We love baseball, and our home team favorite is the Seattle Mariners. For the last few years, we’ve had the goal of visiting all of the MLB parks, commonly known as “Ball Park Chasing.” So far we’ve visited just four parks beyond Safeco/T-Mobile, home of of the Mariners. We’ve had a goal, also, of making a trip south to see the M’s during spring training. Now that our schedules are a bit more flexible, we decided this is the year to traveling to Peoria! And, we figured that since we are “in the area” we should make a quick pass-through of some of the almost-nearby National Parks.
Quick Look Stats:
Days traveling: 12
States traveled through: 7
National Parks Visited: 6
National Monuments: A few (I wasn’t counting)
Total Miles Traveled: 4340
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
West Richland to Twin Falls, ID
Miles driven: 445We were a little worried this morning as we were preparing to leave town because I-84 was closed for a good portion of the way towards Twin Falls due to snowy conditions and subsequent accidents. However by the time we reached Pendleton, things were cleared up enough to not take the suggested two hour detour. The road was still slushy for quite a ways, and jammed packed with semi trucks crawling along, and pulled (part way) off the road to install tire chains. Around Baker City, it was much improved, and was smooth sailing to Twin Falls.
We reached Twin Falls at about 4:00, and after checking into the hotel, we decided to visit nearby Shoshone Falls, which is billed as the “Niagara of the West.” Even though this is not the right time of the year to see it in all it’s glory. It was still an impressive sight! Seeing the entire dry face of the falls was incredible and we will definitely make the stop again if we’re in the area during either the spring or early summer run off, as it’s easy to imagine how impressive it would be! Because this is a state park, there is a $5 per car fee, however it was not being collected today due to it being the off season, I’m guessing. The falls are a short maybe 15 minutes detour from the interstate. This is also very close to the location where the daredevil of our childhoods, Evel Knievel, made his ‘skycycle’ jump over the Snake River!
Dinner was a quick stop at Raising Cane’s. The Cane’s Sauce is one of our favorites, so anytime we’re near one of these restaurants, we are sure to stop.
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Twin Falls, ID to Bryce Canyon City, UT
Total miles driven: approx. 935The drive from Twin Falls to Bryce Canyon City was a pleasant one through some beautiful parts of the state of Utah with wide open spaces and snow capped mountains. The traffic was brisk as we passed by Logan, Salt Lake City, and finally beginning to let up just past Provo. We made a quick stop in Provo for gas and to have a in-the-car lunch.
As we turned off the highway towards the Bryce Canyon City, we were soon greeted with some spectacular views of the plateaus and bluffs in the distance, in spit of the gray clouds. Our excitement continued to grow as we drove through Dixie National Forest and Red Canyon. Surely this was the inspiration for Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland! Because it’s the off season, the visitor center at Red Canyon was not open.
We arrived at the Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn in Bryce Canyon City, UT at about 3:00. Unfortunately our room was ready yet, so we headed down the road to the Bryce Canyon National Park Visitor Center, which was scheduled to close for the day at 4:00. After a short visit with a park ranger to check on road status, we picked up a few souvenirs and postcards and headed off to the see the amphitheater. The area received about 15″ of snow about a day prior to our arrival, and the forecast was predicting another 8″-12″ in the coming hours. Even though the park was under heavy cloud cover, we wanted to see what we could in case the roads were impassable the next day. The park staff had done a fantastic job of plowing roads and clearing walk ways through about half the park, so we were able to visit the Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration and Bryce viewpoints. With each view point, we were amazed with what we saw! The amphitheater was filled with giant stone pillars called Hoodoos (“who-do”) and cave-like holes into the walls of the canyon. The hoodoos soar hundreds of feet from the floor and walls of the canyon, and according to Native American lore, are though to be the stone remains of ancestors.
By about 5:30, it was starting to get dark, and was beginning to snow, so we returned to the hotel to check in. After settling in, we decided to grab a pizza from The Pizza Place located nearby in Tropic, UT. The BBQ chicken pizza was great! By the time we were done, it was snowing hard, and was beginning to accumulate, but we made the 12 mile drive back to the hotel without incident.
It was a long day, but we were blown away by the beauty of the hoodoos and the vibrant rock colors.
