The drive from Denver to Utah was beautiful. Landscapes varied from mines to ski resorts to a lush valley in a majestic canyon. We were so lucky to see a group of big horn sheep on day 1 of our National Parks road trip!
從丹佛往猶他州國家公園開的這段路風景優美，一路上景色變化很多，從礦場到滑雪聖地到峽谷，國家公園之旅第一天就看到一群大角羊覺得運氣好好！
The six of us flew from all over the place to meet up in Denver. Waiting at the Denver airport was not too shabby. We found this outdoor corn hole field and enjoyed some fresh air. My mom never played corn hole in her life and yet she beat everyone!
我們六個人從各地飛到丹佛會合，在丹佛機場等人太無聊還跑到室外呼吸新鮮空氣玩corn hole (我媽這輩子沒有玩過corn hole但是超強！)
Our rental car would be home to the six of us for 10 days – something not to mess around with. My husband managed to find us a brand new Chevy Suburban from the rental place! In hindsight, renting a Suburban was a good call. It was a comfy ride for six with just enough luggage space. Prior to departure, I gave everyone a limit for bags. The six of us brought three large suitcases (24 or 28 inches), two carry-ons, and two backpacks. On top of all the bags, we bought a medium-sized cooler. Our two giant camera bags sat in the middle of the second row seats.
租車拿到全新Chevy Suburban！六個人要在車裡過十天，車子真的很重要，後來覺得豪氣決定要一台Suburban是對的，七人座的休旅車坐六個人十分寬敞，Suburban頗舒適。
雖然租了大車，行李空間還是有限，行前還配給每個人的行李額度，六個人帶了三個24或28吋的行李箱，兩個登機箱，兩個背包，第一天晚上再買了個冰桶，相機包可以塞在第二排座位的中間。
It would take five and a half hours to go straight from Denver to the first National Park. To cut down on drive time, we stayed one night in Rifle, Colorado.
There are a couple of places to spend a night between Denver and Moab. Glenwood Springs is another option but pricier. Rifle is a much cheaper spot to stop. There are a few chain hotels in Rifle and several fast food spots, a Starbucks, and a supermarket.
We shopped in Rifle and bought a cooler, snacks, and large bottles of water for the next few days.
從丹佛降落之後，到第一個景點要五個半小時的車程，於是決定在Rifle, Colorado停一個晚上，把車程拆成第一天三個小時和第二天兩個半小時。閒錢比較多的話可以住Glenwood Springs，是熱門渡假溫泉景點，房價比較貴，吃的選擇很多。想找便宜一點的飯店就停Rifle，只有幾家中低階的連鎖飯店可以選，餐廳不多，但有幾家速食和星巴克，還有超市可以採購，我們第一天晚上在Rifle買了冰桶、大瓶裝水和一些零食和乾糧。
I-70 connects Colorado and Utah. As we passed by mining sites and then ski reports, everyone’s ears kept popping. The elevation rose from about 5,400 ft in Denver to 11,158 ft at the Eisenhower Tunnel – the highest point in the U.S. interstate system!
I-70 in Colorado cut through the Rocky Mountains. The construction of the I-70 Mountain Corridor faced strong push-back due to its environmental impacts. Overcoming serious challenges made this corridor a world-renowned civic engineering project.
Coming out of the Eisenhower Tunnel, we started descending into Glenwood Canyon. The scenery went from glacial mountains to a narrow valley. The highway wound through Glenwood Canyon with the Colorado River on the left. It was impossible to capture this view while traveling in a car. (Sit on the left if you’re in the back seat!)
從丹佛出發，連接科羅拉多州和猶他州的公路是70號州際公路，出了丹佛市區之後，先是經過採礦區，接下來是滑雪場，道路不停爬升，大家一直耳鳴，I-70在艾森豪隧道 (Eisenhower Tunnel)附近是全美州際公路的海拔最高點，高達三千四百公尺！ (11,158 ft / 3,401 m)
這段公路穿越洛磯山脈，環境敏感，施工困難，是工程界的著名案例之一，也是全美州際公路最有名的景觀道路之一。過了艾森豪隧道之後，海拔慢慢下降，最後進入格林塢峽谷 (Glenwood Canyon)，從冰河和雪景變成蓊鬱的樹林和壯闊的峽谷，蜿蜒的高速公路穿過整個峽谷，左手邊是科羅拉多河，其中一段還有鐵路穿過。坐在副駕完全沒有照片，在車上也拍不起來這段路的美，這段路坐後座的話可以坐左邊看風景。
高速公路上還遇到一群大角羊！
Dinner in Rifle was my first experience at a Sonic! I was so excited about ordering food at a parking spot and picnicking next to our vehicle. Being on the Eastern side of the country, green chili is not a common ingredient in cooking. My green chili burger further spiced up the excitement of my first Sonic picnic.
晚餐在 Rifle, Colorado 體驗美式得來速Sonic！
得來速很常見，但是Sonic這種停車點餐再下車野餐的形式在美國住了十年都還沒試過，明明Suburban超大一台還硬要開進點餐停車位，點餐之後，服務生會把餐店送到外面的野餐桌，除了這個點餐用餐的模式對我來說很新奇之外，還點了個綠辣椒漢堡，畢竟住在東岸或美國中間實在很少看到green chili調味的食物。
Stay 住宿
Hampton Inn & Suites Rifle
715 Megan Ave, Rifle, CO 81650
免費早餐，附近有速食店、星巴克、超市
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/rilcohx-hampton-suites-rifle/
Near and Far 