The First of the Big Rocks.

It turns out I married an encyclopedia; a human sponge. It's a weird thing, when you always secretly thought you were the clever one in a relationship, then suddenly you are being lectured about the history of your own country (by your 'foreign' husband) or how rock formations work, or what kind of lizard that is, not to mention the probable origin of the lunch you are eating, and the inner workings of the car you are driving. Well excuse me dear, while I look out the window at the pretty rocks...

Many indulgent hours were spent at Colorado National Monument as Forrest inhaled facts at all the information boards and I admired the views and snapped photos and just sort of stood around open-mouthed in absolute delight at our surroundings. At 'Cold Shivers Point' I was glad my Mum wasn't there to watch me hop across some stepping stone rocks and balance on a ledge suspended high above the canyon. We yodeled our way around various viewpoints (well, Forrest yodeled, I more accurately bleated), and felt very satisfied with our time in Colorado as we finally made our way out of the park and over to Utah.

With the promise of two days driving and a whole lot of desert between here and California we sped onwards feeling very Thelma and Louise-ish, fidgeting in anticipation since the best was yet to come. Still, let us not overlook the two states that we first had to journey across. Utah and Nevada, how sandy, how rocky, how surprisingly scenic you are.