Friday, February 20, 2026
Bryce Canyon National Park & Zion National Park
Total miles driven: 1,152We woke up at about 4:00 AM to snow plows dealing with 10″-12″ of new snow. Not an ideal alarm clock and certainly not an ideal wake up time! But, the snow had stopped falling, and we were happy to see that it was being dealt with! We failed to fall back asleep, so we had an early breakfast. The hotel offers a full hot breakfast buffet with the room; a pleasant change from the usual cold cereal and yogurts found with most hotel continental breakfasts. By the time we were done with breakfast, the snow plows were done, and the sun was shining and the sky was clear blue with very few clouds! We headed back into the park to see the views unobstructed. The road was again well plowed, but the maintenance staff was still running bobcats with snowblowers to clear some of the paths. We had the amphitheater viewpoints all to ourselves for a while! And as stunning as the views were yesterday, they were incredible today in the sun. We were able to see out over the plateaus in the distance, and the hoodoos shimmered with the fresh snow that had collected in the crevices. By about 10:00 AM, we decided to head towards Zion National Park, and hope the roads were clear.
The two hour, 83 mile drive to Zion National Park was easier than we anticipated with the highway being clear and bare of any snow or ice. When we were planning this trip, we were not sure we would make it to Zion, so I had not done any research on what to see or do. As we entered the park, we were once again amazed at the rock formations we encountered. They looked like melted (red) ice cream! And then, there was “the tunnel”…a 1.1 mile pitch-dark passage through a solid rock mountain, with intermittent air-vent “windows” that offered a glimpse of the canyon. As we passed by the first window, my thought was, “wait…what did I just see out there?” and I eagerly hoped there was another window. As we passed by the next window, I was ready and was left speechless by what I saw. We could not get out of the tunnel quick enough, and when we did, it was a view that made us realize why people rave about this park. The massive sheer red rock cliffs dwarfed the cars weaving around the curves of the two lane road. We made several stops to take in the sights, each being more impressive than the last. We took the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and stopped at the nine viewpoints along the way. We made a quick stop at the visitor center for more postcards and a stamp in our National Park Passport. After a quick run through the little town nearby looking for a place to eat lunch, we decided to turn around and just have some cheese and crackers from the cooler while enjoying a view in the park. Given that we had a two hour drive facing us and there was some light snow beginning to fall, we decided to head back towards Bryce.
Again this was another long day, but the things we experienced were well worth it!
Saturday, February 21, 2026
Bryce Canyon City to Flagstaff, AZ
Total miles driven: I forgot to record this.After having breakfast, we loaded up the car and were on the road a bit earlier than we had anticipated. The weather was pleasant and we made good time as we headed south towards Flagstaff, AZ.
We made an extended stop in Page, AZ. There was an overlook just outside of town with sweeping views of the Glen Canyon. There was a very vocal, and huge, raven hanging out near the gazebo, It was making sounds unlike the ravens we have at home; kind of a clucking sound. We stopped at the Shell gas station, which is immediately adjacent to an area with a natural amphitheater and a arch/cave area. It’s an easy hike up to the cave and around to the amphitheater, and makes for some fun photos.
The car was covered in road grime from all the snow and slush we had driven through in the last few days, so we found a car wash. It was nice to be able to get in and out of the car without worrying about getting covered in dirt! We had lunch at The Birdhouse, a local fried chicken restaurant in an old drive in. We enjoyed the chicken tenders and a chicken sandwich. The portions were generous and left us very full!
On our way out of town, we stopped at Horseshoe Bend. It costs $10 to enter for a personal vehicle, and because it is a city attraction, passes like the America the Beautiful permit are not valid. The hike is 1.5 miles round trip, with an elevation change of about 750 feet. The trail is loose gravel/packed dirt. It would be difficult to take a stroller or other wheeled device, although we did see some folks trying. Even though it’s only 3/4 mile one way, the hike back up while I wouldn’t call it difficult, it was a work out! It was moderately warm (sweatshirt temp) and we commented that it would be unbearable in the heat of the summer. There was a bigger crowd than we thought there would be, but undoubtedly nothing compared to ‘in season’ crowds, as well over a million people visit this site annually. Despite there being numerous signs telling people to stay on the path and behind the railing at the overlook, there were numerous people standing, sitting and posing on the rocks outside of those areas and right at the edge of canyon. It took everything with in me to not break out my “mom voice” and tell them to GET AWAY FROM THAT EDGE!! It’s idiots like these that will ruin this beautiful “East Rim of the Grand Canyon” for the rest of us.
We arrived in Flagstaff at about 4:30, checked into the condo, and then headed off to find a grocery store for some breakfast foods. Dinner was just light snacks at the condo.
