drop over a boulder with the 'stepping stone' of a old log.  It was challenging to descend, but would prove more challenging to ascend.  The canyon was about a mile long before it came to a T, with the option of going to the l...

{colorado} I crossed the state line into Colorado and continued a short drive into the state to Pagosa Springs for the night.  I was amazed by how quickly the landscape changed from adobe homes in the sandy desert to log cabins in the lush mountains!  The change in landscape and change in elevation brought with it a rather drastic change in temperature; the night was rather brisk and my first time experiencing single digits in quite a while.   Welcome to Colorado! Pagosa Springs is a hot springs and skiing resort-style town.  It has a very nice little downtown, a few hot springs and all the typical tourist amenities.  I spent my night at the local Walmart, then went into town the next morning for church.  I joined Mark and Sara & their three kids for a Mexican mothers day lunch afterwards, then they took me for a scenic Sunday drive.  We wound our way through the mountains to the east of Pagosa Springs, finding a waterfall and a few scenic ...

{arizona} My time in Arizona started with a night at the local Walmart in Douglas (which I kept calling George).  Coming in from the west along the county roads, 'George' didn't look overly promising, but thankfully the Walmart offered a well-lit and security-patrolled refuge.  I think I should be thankful for that, anyway; looking back it's probably not a great sign that they need patrols, but I assume it's because it's right on the Mexican border.  Either way it was an uneventful night.   The next morning I headed off to Bisbee for a look around the much-reccommended artsy town.  Thanks to all the time changes I was wide awake at 6am and had an abundance of time to kill before the rest of the town woke up around 10am.  I spent my morning climbing stairs; Bisbee has a 1000-step race once a year and I found most of the 1000 to climb.  I also found a cafe to spend some time at, and had the most delicious vegan/gluten-free/dairy-free pumpkin spice co...

I have to admit that I am definitely buying into the call of the mountains.. they are pretty tough to resist. I recently spent a few days exploring Banff, Lake Louise & Fernie with a friend, and it was absolutely incredible.  Seeing as there isn't too much snow this year, it was more of a sightseeing trip than anything. Here are some of the highlights..  {Lake Minnewanka} So gorgeous.  This view actually makes me speechless.  Something I found really interesting about this lake is that it develops bubbles in the ice which you can see as you are walking!  Nature is awesome. Lake Minnewanka {Wildlife} On our way to Lake Minnewanka, we were lucky enough to see a massive herd of elk!  It was my first time seeing elk outside of a zoo, so I was pretty excited.   Not very much further down the road, we also saw some mountain goats!  They were quite drawn to the salt on my cars tires, so we got really up close and personal with ...