Utah: Bonneville and Delicate Arch

By Jen.

Our plan was to meet up with some friends and go to the Bonneville races. So we showed up on the evening of the 4th and camped out. We were surprised at how few people were there. In the morning, we discovered why. The salt flats had been rained out on the 2nd day. So we got to see a remnant of the lake that used to be here.

When the wind was calm, it was like a mirror.

What it normally looks like.

From there we decided to head to Arches National Park. But, as we were backing out of our parking space at lunch, we heard some weird noises from our back-right tire. Turns out we were missing a screw in our brake caliper… So, we stopped in Salt Lake City to get a screw. Unfortunately for us, rain had moved in over most of the West so we couldn’t escape and just had to settle in.

The ditches ran a beautiful burnt orange from the surrounding soil.

“Arches” is an apt name, as they are abundant here.

Some of them are massive. But it was also the peak season, so there were tons of tourists roaming about.

Interesting green-blue color in the rocks.

Definitely very wet even though we had a break in the rain.

Even without the sun, you could see the beautiful colors here.

The famous Delicate Arch.

You can see how “delicate” it is from this angle.

An instance of Ute rock art, carved between 1650 and 1850 AD.

10th Anniversary

By Jen.

Today (December 14th, 2018) marks our 10th wedding anniversary. 10 years ago, the weekend after finals, we said our vows to each other on a surprisingly-warm Sunday afternoon. Commencing our nontraditional life together, we won’t say it has flown by, but it has been good.

Looking back, it is hard not to compare ourselves to others. Very few of our friends or family got married before us. We were really young.

Most People @ 10 years	Us @ 10 years
Multiple Children	No children
Paying down a mortgage on a house	Own & live in a van
Barely have time for each other with everything going on in their lives	Somehow get to be with each other all time. I even found myself a bit jealous when Jonathan was out with friends the other night and I wasn’t with him, haha. It was actually probably the most time we have spent apart in 2 years
Working their way up corporate ladders, building their own businesses, or trying to raise up children.	We are working on early retirement
Rarely get to travel	Spent approximately 3.5 years in full-time travel

We have seen our parents change jobs. We have seen our siblings try out their own relationships, welcoming 3 siblings-in-law and more friends. We started off with 1 nephew between us, and now we have 7 nieces and nephews.

• 3 Continents (North America, Australasia, Asia)
• 14 Countries
• 2 Campervans
• 150,000 Miles Driven

It maybe hard to believe, but even after 10 years, we regularly experience new "firsts" together.  Some good, some bad, and some just downright strange. Life has its way of keeping you on your toes, and we take them as they come.

We have done things a bit differently, but we definitely don’t regret it. There have been plenty of ups and downs. Don’t let anyone lie to you, relationships, especially long-term, are hard. But, we are 10 years and going strong. While there were days when I wondered if we would make it, I feel like the things we have weathered have strengthened our relationship. I am currently married to the love of my life and look forward to our future together.  I truly feel like we are just starting out.

Idaho

Passing through Idaho gave us a chance to visit Boise, as that was another town on our list.  Just south of Boise is the Snake River Bird of Prey Natural Area.  This is probably one of the best areas in the country to see many birds of prey nesting and hunting.











Taking the scenic route south, we stretched our legs at Bruneau Dunes State park.













Camping a few hours away, we visited City of Rocks.  An interesting collection of wind-and-water-sculpted rocky outcroppings, this area is most interesting for its part in the immigrant wagon trains.



At many campsites, the names of intrepid emigrants, both famous and unknown, are written on the rock.  Some in charcoal, others in axle grease, they are a fleeting reminder of the rugged wilderness that has only recently been tamed.









Known mostly as a international climbing destination, even in the poor weather, we could hear and occasionally see the intrepid souls on the rugged rock.





The hawks observed these curious creatures from their perches. Wondering why they simply didn’t learn to fly.

Bannack State Park and Driggs

By Jen.

We trundled westward to enjoy a few more weeks of freedom before we have to stop and start applying for jobs. After a meet up with a friend, we made our way to Bannack State Park, which is a well-preserved ghost town in western Montana.

Some grouse at our campground the day before.

I loved the screen door!

Old ovens fascinate me. (But, I would never want to use them)

Why do we lack such detail nowadays?

Fall was in full-swing here.

Gotta love the simple construction techniques!

Snow skiing, anyone?

They were preparing for a wedding in the old Methodist Church. As we were leaving, we had to provide directions to some of the guests arriving.

I love fall colors!

From the hill overlooking the town, you can also see the marks from the gold mining they did by the river on the hill across the way.

A very practical shed. Don’t walk on the roof!

The original “green” roof!

A masonic temple, which also doubled as the school.

Haha, looks like a injury trap to me!

The Freemasons were indeed a strange group.

From there, we drove south to Driggs, ID, to meet up with one of the friends who visited us in NZ. She graciously took us boating down the river. Despite the strong winds, we successfully made it from start to finish. Since she and I were paddling, Jonathan was in charge of taking pictures. And, we happened to come across some moose!

Check out these beauties!