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Flagstaff, AZ and National Monuments
Mileage to date: Yeah…I forgot to check.After several long days in the car, we decided to take in some of the sights in Flagstaff. We walked around the “Old Town” neighborhood, which had some interesting trinket shops. We had lunch at Aloha Hawaiian BBQ. The chicken katsu lunch plate was big enough to share, and was really tasty! And, they had one of our favorite Hawaiian beverages, “Hawaiian Sun.” It’s always a treat when I find these canned drinks anywhere outside of the state of Hawaii!
We visited the Visitor Center near the train station, and found a Route 66 road mural, as well as several other murals nearby.
The day was still young! So we decided to visit the Sunset Crater National Monument and the Wupatki National Monument, which happen to be within just a couple miles of each other. The Sunset Crater Visitor Center was staffed by a very helpful park ranger and volunteer. We took a short hike around the Bonito Lava Flow. and then drove to the top of an overlook, which gave us some beautiful views of the surrounding area. It was as close as we were allowed to be to the actual crater.
A short drive down the road.brought us to the Wupatki NM. These ancient pueblos had some incredible masonry work to stand the test of time as they have. We made a quick stop at this visitor center too, and collected a stamp in our National Park Passport book. Although the book doesn’t have a specific place for National Monuments or National Historic Places, we’ve been putting the stamps in the “extras” pages at the back of the book.
It was about dinner time, so we headed back towards Flagstaff. We were excited to find Flagstaff is home to an In-n-Out Burger! However, when we arrived, the line was a mile long. So we went down the street to The Habit instead.
We went back to the condo and plotted out a plan for our visit to the Grand Canyon!
Monday, February 23, 2026
Grand Canyon National Park
Miles driven to date: You’d think I would’ve remembered for this day, but alas…I did not.We knew this would be a full day, so we hit the road early. It’s about a 90 minute drive from the condo via the east entrance. We had a delightful chat with Ranger Randy about the sights to see, and he encouraged us to visit the Desert View Watch Tower, Mather Overlook, and to traverse Hermit’s Road. This was Jon’s first visit to the Grand Canyon, and I had not been here since 1976, so we were both equally awed by the magnitude of this national (global?) treasure. With each stop we made to view the canyon, we were left speechless. Regardless of how you believe this Wonder of the World came to be, it is simply beyond description, and mind blowing to think that God created something like this just for us humans.
We stopped at the Village Market to mail some postcards, and found some sweatshirts that needed to come home with us.
By the time we reached the end of the Hermits Road, it was nearly sunset. So we stopped at an viewpoint and enjoyed a dinner of cheese and crackers while we waited. The sunset did not disappoint! And, it got really cold, really fast as the sun set!
We stopped at the Village Market and grabbed a sandwich because those cheese and crackers weren’t going to hold us over through the drive back to the condo.
We arrived back at the condo at about 10:00 PM. It was a very long day, but one filled with some great memories.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Route 66, Winslow, AZ, Petrified National Park, Painted Desert, New Mexico
Mileage driven to date: Yeah…I forgot again.Today we was about checking things off our list! First stop was Winslow, AZ, a small town on historic Route 66 that was made famous by inclusion in the song, “Take It Easy” by the Eagles in 1972. We stopped at the “Take It Easy” park, and took photos with the statues of Glenn Fry and the flatbed Ford while ‘standing on the corner.’ It was a fun, quick stop for this Eagles fan!
We continued on to the Petrified Forest National Park. This is a less visited National Park, but is still quite interesting and filled with some incredible sights. We entered from the Holbrook entrance, and stopped at the visitor center for a map and a chat with the rangers. We took a short hike through a large field of petrified trees, and then drove through the scenic drive to view several different areas of the park. One area had a 110′ petrified tree spanning a gully; another was a canyon of sorts that was made up of a collection of large mounds of rock with blue and gray strata. We then drove around through the “Painted Desert” portion of the park, which had numerous viewpoints looking over the deep reds, orange, tan and white rock-hills. It was stunning, and we could imagine that at sunset it would be even more breathtaking. We stopped by the second visitor center and gift shop for the park, and picked up some postcards and a fun sticker of a mountain lion petroglyph. The original petroglyph was on display in the gift shop, and was huge – about 3′ long!
We stopped for dinner at Bojo’s Grill in Winslow. The tacos were simple but good.
