Day 14-15-16-17: Jackson- Salt Lake City

Hi there

Day fourteen we left Yellowstone and head towards Jackson. We had to go through the park one last time, because that way we also drove through the Grand Teton national park. Driving through Yellowstone we came across a viewpoint we couldn’t really see the first day because of the bad weather. So we decided to do it now, and it was absolutely worth it, the colors of the Grand prismatic geyser were so pretty! After that we continued our drive. We drove through Grand Teton and the views there were amazing. You had the forests and open spaces with behind it these huge rock formations! It was really cool to see. We arrived to Jackson around two in the afternoon. 

When we were done getting our suitcases to the hotel, we went for a little walk around town. Jackson wasn’t that big but you could stroll around for a couple of hours. We visited some cute, but very expensive shops and took pictures at the famous antler arches that are made there. The arches are made with real antlers from the moose. They drop their antlers during spring and the local boy scouts make it an activity to go and look for them. After our the day in Jackson we went to bed and left the next day for Salt Lake City.

We arrived in Salt Lake city and it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. We hadn’t been shopping at all lately, so I wanted to go shopping here. We went to the city creek shopping centre and there I was finally in my natural habitat again ;). We stayed there until six or seven in the evening and went back to our hotel. Back at the hotel we had to wait for a friend that was visiting us. He lives in Seattle and got on a plane to see us. When he arrived we had diner and after that we went to bed. 

The next day my parents and Brian (the friend who came to visit us) went for an exhausting hike and I was left to do something on my own. I really liked the alone time! I went for a little walk and then got back to the hotel, watched some movies and youtube. When they got back, they were almost dead! There was an elevation level of around 900 meters. That made it a lot harder to breath. When they cleaned themselves up a little bit, we were going to eat sushi. After eating this delicious meal, we all went to bed because tomorrow will be an exhausting day.

The last day here in America. First thing we did was pack our suitcases and after that we wanted to spend our last moments here with Brian. We went for a drink and ate a little something. After a few hours of walking around it was time to say goodbye and leave for the airport. 

And now I am back in Belgium, recovered after a bad jetlag. I was really nauseous for a few days, but now everything is fine! I know this took a while to get up but I had to get my apartment ready for the new school year, which starts Monday. I am really excited and nervous at the same time. You can expect a few post about my apartment, because I really love it!!

Hope you liked seeing the pictures from our trip! 

The Grand Prismatic

The view at Grand Teton

The arch made out from antlers

Cute art along the sidewalk

kisses

Day 11-12-13: Yellowstone national park

Hi everyone

Okay so from Zion we went to Ogden, which was a pretty long drive. We arrived there around seven in the evening. From Zion we wanted to go to Yellowstone which was a too long drive. That’s why we had to do it in two parts and stop in Ogden. It was a cute city with still a lot of typical shops. Unfortunately we couldn’t walk around there during the day because the next day we had the drive towards Yellowstone which was pretty long as well.

Day eleven we left Ogden to pursue our drive to Yellowstone. We arrived there in the afternoon and it was freezing!! We were all so cold haha! We checked in and went to our room. I stayed there to chill a bit and my mom and dad went on a little drive to the park to go and get a map. When they got back we decided to do two tours. We were there for three nights, so we could do one tomorrow and the other one the day after. Later we went for dinner and when we got back, we watched some tv and went to bed.

The next day we got up and left for the park. Because it was so cold and we weren’t prepared for that at all, we had as much on as we possibly could! It looked really funny!! The first tour was a pretty long one, we left at around eleven in the morning and got back at around eight in the evening. With just one stop to eat and a few were we had to get out and check out the geysers. These were really pretty!! They had such pretty colors, we even saw one bursting out! Before it exploded, we had to wait for about twenty minutes. It was pretty cool, but I expected more from it. After that we went back to the hotel. 

Day thirteen we left the hotel for the second tour. The weather was a lot better, but still very cold. Luckily the sun was shining! This tour was a lot higher in the park, so we had to drive a bit further. Although this one was higher and further from us, we were done a lot earlier. Again we left at eleven and we got back around five. This tour was mainly just driving through the pretty landscapes. When we got back to the hotel we were all pretty tired so we just stayed there and relaxed. 

In the park we also saw a lot of wildlife, which I wasn't expecting at all! There were bisons, coyote's, elks, wolfs, bears... Unfortunately we only saw the first three. I really wanted to see a bear, but that didn't happen. Probably because they mostly come out in the evening. 

The next day we had to leave yellowstone and continue our journey towards Jackson. This is almost the end of our trip, but we still have a few shopping days left in Salt Lake city! 

The Mystic Falls

A lone bison

The Mud volcano

The colors were amazing!

