Back to Utah: Days 2 & 3

So, I didn't finish blogging about our trip for two reasons: 1. Driving through the rest of Kansas and Colorado wasn't too exciting, and 2. The usual, my lack of motivation.  But, for the sake of documenting our Austin adventure in its entirety, I'll finish.

Day 2 of our trip home was the drive from Wichita to Denver.  It was pretty uneventful, besides when we realized how sparse the gas stations are along that stretch and barely made it to the Shell with 4 miles worth of gas to go.  We stopped to eat at The Patio Cafe in a small town called Strasburg, just outside of Denver.  The food was excellent.  The minute we passed the Welcome to Colorado sign, we were met with gray cloudy skies and rain.  David was horrified.  I was refreshed after a summer of intense Austin heat.  We rolled into Denver in the evening, where felt cool for the first time in months.  So cool, in fact, that the next morning we would have to fill the tires with air due to the change in temperature.

The welcoming skies of Colorado

Day 3. The home stretch.  As much as I enjoyed the farmlands we had been driving through for the past couple of days, it definitely felt like coming home as we drove through the winding roads of the rocky mountains.  I had forgotten how majestic and serene the mountains were, and how vibrant the color green could be.  A couple hours into the drive, we stopped in Vail, Colorado for church.  Even though we were only there for just over an hour, I fell in love with Vail.  It's a peaceful, beautiful little mountain town and it made me feel like I was back in the Rockies of Canada. The ward we attended church at was small, warm, and welcoming.  Sacrament meeting was done half in English, half in Spanish, including the songs and prayers, and even the talks.  I was sad to leave Vail.

Church at Vail, Colorado

Another beautiful town in the mountains

Just as drastically as the flat, yellow Kansas turned into rainy, mountainous Colorado, our beloved green Rockies spat us out into the dry desert that is Utah.  Not that all of Utah is dry and desert-like.  But I think when they named the first city across the border 'Green River', it was as a sick joke to travelers coming in from 'Colorful Colorado'.  As we got closer to Provo, it began to sink in that our adventure was over, and real life was upon us.  We arrived at David's grandparents' house, where the whole family gathers each Sunday.  It was nice to see everyone, and especially to tell Grandpa about the visit to his hometown.

And so, here we are, back home in Utah.  But the adventures are far from over.  In fact, with the school year upon us and David's new job (more about this in later blog posts), and especially with the arrival of our new baby girl creeping up on us, it feels like we won't be awaiting many dull moments in the near future.  So, though we're back from Austin and the summer is drawing to an end, the adventures - and the blog posts - are sure to continue!