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Sedona, AZ, and Montezuma’s Castle
Mileage driven to date: Why do I keep thinking I’m tracking this??We drove south today to explore Sedona, AZ. We weren’t sure what to expect from Sedona, and what we discovered was that it is basically a giant tourist trap with overpriced shops and galleries. We did find one trinket that caught our eye — a hand carved candle. There were a lot of rock, gem and jewelry shops. Apparently in Sedona, crystals and their “mystical powers” are a big thing, and people visit “vortexes” to get their “spirits” aligned (or something like that). We had lunch at a restaurant that I didn’t get the name of, but had patio dining with a beautiful view of the mountains. The chicken chimichanga had a good portion of meat, making it very filling; and the cubano sandwich was also good. One of the gift shops we stopped in had a number of dinosaur fossils, including the spine plates from a stegosaurus, the teeth and claws of a T-Rex, and several megalodon teeth! These weren’t castings from the fossils, but the actual fossils themselves…and they were priced accordingly! They also had a small collection of meteorites. Apparently the couple who own the shop have numerous archaeological teams in their employ who are digging up / finding these treasures on their own private lands in Wyoming. I can only imagine how wealthy one must be to have such resources!
We made a stop at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. This beautiful chapel is built into the side of a hill, overlooking a residential neighborhood. This is an in-use chapel of the Catholic church, with vespers and prayer services held on a regular basis. Visitors are invited to light a candle (for a $1 fee) and stay for prayer in the small chapel that has an entire wall of windows with a floor to ceiling crucifix. It is a beautiful space of worship!
We continued down the highway to Montezuma’s Castle National Monument. A quick stop in the visitor center resulted in another stamp in the National Park Passport. There is a short paved trail walk around the location to view the two structures build into the cliff face. These ancient “apartments” are engineering marvels! Apparently up until about 1951, visitors were allowed to climb ladders up into the structures, but due to concerns about damage to the artifacts and the building. The National Park Service constructed a detailed diorama to demonstrate the rooms inside the structure. A smaller structure farther down the trail is composed of cave-like rooms carved into the rock.
Dinner this night consisted of a lasagna we picked up at Safeway. Unfortunately we discovered the oven in the condo only heats up to 287F! Not nearly hot enough to bake a lasagna, so we had to microwave it instead.
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Mariners’ Spring Training Game #1 (Peoria, AZ)
Mileage driven to date: 2,599We were up and out the door by 6:30 AM today, and headed towards Peoria, AZ (after a quick stop for an egg McMuffin), for a Mariners‘ Spring Training game against the Cleveland Guardians. We arrived just before 9:00 AM, which was a good thing because we parked in the wrong parking lot, which we didn’t discover until we were at the (wrong) entrance gate (it was for the San Diego Padres!). So after walking back to the car, and driving around to the opposite side of the training facility, we were ready to watch morning practice! While standing in line, we ran into Susie and Dave, acquaintances from back home, who were attending the game with Susie’s daughter and family.
We had never been to spring training before, so we weren’t sure what to expect (that seems to be an ongoing theme with this trip!). We were grateful for the help and explanations other shared about where the players would be and when. We brought with us a variety of things we hoped to get autographed, including a collection of baseball cards and a hand-drawn picture of the Mariner Moose from our grandson, a hat and jersey from our son, our own jerseys, and a baseball. As players started filtering out of the clubhouse and onto the practice fields (there were four!), we soon realized that the autographs being given were almost exclusively to kids…which we are not! However, we did get to talk with Rick Rizzs, “the voice of the Mariners,” and a MiLB player, Victor something, who is currently assigned to play in Arkansas. Victor was very friendly and chatty; and who knows, maybe someday we will see him playing at T-Mobile! We saw a number of ‘big name’ players, like Julio Rodriquez, Luke Raley, Randy Arozarano, Victor Robles, Josh Naylor, JP Crawford, Logan Gilbert, and Andres Munoz. It was fun to see manager Dan Wilson participating in infield drills with the players, and to see Ichiro Suzuki shagging hits in right field during batting practice. And, it was great to see Edgar Martinez up close coaching the guys during BP, too.
The game started a little after 1:00 PM. It was HOT…like 94F hot! Our seats were just over the M’s dugout, but were facing right into the mid-day sun. We were struggling with the heat by the start of the second inning, and decided to find someplace with a little more protection from the sun. I was happy to have my Seat Suite tote bag to help carry stuff while we walked around. The Seat Suite is a great game day accessory that attaches to the bottom of your stadium seat and holds a purse, water bottle, jacket etc off the usually grossly sticky and spilled upon ground that is found at most stadiums. It has a nifty nylon strap handle at the front edge that allows easy removal from the seat and for carrying. Be sure to check it out and give it a try!** We spent some time visiting the team store (and came out with a couple of new hats), and walking around the facility. We sat out on the lawn for a short while, and then ended up sitting over on the first base side, upper level in the shade. The M’s eventually won!
