After realizing we wouldn’t be flying to Canada, Drew and I had to come up with a stellar Plan B. My fiance had never really spent much time on the coast, or really any time at all outside of Alaska and California. It was a no-brainer that we’d have to head for the PNW. An Instagrammer I follow, Rick Holladay, posted a snapshot of a roadtrip he was already on and I used it for inspiration. Have to shout it out to Roadtrippers.com, too, for making it WILDLY easier to plan, re-plan and dump plans the whole trip.
Once we figured out our ultimate destination, Olympic National Park, we packed up the car, kissed the puppy good-bye and got ready to roll out. Before we could do anything though, I needed a coffee break. All the excitement, disappointment and re-excitement took a toll when I was already trying to fast. Luckily, Know Brainer had my back. I’ve been testing out their instants and creamers to supplement the keto lifestyle I’m really trying to develop ever since trying them out at Outdoor Retailer. I am so excited to have a sampler pack for the trip so I can mix it up, but still enjoy my favorite chai latte. So, we boiled some water real quick, poured in the mix and were on our way.
Well, we were mostly on our way. About 2.5 hours in (made it to Hanging Lake!) I realized I had left behind my coat, my only coat, and would probably freeze to death. So we turned around and I grabbed my new Mia Melon weatherproof coat and we were actually on our way this time.
Severely set back, we had to figure out where we’d head. Originally, Arches was the plan but we decided – “Let’s do something new!” Dead Horse Point State Park would be our destination for the night.
We rolled up about 7 miles before the entrance in the middle of the night, hunting for a campground. Everything was full. With no service, we just started driving in hopes of finding an empty spot on some BLM land – which we did. We passed out in my car with expectations to get to Dead Horse Point for sunrise.
Out at that point, with the sun slowly rising over the canyons and splashes of water – I would say I felt a kind of content that one doesn’t just happen across. It was beautifully pink and purple, the light on my fiance made me feel warm (and so did my coat LOL). I scare the heck out of Drew all the time. I love to get close to the edge, I don’t know why. It’s probably a mix of adrenaline and the relief of knowing I’m safe that makes me peer down. I sat there for a while in my own little spot, watching the sun continue to lap up the scenery in front of it. It’s hard to be upset about something as silly as a lost passport when beauty is literally everywhere.
It felt like a great way to start the trip. I can’t say my fiance felt the same, his hands were freezing and he needed a Kleenex. Haha! After enjoying that sunrise, we packed up and headed onward to the Bonneville Salt Flats.