'Little' Trip to the US Part I

Hi!

It's a long time from my last blog...

Well, I think that all of us have moments of few inspiration.

Anyway, late April I was in the US for one event in my company, that has the main office located in Seattle.

And I took advantage to ask for a little vacation of one week.

I was always interested to know some national parks in the US, like the Grand Canyon (I like very much to do hiking). And this was my opportunity.

Also, after did an operation to repair my knee ligament (in the last year) I was curious and excited to do a long hike to check if all is ok with my 'new' knee.

Let me begin with the itinerary:

1. Seattle to Salt Lake City (by plane, 24-04)

2. Salt Lake to Moab (by car)

3. Moab to Page (by car)

4. Page to Grand Canyon (Tusayan, by car)

5. Tusayan to Phoenix airport (by car)

6. Phoenix to San Francisco (by plane)

7. San Francisco to Monterey (by bus)

8. Monterey to San Francisco (by bus, 02-05)

As you can see, in 8 days I covered a very large distance...

For each step in the trip I have an photo album to facilitate the identification.

Ok, let me begin to tell something:

2. Salt Lake to Moab

Salt Lake was just a step to begin the trip. I arrived on Thursday night, rented a car and early Friday morning I departed to Moab.

After my first driving experience in the US (my car was a Chevrolet Cobalt) and 400 km I arrived in Moab. I didn't have a hotel reservation (I tried first without success in Internet) and I decided to search some place to stay, but in a strange way the city was full... I lost a precious time and finally I found a room for one night in the Holiday Inn. But I had to change a little beat my plans. After let my things in the room I went to Arches National Park to my first visit. It was early afternoon, but the light is perfect in this hour!

After speak with the ranger in the visitor center I decided to do two hiking trails: Park Avenue and Delicate Arch. The park has a road with many point of views and it's very hard to drive without stop... I was very impressed with the beauty of the place!

The hike in the Park Avenue is easy and I took about one hour round trip. I was almost alone. The color, the big walls were very impressive.

The next step was the trail to Delicate Arch, the first big test for my knee. About one hour to arrive in a incredible place. The arch is the Utah symbol. There's a very steep trail in the rock.

But it was worth to see a beautiful sunset.

At night I knew the reason that the city was full: a big event: Action Car Show... Cars of all types in the city...

In the next day I finished to visit Arches, going to other points: Balanced Rock, Double Arch, Landscape Arch, Sand Dune Arch.

After Arches I had to visit Canyonlands, because I needed to move to other city for the problem of not having a place to sleep in Moab.

But before I had to stop in a place called Dead Horse Point, a very interesting work of mother nature:

Canyonlands is different from Arches, but with very impressive views. I have to mention Grand View Point and Mesa Arch!

And at the end a surprise in the trail: two Bighorn Sheeps that were looking at me as one is thinking 'Who are you? If you try do something, we put you to run out of here!' :-)

Finished Canyonlands I drove to Monticello and I was lucky to find the last place in a motel to sleep. I was very tired, the place is a little city in the road without nothing!

In the next day I follow to Monument Valley, but this is in the next

blog!