Tuesday morning — up and at ‘em! The time had arrived for our first full day of road trip driving. We were nervous, anxious, yet excited all at the same time.

We said our goodbyes (pups included, which was tearjerking), the car doors shut and the wave of emotions really hit us as we pulled out of the driveway. The last 24 hours had been a blur, our big day had finally arrived… we were actually leaving the country… by car.

We were excited for the journey ahead, but could not help reflect on some sad thoughts, too. Sad to leave our many Denver friends, to not be able to celebrate holidays with our family, and to leave the city we have made our home for the last five years together.

Heading West

Once we hit the highway, we cranked up the music, smiled at each other and remembered all the reasons we were going on this adventure in the first place.

We were pumped about this part of the drive, as late September is a perfect time to see fall colors as you head into the Rocky Mountains.

Vail was lit up with bright yellow Aspen trees. For just a moment it felt like we were taking a trip to the mountains, like we normally would do. Yet this time, we kept driving past Vail, onto new roads not yet explored.

Our first stop after four hours of driving was in the town of Grand Junction. We had dinner at The Goat & Clover Tavern. They had a great outdoor patio so Ken could join us while we enjoyed a few cold drinks for happy hour followed by a hearty meal of really tasty bar food. What more do ya need?

Leaving Colorful Colorado

Onward we went, soon passing the “Leaving Colorful Colorado” sign as we entered into Utah (cue second emotional breakdown). We pulled over at a scenic overlook to watch the amazing sunset over some mountainous views at the Colorado/Utah state border.

We had to keep reminding ourselves to stop and take it all in. The road trip was part of this entire experience and we needed to enjoy all of its little moments. This was a great moment. The sunset as we approached Moab was seriously epic. Timing of it wasn’t planned, but given the chance, we would do the drive at about the exact same time to see those skies again. The sunset went on forever, changing every few minutes and lingering on to an amazing orange glow.

The only thing we missed with our timing was being able to see the arches and rock formations of Moab. Next time! We pulled into our first hotel: the ever-so-swanky Quality Inn Suites, just outside of downtown.

We began our first “unpack & repack” operation, bringing the important and valuable items into the hotel to keep them safe. Ken was ecstatic to check out the new smells and even more pumped she could join us in bed. We popped open a bottle of wine, had our favorite T.J.’s cookies & enjoyed kicking back and relaxing.

After months of organizing, categorizing, and packing, we had checked off the first day of our week-long road trip. All-in-all, it culminated to be an enjoyable one. We laughed to ourselves in bed multiple times, saying “Are we seriously on the road to move to Cabo?”, combined with “We cannot believe everything fit in the car!”.

Tomorrow, we all experience the Grand Canyon for the first time.