A whole group of bisons

The old faithful bursting out

At the Hot Springs

This pretty river filled with leaves

A lone coyote

Kisses

Day 9-10: Bryce Canyon- Zion national park

Day nine we had to leave pretty early because we had a long drive ahead of us and we had to visit two parks and the horseshoe bend in page, all on one day. So we left the hotel and hit the road. We arrived pretty early at the horseshoe bend, but I wasn’t really impressed by it. After that we hit the road again. Around the time we had to start seeing signs to the Zion national park we were distracted and weren’t paying enough attention. We did see the rocks turning more red around us but we didn’t link it to the park. So we just drove further and further… About half an hour left to get to our hotel, we finally were thinking that we missed the junction towards the park. That was very disappointing, because driving back would be a really long way. So we arrived earlier than expected at our hotel. We visited Bryce Canyon and saw the sunset in the amphitheater. That was really pretty! All the little horns pointing up in the sunlight. 

The horseshoe bend

The colors during the day

There were deers everywhere

Colors during sunset

Today we had an even longer drive. From Bryce canyon we had to drive 5 hours to the next place. Because we missed Zion yesterday, we decided to do it today which was an extra two hours driving towards the park and than another few hours spending in the park. That’s why we had to leave extra early today. I was really happy that we did do the park because it was very pretty! It looked like Yosemite but there all the rocks were grey and all of these rocks were red! The colors were really amazing! We left the park around half past two and now while I am writing this were an hour away from the hotel. It was a long but good day!

Goodnight loves

Kisses

Day 8-9: Monument Valley and Page

Day eight, we left the hotel to continue our drive towards Monument Valley. This wasn’t the longest drive, but because the indians live an hour later we arrived too late to take a tour we wanted to do. Unfortunately this tour only left two times a day, one in the morning and one in the early afternoon. 

Knowing we were too late we sat by the pool a little bit and decided to drive through the park by ourselves. Two hours before sunset we left for the park. We drove through the 

rock formations and I felt so small! Everything was so big and impressive! These red rocks were so pretty, I think this was the prettiest thing I have seen so far. We drove around for about and hour and a half and by this time the sun started to to set. Seeing the red rock formations in the golden light of the sunset was breathtaking. 

At Monument Valley

Engraved forever

Yesterday we got up and left for our trip towards Page. This was a pretty short drive so we arrived just before noon. We couldn’t check in until 4 o’clock, so we decided to do the lower 

antelope canyon. This was amazing!! The colors of the rocks were surreal. During our tour we had a really good guide that knew a lot about taking pictures, so he helped everybody with setting there 

camera’s. That was really sweet and handy, because this way you could get the best quality 

pictures. After the tour, which took about an hour and forty minutes we drove towards Lake Powell. We decided not to do the boat tour and just walk around a bit. This wasn’t really special so we didn’t love Lake Powell as much as the other things we had done.

Such pretty colors

Feeling very small

She was called "Pocahontas"

This was called "The sunset"

We saw such a pretty sunset from our hotel room

Talk to you later

Love

Day 5-6-7: Death valley- Las vegas-Grand Canyon

Hi guys

Day five wasn’t really exciting, we left our hotel in Mammoth lakes and pursued our trip towards Death Valley. This was a pretty long drive so we took a few stops during the way and arrived in the early afternoon at our next hotel. When we got out of the car it was like you were being put in an oven! It was that hot!! We didn’t know how to act! We decided to spend the day at the pool and visit Death Valley the next day in the morning. When we got to the pool the water was so warm, it was barely a refreshment. We stayed in the water for a while and went for dinner. When it was dark out you could see so much stars!! It was amazing!

The next day we got up, had breakfast and left to visit Death Valley. By this time it was already 

boiling hot, but oh well we had to do it. The different places we saw were literally breathtaking. It was so quiet there, it really brought you peace. The colors of the rocks at the Artist drive were stunning! I didn’t know rocks could be that colorful. After the visit in Death Valley we continued our trip to Las Vegas! 

When we drove into the city everything was so big and shiny haha! We got to our hotel, checked in and went to the pool for a little while because it was boiling hot again. After a refreshing swim we got dressed and left to explore the city. There were casino’s and nightclubs everywhere! 

Unfortunately I am only 17 and couldn’t do much there. The city was impressive to see, and when you have the chance to visit it for a day you should definitely do it, but not longer than a day. 

Because if you’re not there to party or gamble you will have seen everything in a day.  On the other hand, it was very cool to have seen it! 

Day seven we left Las Vegas and drove to the Grand Canyon. Again it wasn’t a special day. We had a long drive to the hotel. When we arrived there, we checked in and left to go to the park. When we got there we walked around a little bit and after an hour or two we left to go and watch the sunset at a viewpoint. After that we went back to our hotel and searched for a place to eat. Seeing the sun set in the Grand Canyon was really pretty! 

Talk to you later

The beautiful colors at Artist drive

Taken at Zabriskie point

The lowest point in Death Valley

The little spec in the rocks is the sea level

Sunset in the Grand Canyon

An indian tower at the Grand Canyon

Some murals inside the tower

xxx