We hit the road, Part 2

Day 5: Bailey, CO
The wood-fired hot tub was so wonderful, and Colorado was so beautiful, that we decided to stay another night. (Actually, we guessed that would be the case before we even got there, so we had a two night reservation.) We spent our second day there, December 26th, lazing about in the morning, taking a hike in the afternoon, and making three pizzas from scratch to eat for dinner that evening and for road food the next day. It was delicious, if I say so myself. Oh, and we got back in the hot tub that night. Duh.

On our hike, we discovered that Ryan's work boots are a poor choice for hiking when there's ice or snow around. They're a bit slick. We'll come back to that later. The weather was cold but bright; I even took my coat off when we were hiking in the sun. Mountains are beautiful.

Day 6: Bailey, CO to Monroe, UT
We woke up fairly early to pack our things, bid our hosts and their dogs farewell, and get back on the road. After winding our way down out of the mountains around Denver, we were back to big places with few people.

Driving through Utah and what remained of Colorado, my motto for the day was "big." Having spent most of my time in the mid-Atlantic region (not known for its topography), everything seemed huge. Mesas! Buttes! Mountain valleys!

Around 3 PM, we pulled into Arches National Park ("Big!"), our mid-day destination, with the intention of going on a hike for a couple hours. We did go for a hike, but we covered less ground than we had expected. There were a few inches of snow on the ground, which meant an inch or two of compacted snow/ice on the trails. And then there were Ryan's boots. He fairly skied a couple sections. Of course, being Ryan, he had to head off the path to explore a little bit; I'll skip the details and just tell you that he ended up safe after I convinced him to throw me the darn boots and just wear his socks so that he didn't fall off a cliff.

Well. After that adventure, we kept on driving to Monroe, Utah, where we had made a reservation for the night. Let me tell you about this place.

Mystic Hot Springs in Monroe, Utah is run by a man named Mystic Mike. Mike, legend has it, was following the Grateful Dead around on tour when he stumbled upon this hot springs, purchased it for a song, and began to dream big dreams about what it could be. The hot springs itself doesn't have a naturally occurring pool, just some hot water bubbling out of the ground and making a mountain of reddish mineral deposits. Mike took some old bathtubs and jammed them right up against this mountain, so that the water trickles into it, and-- voila! Soaking pools!

As for accommodations, you can of course camp, but we decided that didn't sound very fun in late December. For warmer sleeping quarters, you have your choice of either refurbished busses (each named after a Grateful Dead song) or old pioneer cabins, many of which were transported to the site to save them from demolition and disrepair. Awesome. We chose to stay in a cabin, complete with wood stove and a guestbook full of psychedelic signings.

Yes, there were junk piles around. Yes, the roads were a mix of gravel, mud, and ice. But the cabin was cozy, and watching the sunrise from the tubs was an excellent way to start our day.

Day 7: Monroe, UT to San Rafael, CA
After emerging from the tubs, we began another day of long driving; about 13 hours, in fact. Much of it was on Route 50, also known as the Loneliest Road in America. 50 is one lane each way through vast, empty lands. Most of the surrounding land is owned by the Bureau of Land Management, I believe. Big. ("Big!") Ryan was driving 110 mph and people were passing us. Of course, we were only passed about once an hour; it's not called the Loneliest Road for nothing.

Finally, well after dark, we pulled into the driveway of Ryan's parents in San Rafael, CA. Whew. We knew we would be staying there for a few days, so we could finally settle in and relax.

Next time on We hit the road, Part 3... we hang out in the Bay area! We drunkenly reenact the Princess Bride! We move through San Francisco one frisbee pass at a time! Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll even write about driving to Olympia! Maybe, if you're really lucky, I'll even include pictures!