The Story of My Life: college friends

We did it again! We packed up the 4-Runner--this time carving out enough room for Bowen to lounge comfortably as we drove through five states on the Great American Road Trip, Volume 2.

You may recall the Great American Road Trip from 2014. Well, although we got out there on the open road, there were some key differences this year.

We were not alone. (See above.) We had our pup. And we visited wonderful friends along the way. We camped. We stayed in a rinky-dink motel. We mountain-biked. We visited another national park (I HEART NATIONAL PARKS!).

Oh, and the most hilarious job interview and a surprising job offer book-ended the trip (more to come on that!).

America is beautiful. I'm determined to visit all fifty states. And to see as many national parks as possible.

Though I didn't get to journal each night like I did last year, I did keep some Cliffs Notes so that I'd be able to recall the fun and funny details of the trip. Without further ado...

Well, I guess I'll just add it in here, that while I was interviewing for a new job (I suppose I should mention that I was not planning to change jobs...I LOVED my last job), a fire alarm went off. And it wasn't just a drill. There was an actual FIRE at work. Without going into full detail, let's just say, while we were evacuating, I had to continue my interview. My entire office building stood outside watching plumes of smoke rise into the sky, all the while I continued answering questions and sharing my presentation. Needless to say, I took the flames and smoke as a sign that the job was not for me (...but stay tuned...the burning truck turned out to be a good omen!).

Right after that job interview, on the first day of "summer hours" at work, Taylor and I booked it out of town and made the long haul to Boise, where we stayed with a dear friend, Newt. Highlights = a nice little morning hike in the hills, BOMB DOT COM coffee at Java, oh and my mountain bike got vandalized?! Yeah. That happened, oddly enough.

From Boise, we headed east! We were traveling over Memorial Day weekend, and it just happened to be my parents' 40th anniversary. We drove from Idaho through Utah, passing through Wyoming (and stopping for an evening run around the University of Wyoming campus), and onto Boulder, Colorado.

My college roommate, Katie, lives on Pearl Street in Boulder, which is the equivalent of any "hot" downtown street in any big city. Basically, she lives the life. She just so happens to be dating her next-door neighbor (true story!), so she gave us her place for the couple of nights we stayed in town. We ran along Boulder Creek, visited Katie's CrossFit "shop," enjoyed the most delicious pork eggs Benedict (my fave!), tried to hike Chitaqua (um...I don't think I'm spelling that correctly!?), but had to turn around once a crazy thunder and lightning storm rolled in, and went to Red Rocks to see our favorite Red Dirt country band, the Randy Rogers Band.

Oh. Wait. Hold the phone. Taylor got terrible...and I mean TERRIBLE food poisoning...or some kind of bug. So he wasn't able to go to the concert. Talk about awful. Taylor stayed home, while Katie, her boyfriend, Taylor's good buddy who lives in Denver, and I went to the concert. I've never seen Taylor quite like that. And what a horrible time to be sick. On vacation!

Taylor rallied, though. And the next morning, Katie and I ran the Boulder Boulder, which is one of the--if not THE--biggest 10K races in the country. It was a fun way to see her city, and we also got to see our friends Matt and Michelle who recently moved to the Denver area.

We met up with Taylor's buddy, Denny, took Bowen to an outrageous dog park in Boulder, and then we took a drive up Flagstaff and saw a magnificent view of the city. We saw a fox and baby foxes. I repeat: WE SAW A FOX...in the wild! And baby foxes! It was rad.

Before heading out of Boulder, we got my bike fixed up, had another "KVH special" breakfast, and decided to take the scenic route through the mountains and canyons.

Our next stop was Fruita, Colorado, known for its mountain biking. As soon as we arrived, we checked out the BLM trails and decided we'd go for a run to evaluate the condition of the trails. The notes I wrote say this: "Mud. Scenery! Bowen's heaven." It's true. Bowen was in absolute heaven. He ran free and wild, and he was the happiest dog in the whole world.

We decided to camp at a state park (fancy camping, as I like to say, because state parks have bathrooms, which are typically really clean!). And we feasted on Hot Tomato Pizza, recommended from a college friend who lives in the neighboring city of Grand Junction, CO. I should mention that the pizza was a little cool and soggy because we ordered it to go, to enjoy back at camp, only to be met with the biggest torrential downpour...storm...lightning...thunder...hail! Oh my goodness. It was the biggest storm we've ever tried to camp through. Thankfully, and rather serendipitously (is that a word?), we took the last remaining campsite, which just so happened to be a handicapped campsite, which meant that it was the only campsite with a shelter. Yes. We got so super lucky in that we had a shelter to keep us dry throughout dinner and into the night.

