My trip started out from good old Gaithersburg, Maryland. I expected a lot out to this trip because we would be stopping at major places and heading towards the west where I had never been. First we headed over to Chicago to gather the rest of our family which was my dad’s brother and family. This meant we had to rent a 15 passenger van to fit all of us into, but it would be worth it having all my cousins in the van.
We started out early in the morning heading for Nebraska. We kept ourselves occupied with movies, jokes, and especially sleep.
â–º QUARTER FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
Then we were awoken to step out of the van and lo and behold, I met my first site outside of the Eastern United States: The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument. It was long and stretched above the desolate high way. It seemed like a place out of a western movie with the desert ground beneath it and the ranging landscape with no end beyond it. We also visited a pioneer village which had houses representing different scenes of time past. It brought a sense of nostalgia to the American inside me, realizing that there were indeed times like those.
Next up was Colorado with its breathtaking nature scenes. The time driving was spent mostly observing the tall peaks of the various mountain groups in the area. The most special fun was traveling all the way up Mt. Evans which is the only mountain that has a paved road to the top. From there we trekked our way to the top where I experienced the coldest feelings ever combined with dizziness. However the view from that high was worth it. That same day we returned to our vans and headed off to the Garden of the gods with its beautiful and mysterious mountain formations. The huge rocks were orange in color and they stood randomly in this area of Colorado. The name was given believing that it was God’s garden due to the unnatural size of these rocks. The next morning we embarked on a journey that was dangerous. It was called Devil’s Path on Telluride Mountain which is a lot bigger with unpaved roads. The whole experience was gut-wrenching. To my right side was the edge of the road allowing a view into crevices too far below to be seen. However looking upwards, the sight was astounding and beautiful. We were travelling in a 15 passenger van on a road that required Jeeps. It was a terrifying experience especially when the van slipped closer to the edge. Eventually we all got out to reduce weight and trekked our way up and took in the view. Then we headed down the mountain at breakneck pace.
The next destination was Four Corners. This was the point where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona all had a point in common. We all stood here and made funny faces as the Navajo residents on the reserve guarded the area with extra caution!
The Grand Canyon offered a glimpse into rock heaven with its cuts and curves in places where man could not have placed them. It offered a view into the beauty of nature which cannot be seen by those who don’t take the time to come out and see it. The pictures that the center had up of the Colorado River were fascinating with the high rocks guarding the small river. The Grand Canyon was a place I had only heard but now I had seen it.
Finally, it was home sweet home.
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