San Rafael Swell

Day 10,

The road trip is coming to an end. The kids have exceeded our every expectation; they are road warriors. They made it 4.5 hours from Las Vegas to Salina, UT, with only one brief stop along the way. After a gas-up we romped in a little grassy area just off the road in downtown Salina, reorganized our toys and snacks, and were on our way again. We were headed east, through an area without services for 110 miles on the way to Green River, UT. It had been a pitch-black night without a moon when we drove this stretch westward, and we were astonished by the beauty we had missed. Red bluffs, canyons, and impossible looking rock outcroppings in every direction. We were less than an hour out from our last stop when Maggie suddenly wanted out of her carseat. Knowing that this usually doesn’t change until she is freed, we pulled off at the next exit, which was a view area hidden behind the hills that flank the Interstate. We were immediately grateful to Maggie for this unanticipated stop, as the canyon lands that lay before our eyes were breathtaking. White, smooth rock formations with caves carved into them surrounded us. The surreal view pulled us down a rocky slope to find sheer white cliffs and a setting sun that was shedding the most beautiful light on the rocks and the red bluffs beyond. We were in awe, taking pictures, and basking in the glow when we met Tim.

Tim is a truck driver from Colorado Springs whose hobby is photography. He likes to share his perspective of the roads he travels through his photography, and he asked Matt to take some shots of him perched on the cliffs. That mission accomplished, he began spontaneously to shoot pictures of the kids in the perfect sunset light. Turns out that Tim is pretty talented, and soon he was catching very unposed and natural moments of the kids playing around on the rocks. He even took a family photo that just might make a Christmas card, if we ever see it again. I just hope that I wrote down my email address correctly and that Tim finds the time to use it, or we will have lost a rare opportunity. It was one of those serendipitous moments that can only arise from unorchestrated and unscripted chance. I have faith that he’ll email.

Still enchanted by our roadside luck, we drove in to the night. Las Vegas to Boulder in one day with two kids in carseats, arriving around 4am. It has been a great trip, start to finish. I now remember what road trips do not only for the functional fulfillment of a family vacation, but for the soul. We’ve slowed down, been together the whole time; we've had our moments of bliss and laughter, and moments of chaos and frustration. We've eaten too much junk food and drunk very bad truckstop coffee. We've seen much family and many good friends, explored new places, and above all we have re-gained perspective on our little life in Boulder. We are already planning the next trip. Thank you, Ian and Maggie, for allowing it to happen and making it great.