The Gonzo Upgrade

Don't you love when things fall effortlessly into place? That's how Joey and I feel about this whole new phase. From being tenants-at-will in our last apartment to Joey handling his business (shoutout to Mr. HYB and his beautiful fam) within a mere 3 weeks in San Diego. He came back east with new apartment keys and a job he absolutely cannot wait to start. Talk about getting things done.

Ok, I admit it. I should have had a little more faith when he started talking about changing our next destination to stay more en route and drive through the Rocky Mtns. We had chosen Salt Lake City, even though it was a little off course, because we had no idea what else Utah had to offer. Bryce Canyon and.Zion were the only two places I knew of and they were 12+ hours from Ft. Collins. Too long for our daily drive. So Salt Lake won, but once we realized we'd be driving up (aka north, the opposite direction of SoCal), and around the mountains, Joey started to re-googlemap our route. Then, Elena recommended Moab. Utah’s adventure capitol, offering activities such as biking, jeep safari’s, rafting, and hiking in two National Parks; Canyonlands and Arches.

7 hours to Moab. Then another 7 to Vegas. (You know you're driving across country when 7 hours is a short drive.) It was decided...if we could find a decently priced hotel we were in (ok, I wasn't completely sold just yet). Brian and Joey searched hotels and after 4 attempts Joey found vacancy at the well-rated (he lives off reviews) Gonzo Inn. What a name.

Sunday morning after breakfast at Col's we started the gorgeous drive through the Rocky's. Pics coming soon. Lots of beautiful landscape pics. And for those of you keeping tabs, this is about the time I thanked Joey for rerouting us.

Then Elena came through again. This time a Moab restaurant recommendation. She must have picked up on my "I want a delicious meal" vibe from the night before. The Desert Bistro. 4.5 stars. 28 reviews. Yes, Joey made me check. 9pm reservations was the earliest they had, but the antelope and mushroom burgers gave the guys enough they needed to confirm that's where we'd be eating.

And as it would go 9pm reservations worked perfectly. We got to Moab with enough time to check into the Gonzo (definitely recommended, Brian&Elena) and hike The Windows Section of Arches National Park, which is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches. I can't even begin to explain the aura of time, silence and scale that I felt during the walk. .....2 points for anyone who asked themselves "Did Amy thank Joey again?"... Yes I did and you'll see why when I post pics.

As if Arches wasn't reason enough to stop in Moab, Desert Bistro was sooo yummy. I know we have a bunch of foodies reading along so I feel the need to share our meals. If you're interested, keep reading. Grammy-styled details below.

apps:

gyozas filled with smoke tofu, tahini, Anasazi bean hummus & roasted garlic, served with a chipotle peppwr, soy & maple beurre blanc

sashimi grade ahi tuna<\p>

meals:

I got corn tortilla crusted free-range chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, served with Bistro mole, corn-black bean salsa, sauted veggies and a black bean, roasted bell pepper torta. Joey and Michael got specials, so the details arent exact. (Like you care.) Joey got buffalo filet-mignon in a tomato, garlic, pesto sauce with melted mozzarella on top, served with garlic mash potatoes. Michael got pistachio-crusted mahi-mahi, served with watermelon and fennel.

That was a very long post and I probably lost most of you after the first paragraph. Anyways Joey just pointed out Vegas in the distance, so I'm out. VEGAS, BABY!