For my husband and me, the fact that spring seemed to be stalling at home in Aspen meant only one thing: road trip. Maps were pulled and pored over, the Rover was polished and primped, camping gear was packed (just in case we’d want to rough it), and, just a few days later, we were on our way.
Our itinerary? Take the long way to Scottsdale via Santa Fe (for tamales and margaritas at Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen), then enjoy a leisurely return, perhaps traveling through the National Parks of Arizona and Utah and pitching our tent along the way.
2,000-plus miles later, we’d seen some amazing things. A highlight was the Very Large Array, one of the world’s premier astronomical radio observatories with 27 90-foot-tall radio antennas (think the movie Contact), which sit along a barren, windswept road in New Mexico.
Sunset at the Grand Canyon was up there, too.
But I think our favorite sight might have been the stunning red-rock formation we could see from our tent at Red Canyon Campground just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. Lit by an almost-full moon, it made our last night on the road unforgettable. We were ready to go home.
—Linda Hayes
