A Quick 2200 Mile Road Trip to the Northwest

We hit the road at three in the morning with the Versa packed to full capacity. We drove the whole day until we reached Palo Duro Canyon State Park and decided to go for an easy ten miler. It was a cold day in the northern panhandle and the demoralizing freezing rain was turning the red clay trail to a potters paradise.

The Givens/Spicer/Lowry Loop did not disappoint and Apryle and I were enamored of the beauty of this state park. Palo Duro was one last gem that Texas had to offer before we parted ways for the land of enchantment.

We experienced some icy road conditions from Amarillo all the way to Santa Fe, and because we could not find a place to stay, we drove through the night to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We stopped in for some baked goods and continued on for Durango.

Upon arrival the snow began swirling down from the sky covering the town in about eight inches of fresh powder. We went for a run along the Animas River and held up in small hotel for the evening. We then made an attempt to visit the cave dwellings at Mesa Verde but the conditions made the roads impassible.

Therefore we made our way for Arches National Park in Utah. The drive from Durango to the Utah boarder was precarious, and the road conditions did not improve until we reached the outskirts of Moab. We decided to run some trails in Arches and were rewarded with the beautiful contrasting reds and oranges of the arches capped with a fresh white snow and dotted with green juniper. After a few hours of exploring we made our way to Salt Lake City and turned in for the night before continuing our journey to Seattle.

After one last dangerous drive across the icy roads of Idaho and Oregon we made it to Seattle safe and sound. We unloaded the Versa and started prepping for our winter field season in Republic, WA in just a few days.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the four-part journey outlining the transition from life in Texas to life in Washington. Apryle will highlight the 2015 winter field season in Republic.