One of the best parts of my job was the location. Navajo Lake is gorgeous, but it’s location near the Four Corners also made it the perfect spot for a “weekend” getaway (our weekends were either M/T or W/Th).
I got to explore Santa Fe when I first made it to the state for my orientation/training. It was so strange to see such old buildings in America, like the below pic of the oldest house in America.
I spent several afternoons and days off at the lake, doing some cliff jumping.
We were an hour away from Durango, CO, so I went up there a couple of times.
A friend of mine went to the Bisti Wilderness, which is this badlands area between where I was and Albuquerque, and after I saw pictures, I knew that I had to check it out. It completely felt like a different planet..
One of my favorite trips was this hike near Silverton, CO. The Ice Lake Trail, although ridiculously strenuous for someone not acclimated to that altitude (MEEE!), it was utterly gorgeous. I wished that I could have made the time to do it again, but I’m so glad that I was at least able to do it the one time.
My least favorite side trip was to Mesa Verde. If you are a history-buff, I’d say to do it, but I’m more into hiking and scenery.. Hiking is VERY limited in this park. It was still nice to see, but I wouldn’t be tearing my arm off any time soon just to go again.
Lake Powell—the lake we hated to hear by boaters as the last lake they were on (it usually meant that they needed a decontamination…the lake is contaminated)—was such a fun trip. The lake itself is amazing but the area is even more incredible.
Ever since seeing pictures of the horseshoe bend of the Colorado River, I needed to know where it was. I thought that it was somewhere in the Grand Canyon but was so pleased and surprised to find out that it was just a couple miles from Lake Powell.
Favorite part of that trip, though, was EASILY Antelope Canyon. This is not a cheap attraction. I decided to do the cheaper lower canyon which is still 28$ per person for a 1-hour tour. As cheap as I am when it comes to sightseeing, I can whole-heartedly say that it was so, so worth it. The tour came closer to 1.5 hours, and I took at least 500 pictures during that time.
I think the funnest thing about Lake Powell was that there were literally SOOO. MANY. GERMANS. Here’s my breakdown: 50% German, 20% Italian, 10% French, 5% Spanish/Portuguese, 5% Asian, 10% American. I kid you not. I was in the minority.
I was at a fairly busy beach one day and I did not hear a single word of English during my time there. I thought it was just too funny because the other week I secured an au pair position in Germany and then there I was totally surrounded by Germans.
My last “big” trip was to Arches—something that I had to keep moving due to weather or something else that came up. So, my last “weekend” I drove up to Moab, UT, and got to soak that all in. I have to say, I was ever so slightly disappointed. I may have built it up in my head, and I mean, it was spectacular, but it was smaller than what I was expecting… And there weren’t a TON of hiking options (you could only go on the marked trails because of the crypto-biotic crust on the sand). I managed to see Delicate Arch—the most photographed arch in the world—at sunset, which was recommended and truly enjoyed that. At least 2-300 people were up there for the sunset, snapping away as the sun began to set and the rocks turned this golden color. Everyone trying to find the most obscure angle to get that perfect shot.
After my last couple of days and moving out of my tiny Casita RV, I made it to Ute Lake (the other location that the AIS Techs were) to spend a night before heading to Fort Worth to see some TCU friends I made while studying in Sevilla!
Into Uncertainty 