After awaking to the fresh air, a SUNRISE, and pour-over coffee, we made our plan for the day. We headed out to Bookshelf (I think that's what the area is called?) and set up a day camp for ourselves. We rode the trails, and then Taylor left me back at camp and REALLY rode the trails, and we enjoyed the day in Fruita. That night, we decided to stay in a hotel to avoid the storms that seemed to roll through every night in Colorado. That, and we were about due for a shower. My notes point out that we ate at Breckenridge Brewery...the bison burger must have really stood out to me...and then we drove around the campus of Mesa State. I also made note of the fact that we watched the final game of the NBA finals and saw Steph Curry win it all from the comfort of our hotel room in Fruita, Colorado. (Funny what one chooses to recall in short daily notes of a trip.)

The next day was Thursday. We were heading into the final leg of our trip. We woke at sunrise, and can I just say that the sunrise along the Colorado River is beauuutiful. If you ever get the chance...!!! We hit the road and made it to Arches National Park!

I LOVE NATIONAL PARKS! The beauty is just unreal. The features at Arches look like foam movie props. That's the best way I can describe them. It was unreal hot at the park. We kind of shuffled through in a somewhat short amount of time. It was a different experience than Glacier. Not a good or bad kind of different...just different. We spent a few days around Glacier, whereas I felt the afternoon at Arches was enough. Maybe it's because it was so hot? I don't know. We were in the desert, after all.

From Arches, we drove through Moab, and checked out Slick Rock. We were back on the road and heading to Park City, Utah. Apparently, I found it important to note that we finished up the podcast "Serial" at this point in the trip. Serial got us through many states, and it ended just about the time we rolled into the BYU campus. Both Taylor and I love checking our college campuses, so it was cool to see Provo when not in town for a basketball game.

From Provo, it was PARK CITY OR BUST! We arrived in this blissful vacation town in the early evening, and we were blown away by the beauty. We stayed with our friend Dan whose condo is right at the base of the mountains. As in...his backyard IS a ski jump. It was unreal. Bowen was once again in heaven with all the land to run free. When we are with our friend Dan, we always feast. That first night, we went to the local Whole Foods and decided to eat in, as we were tired from the road, and we had a big day of mountain biking ahead of us.

After some serious French Press coffee (Dan makes the BEST!), we embarked on a three-hour mountain bike ride FROM DAN'S DOOR. Yep. The perks of living in Park City, I suppose. And...I'm happy to say I did NOT have a bike accident on this trip. After witnessing glorious views and cranking through some tough hills, we headed back to Dan's place.

At this point in the trip, I received a call with a job offer. I got the job! The job that I interviewed for during a fire. An actual fire! I couldn't really believe it, and I wasn't so sure I was ready for a new job, but I accepted, and Taylor, Dan, and I celebrated with Peronis and plans for a special dinner.

We took Bowen to yet another fancy dog park, shopped around downtown Park City, and had cocktails at a pretty sweet little tavern before heading back to get ready for one of our famous feasts. You see, when Dan's around, we always feast. It's kind of our deal. We did this when he lived in Portland, and by goodness, we were going to do this again in his new home turf.

We went to a place called Handle. Small plates. Delicious cocktails. An ah-may-zing dessert (yes, I detailed this in my notes...caramel pudding with Chex cereal beignets). I couldn't think of a more fitting way to celebrate than with Taylor and Dan and a dinner feast.

Sadly, the next day began our trek home. And...it actually ended our trip. Neither Taylor nor I thought we'd actually make it home on the same day we left Park City, but we did it. But not before another mountain bike ride for Taylor, a trail run for Bowen and me, a Whole Foods breakfast burrito breakfast, coffee, and more coffee, and a visit to Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

We made a stop in Ontario, Oregon to have dinner at our friend's parents' Mexican restaurant, something Taylor's been wanting to do for years. We drove. And we drove. And we drove some more until we finally made it back home. It was a long drive, but we did it. And we slept in our own beds and awoke to one final day of vacation at our house.

The Great American Road Trip, Vol. 2 was a success. We were on the go the whole trip, and we had cell service for far too much of the vacation, but we saw some amazing sights, and we spent an uninterrupted week together, making memories and catching up on this, that, and the other things we aren't able to cram into the fast-paced typical work weeks. I think we've decided that the Great American Road Trip is going to be a tradition, as is the quest to see more national parks.

America the beautiful: We love you!