The Girl with Orange JEEP - On the roads of Utah

The Girl with Orange JEEP - On the roads of Utah - Home of Jeeps!!

Well, I had this post title drafted 7 months back, when I bought a Jeep Wrangler (it's Sunset Orange color) and my friend suggested that I should write a blog "The Girl with Orange JEEP". But I did not feel like writing the post. Just to brag that I got a Jeep, and which I have just been using to drive to - from Office or Grocery stores or Malls - Naaah!! Would be insulting the spirit of Jeep!

But today, I am more than excited to write this blog. Yes, about the Girl with an Orange Jeep and her experience on her first long drive; that too to the home of Jeeps - Utah!!

Well, I call my Jeep - AROHAK. (Arohan means Climbing in Sanskrit; Arohak means one who climbs)

The maximum distance that I drove till then was to a mall 19 miles from my home - 20-25 minutes drive - that was it.

So, there were just 2 things I wanted to cover in this trip.

1. Drive my Jeep the entire trip.
2. Photography of Utah Landscape/Arches during Sunrise, Sunset and Night for Star trails.

Below items I backpacked as Photography essentials.

1. Blanket, Jacket
2. Bandaids, Alcohol wipes
3. Compass, Carabiners
4. Pocket Knife
5. LED Headlamp
6. Sunscreen spray
7. All-In-One Survival Credit Card Tool
8. A Nylon Rope, Raincover
9. External Battery Pack, AAA/AA Batteries
10. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lens (With Tiffen UV filter + Circular Polarizer + Lens Hood) - Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photography
11. Neewer LCD Timer Shutter Release Remote Control - For Star Trail photography
12. Canon 50mm Prime Lens - Just in case, to click Portrait stills of my friends.
13. Tripod
14. Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash - Backup in case light plays around.
15. Lens cleaning kit.
16. Canon T3i - Camera body of course!

Here was my backpack.

Other than these, rest were all travel essentials like Comfortable yet stylish clothes, Cap, Shoes, Food, Toiletries etc... packed in another bag.

We started from Denver at 4 PM MT on Friday 5/27. Stopped at 711 close to our apartment and got the cars fueled.

Route Map -

1. Denver, CO to Vernal, UT

i. 5/27 - Friday - 4:00 PM MT - Started from Denver, CO. It was bright and sunny.

Then there came heavy rain (flash flood kind)...

Then there was snow....This can happen only in Denver...

ii. 5/27 - Friday - 11:00 PM MT - Entered Utah

This route was very remote, so if you are hitting this path in the night, do plan to pull over and watch the night sky - standing under hemisphere of shining stars, serene and peaceful.

iii. 5/27 - Friday - 11:45 AM MT - Reached hotel in Vernal, UT

2. Vernal, UT to Flaming Gorge Dam + Red Canyon (Boating)

i. 5/28 - Saturday - 7:00 AM MT - Woke up, walked around the hotel, had breakfast and checked out of hotel.

ii. 5/28 - Saturday - 11:00 AM MT - Started from Vernal, UT

Drive to Flaming Gorge

iii. 5/28 - Saturday - 12:00 PM MT - Reached Flaming Gorge Dam, Did Boating for couple of hours, Had lunch, started at 4 PM MT to Moab, UT.

Flaming Gorge Bridge

Flaming Gorge Dam

3. Red Canyon to Moab, UT
i. 5/28 - Saturday - 4 PM MT started from Red Canyon, UT.

On the way explored a dirt road drive..

ii. 5/28 - Saturday - 9:30 PM MT Reached Moab, UT

This route had some crazy roads up the mountain. There were steep grades, and real crazy U bends. Got some good real time driving practice up there.

4. Moab, UT - Day 1 - 5/29 - Sunday

i. Wake up at 3:30 AM MT. Started from the Ranch at 4:00 AM MT towards Canyonland National Park.

ii. Reach Mesa Arch Trail head Parking lot at 5:10 AM MT

iii. Reach Mesa Arch at 5:28 AM MT. Setup the camera and wait for sunrise.

