We leave the beautiful rock variations of the Grand Canyon and embark on new adventures. The course is heading towards Utah - a state that we have been following for a long time through Chris (@ venture4wd) and are now very excited. The breathtaking nature of Arizona makes saying goodbye difficult. So many rock formations, forests, deserts, elk, chipmunks and all kinds of birds. Arizona, it was a pleasure :-).
Sunday 25th July. The next stop is called Lake Powell. Here we find a spot right on the water on the Lonely Rock Campground and enjoy the view. Of course we want to go straight into the water, but Lynda is about to experience how muddy it actually is. So really only briefly into the water to cool off and then quickly out again. Since we are only at 3280ft it is very hot but at night it cools down to the lower 60 F. We watch the other 4x4 drivers and go to bed after the sun has set and a mega wind is approaching. And by the way … we are already in Utah.
Moving on to a bigger site to put the blog online. In Kanab we will find “WiFi” and can process all emails, answer messages and put the last blog online. On the way to a gas station, a pick-up driver stood next to us and told us that his wife was also from Germany - and then he said, so far the funniest thing we have heard in German: “Lecker, Schmecker, Zuckerbäcker" (old german saying) That was really great 😂
Colorado River
After Doria raved about Bryce National Park so much, we now want to go there too. The ride is simply indescribable. In our opinion, this whole area should be considered a National Park. Gigantic rock formations, in red, brown, orange, green, sometimes shimmering silver - just great! Since the temperatures are still so high, we unfortunately have to look out for an iced coffee 😉 we find it at the Bryce Sunset Inn Motel - the owners are super nice and bake fresh croissants every day - extremely delicious. Maybe it's because he's from Prague and she‘s from Switzerland. Anyway, it's a great little break. And then we're already there - through the Red Rocks, it's a direct route to Bryce National Park. After we have checked the location and the campground is not really great there, we decide to sleep outside of the park. Only the next day can we see the splendor of the Bryce Canyons. Breathtaking! It looks like you're looking at hundreds of little locks. Gigantic. Completely surreal. So we go on a bike tour through the park and stay another night straight away so that we can hike through the canyons the next. We are very happy that we came here.
The next point on our travel plan should also be a highlight. Moab! And to get used to the hotter temperatures we spend the night outside of Escalante, without any shade. It's around in the 90 F and just as we are making the salad for dinner a sandstorm is approaching - we feel absolutely like in the Sahara. If it crunches while eating, then you'd better go inside 😂. Still a great place with a great view. The next day we continue towards Moab.
Another Quigley ☺️ 
Friday, July 30th - we could of course camp at 100 F, with no shade in the middle of the desert … or we take a small, cozy room in a motel with AC, pool and washing machine - of course we end up in the motel. We go swimming, do laundry, dismantle everything from the van that you don't need when off-roading and go out for a Mexican dinner in the evening. Wonderful! Because the next day we go to the legendary off-road routes. Here we drive the Fins and Things route and sweat one or the other time. But it's a lot of fun! The next day, Joss will also cover a few more routes with the moped. In the end we stay 3 days in Moab and love the flair and the people here.
On the day of our departure, of course, we also go to Arches National Park and are amazed - it's fascinating what nature sometimes thinks. We walk around the South and North Windows Arch and enjoy the rock bridges. Now do some quick shopping, because we want to go further into the mountains, as it is simply too hot “down here”. So we drive through the most amazing landscapes again and a moment later - there is a Welcome to Colorful Colorado sign. We are so surprised that we first drive past it, turn around and then take the obligatory picture. Too bad Utah - we really liked you!
So Colorado … you want to know how it is there? A little more patience … then we'll let you know.
See you ... somewhere and anyway ...
