We crossed into Colorado and within a couple hours we were neck-deep in the Rocky Mountains. I have gone over the Continental Divide several times, but always via New Mexico. I wasn't expecting to be as impressed as I was. I figured "mountains are mountains." But only the most jaded of world travelers could drive through these jagged jutting monsters and not stand slack-jawed.

We're pretty sure these particular peaks are the ones Coors Beer uses in their logo.

We ran into a bit of car trouble on our way down the mountain, exacerbated by the fact that the towns in this non-ski-mecca part of Colorado are genreally about fifty miles away from the next... and the first two we came to didn't have an open garage... or really anything more than a gas station.

But we finally made it to civilization, got the car fixed and headed to the Four Corners; the only spot in the United States where you can stand in four states simultaneously - Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Sure it was touristy and dumb, but we still had a good time.

After that, it was onto Monument Valley. Look familiar? Well it should. This is the section of road where Forest Gump decided he didn't want to run anymore, as well as the place where Thelma and Louise locked a police officer in his trunk.

Thankfully (in my self-important opinion) this section of road is pretty far off the beaten path, so it kept the interstate tourists away and we had the drive largely to ourselves.

And no road trip would be complete without a trip to the Grandest of Canyons in Arizona. I'd been here once before for about an hour. But you can't take this place in in just an hour. Lauren and I spent a few hours here and watched the sunset, but I again felt like we didn't truly experience the canyon's full magnitude.

Places like this can only be felt and experienced, I think, by hiking into them, sleeping on the ground and listening to the sounds far away from the main roads and the crowds. Maybe someday I will.

Utah arguably has the most beautiful scenery in the entire country with scores and scores of red red rock and seemingly hand-painted desertscapes.

Driving along a narrow dirt road at one point, I was so enraptured by these awesome mountains and rocks, that I nearly didn't see the drop-off five or so feet to our left... Yeah. Eyes on the road Hodges.

After reading the book DESPERATION by Stephen King which takes place along a stretch of highway in Nevada dubbed, "The Lonliest Road in America" I knew I had to drive it.

So we did. In some spots along US-50 in Nevada, you can drive as far as 100 miles without seeing any other indication of human life, save for a fence-post here and there.

We took Route 50 all the way across Nevada and fortunately were not beset upon by any ancient evils rising out of an abandonned mine.

Of course, once we crossed into California, it was a blizzard that we were besat upon by (?). Going over Donner Pass (seriously) was the first time in my life I've ever had to put chains on my tires.

After four hours doing 25m.p.h. we finally made into Sacremento where we spent a relaxing few days with my friend Laura. The perfect mid-point to our trip.