I had read in one of the blog that there will be enough photographers to block the front line. I still thought that I had a pretty decent start; but SURPRISE SURPRISE!!!! I got the corner seat :-(

Everyone has their camera set, awaiting sunrise.

iv. Watch the sunrise, click pictures, Enjoy the view until 7:00 AM MT

Click from iPhone. My camera pictures are yet to be processed.

Must say, its worth the effort of early morning wake up and the wait.

v. Headed back to the ranch at 7:15 AM MT; Reached at 8:30 AM MT.

vi. Caught up some sleep and rest; had brunch and headed out to Arches National Park at 2 PM MT.

vii. Covered few view points, Arches
a. Balanced Rock

Haha...That's me! Its places like these which make you feel so tiny!

From Parking lot of Balanced Rock view point.

b. Fiery Furnace

c. Sand Dune Arch

View from Sand Dune Arch

Sand Dune Arch

d. Delicate Arch, Devil's Garden

We did not hike the Delicate arch, a click from it's Lower view point

The first arch you see from top left is Delicate arch.

viii. Headed to North/South Window for sunset, Enjoyed the sunset at North window until 9:00 PM MT

North Window trail

Sunset at North Window

View of South Window from North Window.

ix. Headed back to the Condo, cooked dinner, spent some relaxed time with friends.

5. Moab, UT - Day 2 - 5/30 - Monday

i. Started from the Condo at 11:00 AM MT.

ii. Spent some time in downtown, bought souvenirs

iii. Headed towards Canyonland National Park.

a. Island in the Sky (near visitor center)

View from Island in the Sky. The mud road that you see is open for off-roading.

b. Mesa Arch

c. Buck Canyon Overlook

d. Orange Cliffs Overlook

e. Ensure you do visit the Gran view point Overlook

Grand View Point - Left side view

Grand View Point - Right side view

iv. Dead Horse Point State Park - Dead Horse Point Overlook. It's a beautiful view. We had lunch there.

Dead Horse Point

Then we started heading back to Denver, CO.

I drove and drove, taking bio breaks and refueling Arohak. Then I drove and drove. Sometimes at 60 mph, sometimes at 85 mph, sometimes at 95 mph and then there were times when we were at 25mph.

We kept telling Arohak - "Bro, you are just a few miles away from HOME. We are almost there and then you can take a longgggg restt!!" It applied more to us as well :D

You see, the last few miles are always the most difficult ones. Whether you are running or working out or driving.

And we were home. I drove 1284 miles in this trip. :-)

Some of the highlights -

Long Drive is tiring. Drink lot of water - especially on high elevation areas like Denver, Utah.
Driving up/down the mountains with some steep grades and crazy U bends/turns, you will feel a bit dizzy if you are not used to them.
I suffered a lot with burning eyes and headaches - mornings were bright with sun, and nights had headlights of vehicles flashing into your eyes. Slices of cucumber on the eyes gave me a lot of comfort. So yeah - no harm in carrying cotton buds, rose water or cucumber.
Have someone ride with you to click on-the-wheel road pictures, because you really cannot enjoy a lot of view when you are driving at 85/90 mph. A big thank you to my roommate who clicked all these pictures while I was driving :)
Roads are tempting to get your speeds off the limit. Know the state rules where you are driving. Last thing you want is cops at your tail. Especially in city limits.

Well, no matter how much you plan, there is always room for surprises (like my friend's car tire burst on the way etc..); these surprises make the trip memorable. So sit back, relax and enjoy the drive!!

The Girl with Orange Jeep!!!!!

I loved loved loved roads of Utah, and will visit again just for off roading and hiking!

-Sarita
Dated - 4th June 2016

(Trip date 27th May through 30th May 2016. One more item from my bucket list checked off!!!)

