The First 48

Beast Mode always gets that crazy look in her eyes when the other 2 Bears aren't around. I think she just worries about having to keep an eye on me by herself!

They say the first 48 hours are the most important when someone goes missing and it kind of feels the same when I'm left to my own devices. Here we go:

Straight from the Salt Lake City airport, we took a 3 hour and 45 minute drive STRAIGHT to Arches National Park in Moab, Utah. This is where the foolishness begins.

I DID, prior to leaving, look up how you could do a driving canyon tour and see all the sights from viewpoints without actually hiking. Seemed like I could spend a good 2 hours doing that and be on my happy way...that's just never how things happen when I'm alone.

We made it! This place is way more stunning than any pictures can capture. Beast Mode was a little skeptical when I attached her to my little backpack but she's always down for the ride!

This is still where it was SO pretty that I didn't realize I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. haha

Don't worry, I made another video just in case you haven't seen the experience yet! Lucky you...

More pretty pictures from the journey

I saw these people looking like little ants and thought, surely that isn't the half mile hike I'm on...oh, reading, it's FUNDAMENTAL! Here we go again.

So, my initial thought of driving turned in to a "how hard can 8 tenths of a mile there and back be to see a cool view up close?" And couple of those thoughts without actually paying attention to signs or maps is how you wind up spending over 4.5 hours in the sun and getting lost both in and on separate canyons!

Just one more pretty view before leaving the national park

I also wasn't thinking that I still had another 2 hours to get to my hotel. I wasn't planning on being hot, sweaty and exhausted. Did I mention I thought it was a good day to get back into my intermittent fasting so all of that happened on a 24-hour fast? Whoopsie. I did make it safely and before sunset to my hotel that was very much like Schitt's Creek. It was old and hilariously outdated but in the best of ways. I was so happy to have a warm shower and a clean bed that none of it mattered anyway!

Today should be uneventful after all that happened yesterday, right? WRONG BLOG! I almost skipped this beautiful preserve I found close to my hotel on my way out of town. I decided to go look at the pretty view for a nice start to the morning and knock out my drive b/c I was tired from the previous day hikes.

Then, I met these guys just sitting on the back of their truck talking about life. They said if I like pretty views, I need to "go to Hesperus and take a left. Drive until the paved road ends, the gravel will go on for a few miles then turn to a red dirt road...just keep going! You'll see the most beautiful views."

They were loving Beast Mode so they were kind enough to take a picture with her.

And we all know most people would politely nod their head and go on about their day but you know me...so here we are:

They were NOT lying! This was stunning, quiet, peaceful and some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. It was SO different from the day before but just as gorgeous in it's own way.

Don't worry, Beast Mode was there just in case we saw any bears!

The only unnerving part was the "just keep going" I felt like it could have gone forever. I made myself turn around at 10 AM so I didn't have a repeat of the previous day. ON TO ALBUQUERQUE.

But first let's stop at all the pretty spots on the way out.

Jason warned me about New Mexico monsoons and I think that may have jinxed me coming to my hotel. Or maybe the universe was saying, "just take a nap today you crazy lady!"

When I arrived the weather was starting to get crazy and this was the view from the back of my hotel. Not sure what made me take a picture but the contrast with the following video is insane once the weather unleashed.

I'll take this as a sign to get some sleep before we try again tomorrow!