** Disclosure: I received The Seat Suite as a gift from the manufacturer in exchange for a review on my social media/blog.
The Seat Suite
The Seat Suite when the seat is folded up & ready to accept your purse, sweatshirt, keys, etc. 
The Seat Suite on a folded down stadium seat. 
The Seat Suite is easily removed from the seat by the front handle and quickly turns into a carrying case.
Friday, February 27, 2026
Mariners’ Spring Training Game #2 (Peoria, AZ)This game wasn’t scheduled to start until about 6:00, so we were able to sleep in a bit, and have a slower morning. The practice fields would be opening at about 2:00 PM, with an approximate two hour drive, we decided to leave for Peoria at about 10:00, which would allow us time to eat lunch and hopefully find some Arizona themed souvenirs before the gates opened. Souvenirs proved to be more difficult to find than anticipated in the greater Peoria region. We struck out at both Target and Walmart, and then ended up a tshirt print shop that although was just a few miles away, turned out to be a 30 minute drive (thanks, city traffic on a Friday!). Eventually some small trinkets were secured (refrigerator magnet and some toy snakes), and we were headed back to Peoria where we had lunch once again at Raising Canes which is across the street from the ball park.
Temperatures this day were in the mid-90’s, with a fairly cloudless sky and nary a breeze to be found. As we entered the practice fields, we decided to stand by the walkway to the pitchers’ field because there were several trees providing some shade along the fence line! The players were anticipated to start practice shortly after 2:00, but it was shortly after 3:00 before the pitchers started exiting the clubhouse. The position players were out for only a very brief time, and then it was determined to be too hot for an extended practice, and there was no batting practice (at least not outside, I imagine they may have been utilizing the batting cages inside the facility). The pitchers, however did have a light practice. We remained standing by the fence line in hopes of catching an autograph from them as they returned to the clubhouse. And indeed, as they were returning, several were willing to stop and sign, and chat briefly. I was happy to have the opportunity to visit with Emerson Hancock and Andres Munoz, drawing them in with a call out of “Would you please sign an old lady’s hat?” With chuckles from both, They signed my “Spring Training 2026” visor, and Munoz also signed a baseball for us. Emerson asked if I would wear the visor after its signed (yes, of course I will!) and then if I would be wearing it to the game that evening (umm yes, Emerson, it’s 95 degrees out with a blazing sun). Munoz and I talked about his cat, Matilda’s social media page. Both of these young men were engaging and warm with their interactions with all the fans. Logan Gilbert was also present signing but got called away before he came to our part of the fence. We then wandered over to the fence near the clubhouse and stumbled upon Cal Raleigh! Once again, my call out of “Would you please sign an old lady’s hat?” worked, and Cal came over to sign my visor. Although he did not engage in any sort of chit-chat, I was grateful for him taking the time to work through the extensive crowd. I can only imagine the pressure on this guy to not only remain at the top of his game day in and day out, but to also be “available” to meet and greet the fans, even when he doesn’t feel up to it. To always be “on show” must be exhausting.
By the time the game started at 6:10 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the sun was beginning to set and the temp had dropped down into the 80’s. It was a perfect evening for a ball game, and we thoroughly enjoyed out seats that were once again just above the M’s dugout. This game was different from the previous day’s as most of the “big name” players were not playing. Many of them were heading out for the World Baseball Classic. It was a true spring training game showcasing the young talent of the team, although it was fun to watch Luis Castillo open the game for about an inning-and-a-half. Unfortunately, the M’s lost. Because we had a two hour drive ahead of us, it was getting late, and we had an early departure from Flagstaff the next morning, we decided to leave the game at the midway point of the seventh inning. It was still close to 10:30 by the time we arrived back at the condo.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Flagstaff, AZ to Canyonlands National Park to Moab, UTWe tried our best to get on the road early, but it was still roughly 9:00 AM when it happened. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a box of donut holes, a treat that had been calling to us for a couple of days every time we passed by the shop. Turns out Dunkin Donuts are just like most other donuts (and not as good as Spudnuts).
