Being out on the road is one of the most satisfying feelings that exists. Perspective is often needed to understand your place in life. Arkansas has much to offer but other parts of the states have greatness, unique to them and we would be foolish not to trek outward. Utah is a regular destination for the people of Arkansas, and most would tell you that you will never regret the trip.
The Grarquest continues, this time, through the eyes of Jake Grooms as Nick Gibson walks us through the journey. Jake's photography is followed throughout the local skate community and is known for his wide perspectives, vivid colors and his stunning steel wool photos posted regularly. Enjoy!
As we head west for our epic adventure, we felt we were prepared for what was to come, considering the amount of equipment and time we had. We surely had mistaken, but that didn't stop us. We kept finding ourselves going from hot to cold, sun to soaking wet throughout our whole adventure and it made it the more enjoyable surprisingly.
There are those times in life you think you understand nature and life. Then you are given the opportunity to experience life in a completely different perspective and your life gets changed forever. This trip was on a whole other level. Just an experience that will never be forgotten.
When overlooking the Canyonlands in Utah you are able to see so far it has the overwhelming feeling like you are a tiny specimen on this giant earth and it leaves you speechless. All I wanted to do was to just sit there and stare into the bliss. But the adventure must go on!
This is no comparison to how incredibly amazing the view is from on top of the Island in the sky but it definitely shows how epic this place really is.
Time for some relaxation! The feeling of being so close to the clouds made it a perfect place for an afternoon nap. We couldn't help ourselves and took advantage of the sun and warmer weather while it was available after going through a mild blizzard while driving through the Colorado Rockies!
Being on the edge of the world is a completely different meaning when you are here. The feeling of near death can be overwhelmed by the sheer joy of gratitude for the amazing view.
3,000+ miles were on the agenda for this adventure and nothing was going to stop us, or so we thought? We had to overcome multiple mechanical issues from a Rusted exhaust falling out from under the ride, to the alternator going out and the weather changing more times than i could count. But we made the best of it!
As we lay and watch the moon rise through the arches national park the Sun sets behind us, making for an amazing experience and making a dream like view.
We stopped outside the Zion National Park to get some food and drinks for the night. I came across this scene and couldn't resist to capture it.
Mid accent up Angels Landing in Zion National Park, there is an opening that pears into a sliver of the valley and it is pretty breathtaking.
After climbing through a rain cloud we stopped and hung out on the side of angels landing while the clouds were clearing up. As we were getting photos of this valley, a Rainbow appeared right below our feet, and unfortunately i wasn't able to get a clear shot but still was a spectacular experience!
The Peak of Angels Landing is just on another level. The storms were just clearing out and the sun was finally coming out to light the valley up beautifully. Almost makes you forget about the terrifying hike to get up there!
On our way down to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, I found this tree that had broken off at the roots and it made me think of the force mother nature has to up root a tree that grew through the rocks.
The Grand Canyon has so much more than a photograph could ever show. Its so mesmerizing and fascinating how big it really is, and crazy to think of how it was created.
While at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, we decided to hike down the North Kaibab Trail where i found this great view of the valley. We started our hike at the top with 6" of snow on the ground and we soon found ourselves in a whiplash of weather changes through the different elevation changes, from snow to rain to warm weather and even some sunshine. It was worth every bit of it even hiking back through all of it and finding myself in the blizzard back at the top.
Halfway down when the heavens decided to bless us with a little sunshine so we decided to rest at this bridge built over the valley miles down in the canyon and we couldn't help but to soak up the view.
This was our destination, Roaring Springs Falls! The hike was worth every second, It might have wore us out and soaked us from head to toe, not to mention freezing us near the end. If only we had more time to explore around, but that is what makes it worth coming back next time.
Leaving the Grand Canyon we cut through Marble Canyon and we were blessed to catch the sunset in such an incredible area. The sun cut through the clouds and created all these beautiful colors.
After driving through Monument Valley, and deciding to head back through Colorado to visit the Great Sand Dunes, the night before the dunes we were blessed by the heavens with the milky way. The whole trip we never got an opportunity to catch a good glimpse of it until the last night in the woods.
The Great Sand Dunes south of the Colorado Rockies don't look like much from a far, but let me tell you, They are much larger than they appear next to the Rockies and the reason they are there was discovered as soon as we crossed the creek to climb the dunes. Sand blasted us at what seemed to be 100 MPH and the sand having a scorching temp in the 100 degree range made getting to the top the most challenging part of the trip and half way up i felt like i made a mistake but although i got covered in sand, I enjoyed it and wouldn't mind going back with a sand board.
"This Trip sparks off a series of trips planned to explore West America. The trip came to a happy ending with a safe travel on our way back home. Well not before we stopped off and visited a good friend Marty and skating the local skatepark of course. I am very thankful and blessed to experience this EPIC TRIP with two amazing friends Nick Gibson and Cole Duncan. Without them the trip wouldn't have been as awesome as it was. I have to Thank God for making this happen and blessing us with safe travels!"
-Jake Grooms
@kaduzie
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