Day 1 - We grabbed some breakfast in Frisco then hiked up to Hanging Lake, located in the heart of Glenwood Canyon. The trail wasn't long but was indeed quite steep. We even got to see the backside of water! We made a stop at Carlson Vineyards for some lovely wine sampling, then checked into a motel in Grand Junction.
Day 2 - We set up camp at Colorado National Monument then set out for a hike to Devil's Kitchen and into Echo Canyon, where we encountered a rattlesnake! We then ambled up Serpents Trail, the old park road that was once called "The crookedest road in the world." We took in a few overlooks before calling it a day.
Day 3 - We got up early and started down the Upper Monument Canyon trail. It was a steep trek down but we made it to the canyon floor. Of course, we eventually had to come back up too! We then did a few more overlooks along the Rock Rim Drive. We walked along the rim of the canyon for a bit then grabbed a motel in Fruita.
Day 4 - We headed into Utah and set up camp near Arches National Park. We did a drive through the park, stopping to explore various features such as Park Avenue, Balanced Rock, the Windows and Double Arch. We then did the long, hot hike out to the famous Delicate Arch.
Day 5 - We got up super early to do Devil's Garden Trailhead. This area was home to all sorts of wildlife as well as to MANY arches such as Landscape Arch and Double O Arch. We drove to Moab and scouted out several of the more impressive local petroglyphs.
Day 6 - We drove home via the tiny town of Cisco. It wasn't officially a ghost town but parts of it seemed close! We then stopped in a dinosaur museum in Fruita and grabbed some lunch in the quaint town of Rifle.
