Nothing says Summer like a road trip. This was my longest road trip to date (14 hours long- not too bad, but by the end of it I was getting pretty tired. I don't know how I'm going to last the 20 hour car ride to Seattle with my family next month?!) My dear friend from college, Emily, and I hit the road hard, adios Cali!
We took our first bathroom break in Nevada where we played $5 at the casino!
Despite the heat, the dessert definitely strutted her beauty in these beautiful rock formations. For the Disney-o-phile in me, the landscaped totally reminded me of Radiator Springs from the movie Cars! Que no?!
After passing through Nevada, we drove briefly through the bottom part of Arizona.
Many more beautiful rock formations...
And then we hit Utah, talk about gorgeous. This was my favorite state to drive through. The highway was littered with "View Point" signs that led us to the most amazing panoramic views of the sprawling landscape -ah, canyons and big skies. You definitely miss out on this in the city.
At many of the stops, there were vendors selling handmade goods. These were some beautiful clay vases.
At our next stop in Utah, we saw this tractor toting along these small, colorful carts!
And then...
Paonia is a small art town in the Rockies. Despite its size, there is a surprisingly active music and art scene there, where artists from near and far take residence. Emily and I came during the annual Cherry Days festival so our time was filled with art shows, concerts, and cherry treats!
Because the folks we were staying with were so involved in the community, we got to take part in a lot of the local goings-on. We felt like Paonia residents right off the bat! We got to help make cool book art displays for the friends of the library, we attended a creative writers reading, we helped work the door and bartend at a jazz show, and I even got to pick my own bundle of kale from a vegetable garden and eggs from the family chicken coop!
We went to an amazing winery called Garfield Estates, about 1 hour away from Paonia. On Emily's last trip here, she became a member and I immediately understood why: each and every single wine that we tasted was tasty and unique. The family who owns and runs the vineyard served us themselves and they were great, they really made us feel at home. The best part was that we met a couple across the bar from us who had also been to Bosnia on missions trip! They also went with their college fellowship and it was so fun getting to hear them talk about their similar experiences. Small world, eh?
Then in the heat, I think God heard my prayers because it started to rain and cool off! Phew!
Below is a picture of an isolated rain storm.
Thanks Colorado for the gorgeous trip!
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