Day 20: CO, NM, AZ, UT, NV

October 23, 2011

The penultimate day of the road trip started with us making our way to the Four Corners Monument. We reached there by 7:30 am and we realized that the monument happens to be in Navajo territory and would open only at 8 am. We spent the time taking in the sunrise. The presentation of the actual monument was very nice, but the overall atmosphere was a bit of a letdown. Two folks dressed in their sweats showed up a couple of minutes before 8 and let us in – the monument was surrounded by rundown rooms. All that notwithstanding, I was able to walk from New Mexico into Colorado into Utah and finally Arizona within a minute.

We hit the road entering Arizona on US-160. The scenery was quite breathtaking, especially some of the rock formations and sand rocks. It is the Grand Canyon state – but there evidently are several canyons that are equally grand. We were able to see two of them. The second one was by Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon area. It was quite a sight – they also have a dam built by the lake. Apollo and I were able to take the steps down for a closer look of both the natural wonder and man-made wonder facing each other. This was an unexpected treat (along AR-98) – I thought the four corners monument was supposed to be the high point for the day!

Leaving AZ behind, we entered Utah, the 47th state in our trip. Not to be left behind by its four corner brothers, Utah had its own share of scenic beauty by US-89. But the biggest surprise of the day came when we took Utah SR-9. I didn't realize that it actually passed through Zion National Park. I thought the $25 fee to drive through the 13-mile road was too much – I was mistaken! It was an experience beyond comparison. Every single pullout seemed to be a must stop. We also saw the sure-footed mountain goats hanging around dangerous cliffs. I am so grateful to be able to experience this breathtaking gift of nature and yet not have planned for it.

I must've clicked zillions of pictures today in the three key locations. We were way behind what I thought we'd be doing in time – but going with the flow means taking things as they come! Thankfully, I-15S came and we breezed through the last 150+ miles in short order, passing through Arizona again and finally, Nevada. When we crossed over into Nevada at 3:20 pm today, we technically have driven through all 48 states!

Sin city is our temporary home for the night. We leave tomorrow morning for our home in Saratoga!