Bob Dobbs Day in Review - 8/15/10

Today was easily the most scenic travelling day in terms of natural beauty. Starting off in Denver, we headed straight west into the Rocky Mountains, riding over one of the most expensive stretches of highway built as part of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway Act.


One of the engineering highlights of the day was the Eisenhower Tunnel, which is the longest and highest (mountainous) tunnel in the country. In the middle of the tunnel, we reached the continental divide, no minor feat.


There were several other tunnels along the way, as well as many "runaway truck ramps" on the steeper parts of the route - and I mean STEEP.


The ride included passing many notable ski resorts, such as Breckenridge and Vail, but the highlight of the state had to be driving through the Glenwood Canyon. At times, the east and west-bound directions of the highway are cantilievered on top of each other, adjacent to the Colorado River and a freight railroad track.

Vail

This view, albeit blurry, gives you a good idea of what it's like to drive through the canyon.

Mile after mile of incredible views and formations continued into Utah.



About 30 miles into the state, we got off I-70 and headed 30 miles south to Arches National Park. Lucky for us, all national parks were free to enter this weekend, and we knew we were meant to be there (after a long debate whether to stop or continue on to Salt Lake).

This was my first experience in a national park (not a historical park like Gettysburg that is) and words cannot truly do justice to the beauty and grandeur of Arches. So, for the most part, I'll let the pictures do the talking.



Once you enter, you and your car embark on a curvy climb to an elevation of about 5000 feet above sea level - here's the view coming down.


All in all, you could spend hours driving around the park and witnessing some of the most amazing natural formations.

Balancing Rock

The only arch we walked close(r) to was the delicate arch, which is one of the most synecdochic (shout out to Nate!) of the park's formations.

Sun setting on our day.

A few hours later, we arrived in Salt Lake City just in time for bed. In a few minutes, we'll be continuing to meet up with California "Gurls" and Surfer Boys in Cal-i-forn-i-a (San Fran). Stay tuned.