Comments

Ahamasmi Yodha - My First Tattoo

I finally did it. It isn’t a great achievement to show off, but for me it’s one more item on my bucket list getting fulfilled. So I am very happy about it. What did I do? Oh like I said nothing great – I just got my FIRST Tattoo :) My first Tattoo Artist I had done a lot of research on it since last couple of months. I wanted to get it done on my birthday, but it somehow dint work out. For all the first timers, I wanted to list out my personal experience, just in case it helps :) First of all, I felt it will be very helpful if you have some friends who would have got it done already. But I dint have that privilege. So I went through lot of blogs and articles in About.com, Wikihow, YahooAnswers etc… Well Google, the new lord of knowledge :) has all that you need to know. So, in summary, what I got from all these sites were First decide on what you want to get tattooed and where. Go over it again and again, since it is permanent, you will have to live ...

Life... A Blank Page!

Whenever I open a notebook and come across the set of blank pages; my mind goes blank. For some reason, it always reminds me of my life. It forces me to start thinking about my life; about the past and the future. Being part of the age of computers and belonging to the IT industry, I hardly get an opportunity to actually pick a pen and write in the notebook. I write lot of blogs, poems etc… but I write them on the webpage or in Microsoft word in my laptop. Once in a while I like to go back to traditional form of writing; using the actual pen and paper. And in last few years; I noticed that every time I try doing that for some reason the blank paper gets me all philosophical. Although I never have that thought while opening the book; but whenever I see those blank pages; I just go blank. I always feel that my life is staring back at me with all those unanswered silenced questions, doubts, thoughts…forcing me to think – What does my lif...

Zindagi Gulzar Hai - A feast to ones eyes!

Today I am here to make a much interesting comparison of our current Indian TV industry with our neighboring country’s television industry. Interesting because I never thought I would ever engage in watching any of the Pakistan TV series/movies or listening to their music. My disinterest in Pakistan entertainment was not because of the tensed relationship with the country. But I myself am not a big fan of TV serials. The kind of drama that is filled in Indian TV Channels today is just exhausting and tiring to watch. I hardly follow any Indian TV series. When I visit home on vacation, I join my family in watching the program they watch and that’s how I keep myself updated with what is trending in the TV industry. I love listening to music and I listen to all genres of music. I did start listening to Pakistani music since last few years and have admired their music. Strings, Fuzon, Kaavish, Jal, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ghulam Ali, Parveen Abida, Quratulain Baloch and many ...

My Favorite Read - 6 - The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev (and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer)

So, now that I want to get into some serious mountaineering activities, I started with reading books on mountains. When you check for top few books on mountains the one that comes up is " Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer " followed by “ The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev" ; both based on the 1996 Everest disaster which was made quite controversial. I started with "Into Thin Air' and while I was reading, I was continuously in conflict with Jon's views. Mind you, my memory is pretty weak when it comes to remembering details of any story - whether its books or movies. I had watched few documentaries and the Everest movie based on this topic; but that was a while ago. when I started reading this book 2 weeks back, I had no background; you can say I was totally new to this story. And yet, it was difficult for me to understand some of Jon's accusations or feelings. But nevertheless, Jon's style of writing was amazing; he knew how to keep reader's...

Why "Wake Up Sid" movie is my favorite :)

I am very selective about the Bollywood movies that I choose to watch. I don’t like the typical commercial, masaledar movies without any storyline, characters, screenplay and acting. Most of them are ruled out just by looking at the Name of the movie, its banner, its actors and director. And some which pass these filter criteria get eliminated when I watch their trailers. Very few end up in my watch list. And some movies I end up watching forcibly with my family or friends. Wake up Sid was one such movie, that I came across because my friends chose to watch that movie over tea 4 yrs back. We never completed watching that movie; couple of them found it boring and we got deviated from watching the movie into some other matargashti . I think 2 years back, when I was finding something to watch, I picked up this movie – just because I wasn’t finding anything appealing to watch. And I simply fell in love with this movie despite of its weak story. Konkana Sen is a talented actress ...

Dawn & Dusk at 7th Wonder of the World!

