The journey to Moab - Travelling

This will be a series of articles (because there's just too many pictures to post in one) about my driver and me and our Moab trip.  This has been months in planning and it was exciting to finally get to hit the road!

We could hardly believe it and I don't think the reality set in until it was all loaded up and ready to hit the highway.

Our buddy Erik double checked our straps and made sure we were all secure for the trip (and the first time trailering the jeep for us) and then saw us off!

Erik was glad to have us loaded and off, but I think he's been looking forward to hunting season a bit too long.

At great recommendation from many others, we ordered a set of Mac's Tie Downs and we were not disappointed.  Their straps, hooks, and everything is of amazing quality and very sturdy.  We were very confident in them to hold the jeep in place the whole trip.

One last stop to visit a good friend at Purfect Logos for lunch before we hit the road.

Ok, I lied...we needed to stop for gas too.  But NOW we were on the road...

...and was it ever a beautiful sight.  This was going to be an AWESOME trip.

It was not long at all before we were in Montana, where we were able to stay the night with another of our good friends (it pays to have friends all over the place).

The next morning, it was time to gas up again and hit the road...but not before meeting up with another old friend...

...Tortuga!  We now had a companion for the trip as Tortuga and his companions would follow us the rest of the way.  Loneliness and boredom on the road can be dangerous so we were especially glad to have them along with us.

We were back on the road for another 6 or 7 hours before we saw some more familiar sights.  Taking pictures of me on the dash was one way my driver kept his mind from growing bored.

We stopped for a quick bathroom break and when we came out, we spotted one of the caravan who had split off and was scouting ahead.  Dave, his wife Patty, and his ZJ are a lot of fun to wheel with and we were looking forward to experiencing Moab with him

We knew the rest of the crew was not far behind and so about an hour after we were back on the road, they caught up and passed us.  What a caravan that was to behold!

Erik was able to loan us the use of his trailer because he was doubling up with Ed.  That Ford Diesel earned it's keep as it was towing a LOT of weight and didn't break a sweat.

It got later and later and still we pushed on...we started realizing our vision was about as blurry as the picture above and that meant it was time to pull off and catch some z's.

The next morning, we got some fuel for the truck and fuel for ourselves from the local Starbucks and it was time to get back on the road.  We were almost there!

With such a long load (longer than just two parking spaces), we had to come up with some creative ways to park without blocking the lanes of traffic.  Thankfully, there weren't too many other people around when we stopped.

After church, lunch with another good friend in Salt Lake City, it was time to make the final stretch to Moab!

The land grew more and more beautiful as we got closer.  We were so excited for all the fun we would have and all the beauty we would see in the days to come!

We arrived safely in the early evening and met up with everyone else for dinner.  We all hit the sack early because it would be time to hit the trails the next day.  But that is an adventure for another post at another time.