Day 1 - Layton to Moab

One of the nice things about driving rather than flying is you can move at your own pace rather than be driven by what time a flight leaves. Of course, it helps if both people going on the trip have a similar idea of what that pace is. We wanted to get an early start but didn't want to get up at o'dark thirty. Let's just say that Tommy and I have differing ideas about what an early start means. I'm thinking 8:30 or so. We left the house at 9:00 but detoured by Einstein's to have bagels then stopped by a camera store so Tommy could buy a new camera lens he'd been thinking about. So it was 10:30 before we got on the road. "Relax, relax...it's OK not to have everything scheduled precisely while on vacation," is what I kept telling myself.

The one and only downside to our trip happened before we'd even gone 50 miles. A passing car threw a rock up, which chipped my windshield. Bummer! But, thank you God, that we didn't have to deal with any car issues for the entire week!

What a gorgeous drive through the canyon! Soldier Summit is almost 7500 feet above sea level, so there was still plenty of snow around (although not on the roads). There are 10-foot flags on both sides of the road to give snowplow drivers an indication of the edge of the paved road. Nothing like snow-capped mountains to reflect God's handiwork.

We saw llamas grazing in the mountains and an emu in someone's yard. Bird's nests built on power poles. Coal trains snaking through the mountains. Another train carrying heavy equipment to install new railroad ties that were piled beside the tracks for miles.

Then we got to Moab and our first destination--Arches National Park. Wow! Thank goodness Tommy talked himself into buying that new lens.







Psalms 121:1-2 in The Message says, "I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains." How appropriate for this day.

We love to stay in bed and breakfast inns when we travel. Our first night was at the Sunflower Hill in Moab. It was everything you'd hope for--quaint, comfortable, and quiet. The perfect end to an almost perfect day. And leaving at 10:30 rather than 8:30 was just fine.