Road Trip

Linda and I took a short trip last week across the Colorado Plateau, from here in Colorado through Utah to Arizona and back.  I got the opportunity to do a few sketches, and we also got engaged somewhere along the way.

Our first stop was in Grand Junction, Colorado, on the western border near Utah.  We ate lunch downtown at a great little Nepalese/Indian restaurant, and afterward I had enough time to do this little sketch while Linda checked out the local yarn shop.
grand junction colorado
That's Linda's little Honda Fit in the middle.

We continued on into Colorado National Monument, just outside of town.
colorado national monument

colorado national monument

After driving the park's main road and stopping for some (very hot) photo opportunities, we continued on to Moab, Utah, arriving in the early evening.  The last leg took us into the Colorado River canyon as the sun was setting.
colorado river canyon

The next day, we went to Arches National Park and hiked around all morning.  We checked out the Courthouse Towers, Sand Dune Arch, Skyline Arch and the Devil's Garden, where I did a quick watercolor sketch of Landscape Arch while being watched by some nice German tourists.
landscape arch

Afterward we went back into Moab for lunch and a nap before returning to the park to tackle the Delicate Arch trail in the late afternon.  It was super hot and mostly uphill, but we were rewarded at the end with an amazing view of the arch just before sunset.
delicate arch

We were tired enough that I had plenty of time for a sketch while we rested.
delicate arch

After an amazing dinner that night in Moab, we set off the next morning for the Grand Canyon, arriving in the mid-afternoon.  We took a lazy drive through the park to our hotel room and saw some amazing sites.  Over the next two days we went to some great ranger programs, walked along the rim trail, saw some amazing sunsets and got engaged!  I also did these sketches:

view of grand canyon village from fossil beds

from yavapai point

near geology museum

camera in yavapai lodge hotel room

bright angel lodge lobby

hermits rest

yavapai point

yavapai point watercolor

grand canyon watercolor

Of course, there was some stuff I didn't sketch.
grand canyon clouds

grand canyon sunset

On our trip back we stopped for a night in Mesa Verde National Park and saw some amazing Anasazi cliff dwellings.  We took a tour the next morning, but there was not enough time for a sketch.  Ah well, another time.  cliff palace



Comments

  1. Congratulations on your engagement! Sounds like a fun road trip!

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  2. Congratulations! Sounds magical! If I sketched as much as you, I wouldn't have had time for my fiancé. Of course I don't see a sketch of her! :) Magnificent sketches as always, truly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks all! Dan, don't worry, she got the lion's share of my attention.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your work is very inspiring! Beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete

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