As I walked down the street through the red walled East gate entrance , I stood still at the first glance of the Seventh wonder of the world! The Taj Mahal! First glance of Taj hidden behind the gates! It was an abrupt trip, completely unplanned for; thanks to a friend who shot this idea my way to take a pit stop at Agra for an evening before I catch my flight to US from Delhi the next day. I just had one evening in Agra, and did not have time to plan anything. View of Taj from the main entrance. Time Check — We reached Agra at 5 PM on a Saturday evening and headed out to buy entry tickets at 5:45 PM; were inside the East gate by 6:15 PM and it was not crowded at all. We saw the interiors of Taj and then sat outside in the veranda watching the sunset. April being the hottest month, the evening was warm but not uncomfortably hot. 7:30 PM we had to leave as it was closing down. The next day morning we got the tickets at 5:45 AM, were in Taj Mahal again arou...

Let's Start Over.

I don't know why I stopped writing. It was my respite from the usual chaos of life. I realized last week that it’s been over 2 years since I have written anything at all. It made me wonder why the very things that help keep us grounded are the first things we cut ourselves off from when we are lost. I am lost. Here let me admit to the universe out there. I am lost and I am writing it here in black and white; so I have no way of lying to myself anymore. You can be doing everything right, going through a perfect routine and still be lost. Most people are too busy getting through the routine, they usually become numb to general curiosity or casual pondering, which probably is good for them. Because mind is a wild wild thing and hard to tame when set loose. I go through this phase every now and then, it’s not new to me. It’s a weird restlessness. There’s no sadness there. Just badly wanting to do something, but not knowing exactly what. That urge to find someth...

Uncovered, Not Exposed

After ages of procrastination, I finally decided to try formal art classes. I had always feared that rules would take the fun out of my art. Art is where I go to unwind and let my mind wander, and the idea of placing boundaries in that safe space never sat well with me. But this year, I signed up for weekend spring classes; telling myself to keep an open mind and take in only what resonated. I was intimidated - I didn't know if this would draw me deeper into art or push me away. To my surprise, it was overwhelming, but in the best possible way. The reason for this post is however not to cover my art journey ( I have just started so I will give it some time to settle in ); but instead to capture my thoughts upon observing a profession in real life that I have only watched on screen - Live nude models. And the quiet power of their bare form. I spent an entire day observing nude male and female body for figure drawing, and it blew my mind in ways I had not expected. ...

Love, Loss and Father's Day

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now, but somehow words fail me. I started writing, and stopped at the first two sentences, erasing and rephrasing, re-iterating the process every time I attempted to write this. 8 months later, today on Father’s day, I think I finally am able to put words into meaningful sentences. It’s weird how most of the times, I just need an inspiration, an idea or a feeling to write pages together without any effort; and then there are times, when my mind is cluttered with so many thoughts ,eager to be put on paper that I find it hard to form a single straight sentence. But I feel like writing today, so here it goes. My best friend lost her mom to a health incident few months back. When I spoke to her she asked me how did I handle it when my dad passed away few years back. I could not explain it to her then, I just said you will learn to live through it. That was when I first tried to write this blog. Even after so many years, ...

To a philosopher in me!

I blog about my random thoughts; about things that impress or impact me; about how I feel in and about certain situations. When I do so, I tend to analyze the heck out of it. And that's why most of my blogs sound philosophical. I love doing it. My dad was a good company, we would philosophize ( I never knew this word existed :D ) about anything in this or outside this universe. Lately, haven't found a good confidant, but that doesn't stop me from going into this wonderland. Someone, after all the philosophical discussions told me that he felt I knew what I was doing, that I was wise, that I had figured everything (life) out. And I was like, Hell No! As much as I would love to flatter myself that he was right, and wished that he would have told it to my mom so I would probably get a time out; but No, that's like the most startling comment ever. I think, an always correct & ideal person can never be a good philosopher. He probably will have the fear of fa...

When Silence Speaks...

Search This Blog