Our plan was to drive through Monument Valley and then head on to Canyonlands National Park. However when we arrived at Monument Valley, we discovered that the famous scenic drive was closed due to an ultra-marathon! Fun fact: This scenic drive is located in a Native American National Park, and is not a part of the US National Park Service. So, it costs $10 per person to visit the visitor center, and an additional $35 per vehicle to drive the scenic drive through the valley. We chose not to pay $20 to enter the visitor center, and continued down the highway that skirts just around the scenic drive. We were still able to see nearly all of the “monuments,” just not from as close. They were still very impressive, and we were left in awe of these magnificent rock structures. It is easy to see why this region is used as an iconic backdrop for so many western movies.
Along this same highway, US-163, is the stretch of road used in the movie “Forest Gump.” There is a scene where Forest, while running across the country, is pictured jogging down the middle of a empty desert highway, with a picturesque mountain behind him. There is a wide pullout area along the road where this scene was filmed so people can stop and take in the view themselves. (This is an active highway, so watch out for traffic!).
Because we did not travel the scenic drive through Monument Valley or stop at the visitor center, we decided to make a detour to visit the Four Corners, which was about a 90 minute addition to our route towards Canyonlands NP. The back road to this tourist trap we were routed on was nearly empty, and left me wondering if Google Maps knew where it was going! Eventually we came to the famed Four Corners spot, only to discover (again) that it is now a pay-to-see experience, due to being on Native American land rather than US owned land. We were not willing to pay $20 to stand on a marker for a 30 second photo experience, so we turned around continued on our way. So far, we’ve struck out on the side trips for the day! But this trip to the Four Corners did take us not only briefly into Utah and Arizona, but then also into New Mexico for a while and then (unexpectedly) into state #7 for the trip – Colorado, before returning us to Utah!
We continued our journey towards Canyonlands National Park, located just outside of Moab, UT. We were quickly approaching 4:00 PM, so after a quick stop at Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument, which was an up close view of a large petroglyph covered rock, we hurried on to the visitor center for a map and a stamp for our Passport Book. The Park Ranger and visitor center host were both gracious and friendly, and Jon had a nice chat with them while gathered the stamp and a sticker for the passport book, too. We then drove through the park, stopping at a few viewpoints to take in the splendor of this unknown-to-us national treasure. This was a beautiful drive with alternating vistas, canyons, and spires of multi-colored sandstone and rocks. At the end of the road, we opted for a short hike up some of the rocks to take in the view of a canyon in one direction and the desert vista in the other. It was beginning to near sunset, and we had not had lunch so dinner was starting to be a priority. We cut our exploring short, and returned to the highway to Moab. Canyonlands NP was a true surprise and a real treat. We would like to return to explore it more sometime in the future.
We easily found our hotel (LaQuinta) in Moab, and settled on eating at the BBQ restaurant next door. The hotel was clean, comfortable, and quiet. The restaurant was mediocre.
Sunday, March 1, 2026
Arches National Park, Moab, UT to Twin Falls, IDWe woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel, and were at the gate to Arches National Park as they were opening. The rocks and dirt of this area was so red! The drive from the visitor center up to to the scenic drive had a feeling of great anticipation. And it did not disappoint! We stopped at a few viewpoints and took in the splendor of canyons, cliffs, and giant bluffs in a variety of colors. The way the rocks seemed to be balanced on top of spires was mind boggling. The park has over 2000 arches, and yet most are not visible from the scenic drive road. We stopped and hiked to a handful of arches. They’re huge! And it was incredible to discover that for so many of these natural wonders, you’re able to truly hike up to and through them. We spent several hours scratching just the surface of what this national park has to offer, and eventually had to tear ourselves away from exploring more. Arches and Canyonlands National Parks had not been on our original itinerary, and consequently we had significantly less time than available to tour through than what either park deserves. We still had a 7+ hour, 500+ mile day of driving ahead of us, so we needed to get on our way. It was with a heavy heart that we had to leave Arches NP and be on our way in the early afternoon.
The long drive from Moab to Jerome was uneventful, with stops only for refueling. We arrived late at the same hotel we stayed in before, although this time it was on the ‘quiet side’ of the property, or maybe it was just that we were both exhausted and that was why we slept well!
Monday, March 2, 2026
Jerome, ID to homeThis last day on the road was humdrum, as the scenery was all about like what we see at home. With stops only for gas, which we made sure to do before we crossed the Idaho-Oregon border in order to save some $$$ on the price difference of fuel, we drove six-plus hours and over 400 miles with hopes of reaching home at a reasonable hour, which we successfully achieved.
This was a great trip to visit some amazing parts of our great nation, and we hope to return someday to many of these national parks for a more extended visit.
findingourwaybackhome.blog 
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