Day 8-- I think

Ride to Moab, UT.

I love road trip days.  The scenery is just breath taking. I drive for hours and when it comes time to stop I’m bummed, I don’t know how that’s possible!  I drove from Fort Collins, CO to Moab, UT today. I’m almost to Moab, anyway. I took a back road to Moab and came to a campsite around seven, called Dewy Bridge campsite. I decided to just stop there so I could cook and make a fire before it got too late. This is the first time I've been able to make a fire because of burn bans, but I got a good one started. I hadn't started a fire in so long I thought maybe I forgot how. Nah, I think it’s like riding a bike- you never forget.

Fire at my campsite 

 This is also the first time I have been able to camp and use my computer. It is not primitive camping so my car is right next to me.  I feel odd sitting here in the middle of nowhere with a beautiful river flowing behind me, the stars are starting to shine, and I’m on my computer. Oh technology.  I may as well get it done now so I can get an early start tomorrow at Moab.  I am so excited to see the Arches and Island in the Sky! I am pumped to get star shots! Whew!

When I was on the road today, I was thinking of how I can keep traveling and stay out in nature with a job. I was thinking how can I motivate people and get them out in nature, or how can I organize trips to take people somewhere they want but they can't do it alone.  Can I make a book? I don’t know… How do I get my work to Travel Magazine or Outside Magazine? Do I just email them that I want to make an appointment to show them my work? Do I just show up at headquarters? Why don’t they teach us this in college? All I remember my professors saying is you can’t give up, it’s cut throat, so just keep going even when you think it’s the last straw. I’ve never felt like it’s the last straw with my photography, ever. But when is a good question. I won’t give up, but sometimes you wonder. That is why I am on this trip. Nothing was going to happen as long as I was doing any other sort of work back in Austin. I did this to focus on photo and get better every day, learn new techniques, and learn about myself. I think at the end of the day, that is all you can do if you are truly focused on something.  Set a goal- and get after it! Okay enough sappy stuff—but that was something I thought about a lot today.

Made it to Moab! Yeww! 

 On a different note, while going through Colorado, I was driving up and down through these huge red, rocky, mountains and as I look up I see this huge swing on the very top of the mountain. “Whoa! I have to ride that!” So I take the next exit and pull into a gas station to see where it was. They pointed me in the right direction and BAM! There is Glenwood Adventure Land! You take a gondola up to the very top and there are about 10 small rides. It was great! Everyone was very friendly. I went straight to the Canyon Swing and waited in line, it was short. I GoPro’ed it- I am just screaming the whole time. It was way too much fun, every person that got off of that had huge smiles:D  So glad I stopped to do that. I rode the gondola back down and was on my merry way.

A few short hours later Im here at my campsite, sitting next to my camp fire … on my computer, haha.  Im going to bed and getting up early J Talk to you soon!