The Great Roadtrip of July 2012 – First Stop: Utah

3,221 miles & 2-weeks on the road is quite a haul, and we had such a fantastic time on our roadtrip! Here is the basic journey, as we had it mapped out during the planning stages:

This basically shows the loop starting & ending in Cheyenne (bottom right-hand corner), heading out to Seattle (top left-hand corner) and back. Everyone in Denver knows how to get to Cheyenne.

It’s a great mix of staying with friends, camping, and checking out a few different hotels.

First stop? Utah.

We have friends who have lived in Utah for years, and we’ve been wanting to get out to see them. We finally succeeded! It’s approximately 8 hours to where our friends live in Utah, and we thought starting off the roadtrip with the longest leg was the way to go.

Almost there...

The scenery was incredible, and I just couldn’t believe the views!!

A view fit for an Empress.

One of the goals we had for this mondo roadtrip was to get at least one letterbox in every state of our journey. (Prior to arriving in Utah, we made our way through Wyoming, and we got a letterbox at a pit stop along the highway there, too!)

Imagine our delight to discover that there were oodles of letterboxes just minutes from their house!

Here they are experiencing their very first find! We showed them the ropes.

*Everybody* loves letterboxing! ...or playing in the creek. Okay...both.

And, guess who found the very next box, all by herself?  Our hostess!  Needless to say, I think she is hooked on this little hobby.

We stayed for two nights at our friends’ beautiful home. We just could not get enough of the views and the relaxed atmosphere.

Claire and Mick became fast friends. Claire was sad to leave him behind, but I'm pretty sure he was ready for a nap.

The time we spent in Utah with our friends was the best start we could have had to our trip. It was great to reconnect in person.  Stories of the past mixed with tales of the present had us laughing until our sides hurt.  The memories of our stay will last for years.  It was great to escape to cooler climes, and to have a backdrop of such breathtaking views?  Perfection.

And so began The Great Roadtrip of July 2012.

Next stop? Idaho.  There’s a lava field AND a volcano there.  For real!  Who knew?  Stay tuned!