Day 1

From Nuremberg to Frankfurt

By car to Frankfurt - The newly developed "place" Gateway Gardens is located one train station away, in the immediate vicinity of the airport. We parked the car at Parkinsel 24 using Valet, dropped it off directly at the terminal and picked it up again at the same place after our vacation. The process runs smoothly. The transfer to the hotel is just as easy and smooth.

Hyatt Place, Gateway Gardens, Frankfurt Flughafen ****

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Day 2

The flight with Eurowings Discover is the first of the season to Salt Lake City and is equally normal and pleasant. Immigration goes quickly and without long waits, all our luggage is in place, we get a rental car directly at the airport and do not have to take the shuttle. We get the Jeep Wrangler we booked. In the evening we attend a choir rehearsal at the Tabernacle in Temple Square.

Plaza Hotel Surestay Collection by Best Western, Salt Lake City ***

10mi

Day 3

We visit Antelope Island first. We are pleasantly surprised because we hadn't expected anything from it. We really like it, but the billions of flies are a bit annoying. We can't visit the mine because of a thunderstorm. We head to the Capitol and This is the Place Heritage Park and try some dirty soda.

Plaza Hotel Surestay Collection by Best Western, Salt Lake City ***

178mi

Day 4

We drive to Vernal and visit Sheep Creek and the Flaming Gorge NRA on the way. Unfortunately, the weather is bad and it rains every now and then.

Donosaur Inn ***

300mi

Day 5

Today we visit the Island Park in Dinosaur NM. The road is in very good condition and the scenery is fantastic. Then a short hike to Moonshine Arch. The sun is already gone here. Nevertheless, we like it here too.

Dinosaur Inn ***

107mi

Day 6

Today we drive to Grand Junction. On the way we visit Crouse Canyon, Gates of Lodore, Vermillion Falls and Rifle Falls. A long drive with many beautiful scenic stops.

Palomino Inn, Great Junction ***

295mi

Day 7

Today we want to go to Lands End on the Grand Mesa. Unfortunately, we don't make it all the way up because there is still snow. But we can still visit the Gran Mesa itself via the paved road. At the top, the lakes are still frozen over and there is still a lot of snow in places. We then visit the Ela Natural Bridge and Miracle Rock and drive along the rim in Colorado NM.

Palomino Inn, Great Junction ***

254mi

Day 8

Via Cisco, we are heading to a part of the Arches NP that we have not visited before. Our jeep takes us to the Eye of the Whale. It's not a long drive, but we agree that we wouldn't want to drive this route in a normal SUV. The drive is fun and the arch is definitely worth seeing. In Moab we make a short stop for supplies and then drive to Blading, with a short detour to Looking Glass Rock.

Blue Sage Inn, Blanding ***

216mi

Day 9

Today is a day on the trail of the Natives. First we go to the Over Under Ruins, then to the Butler Wash Ruins and the Mule Canyon Kiva. Then we drive to Hite to check out the water level in the Colorado. All the winter snow hasn't really arrived here, because you can hardly see any difference to last year.

Blue Sage Inn, Blanding ***

196mi

Day 10

The day begins with a drive to Boundary Butte Arch. The road is in poor condition, but we like the arch. We then drive to Sand Island Panel and Hovenweep NM. We really like the short hike here. Before we drive to Farmington, we visit the Lowry Pueblo.

Comfort Suites, Farmington ****

256mi

Day 11

Today, only the Valley of Dreams is on the program. The drive is ok, the roads are in good condition. The hike is also ok because you have the destination in sight the whole time. We like the third group by far the best, even though you have to climb the most here.

Comfort Suites, Farmington ****

139mi

Day 12

Today we also go arch hunting. First to Cox Arch, which is already very impressive. We also visit Octopus Arch, which is missing an arm, Arch Rock, Rooftop and Drumstick Arch, Petrock and Peep Arch and Pillar Arch. After some searching we discover that the Kiss Arch has collapsed.

Comfort Suites, Farmington ****

94mi

Day 13

Today we visit the Aztec Ruins NM and take a look around the historic old town of Aztec. Afterwards, we stroll through the stores in Farmington.

Comfort Suites, Farmington ****

77mi

Day 14

Today we drive to Flagstaff. On the way we visit the Shiprock, the Hubble Traiding Post and a few spots on Route 66. We like Winslow the best.

Highland Country Inn, Flagstaff

350mi

Day 15

Today we drive to Williams. First we visit Walnut Canyon NM. We've always left it behind and ask ourselves now why. Because we don't want to take the interstate, we take the country road via Sedona and Jerome to Williams. On the way we make a stop at Tuzigot NM, which we also find quite interesting.

El Rancho Motel, Williams***

182mi

Day 16

Today we want to drive to the Colorado in the Grand Canyon. After a short stop in Seligman, we pick up our permit for the drive to the Colorado in Peach Springs. The drive is great and we like it just as much as the experience of dipping our feet in the cold water of the Colorado. Finally, there are a few Route 66 spots in Kingman.

Best Western Plus A Wayfarer'S Inn And Suites, Kingman ***

181mi

Day 17

Our road trip continues today with a drive to Pahrump. On the way we visit Chloride and the Murals, Oatman, Christmas Tree Pass, Grapevine Canyon and Nelson. The owner of Ghosttown in Nelson is very nice. We are both allowed to take as many photos as we want for 10$. He even lets us inside the barns, which are actually closed off.

Best Western Oasis, Pahrump ***

292mi

Day 18

We actually wanted to explore the Sierra Nevada a little. But as there is still a lot of snow, we cancel our hotel in Bishop and take another detour towards California. Today we head to Ridgecrest. On the way, we visit Ryolite, which we really like. After a short stop in Stovepipe Wells, we visit U2's Joshua Tree. Before we check into our hotel, we stop at a few interesting spots along Highway 395.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ridgecrest - China Lake, an IHG Hotel ****

274mi

Day 19

Today we are going to Selma for a special reason. The detour is necessary because there is a Cattlemens Steakhouse here. This is Gerd's absolute favorite steakhouse and because we don't know when we'll be in the area again, we took the detour. On the way there we take a look at Red Rock Canyon SP and stop at the Tehachapi Loop Overlook where we are lucky enough to see two trains at the same time.

Best Western Colonial Inn, Selma ***

231mi

Day 20

Today we're going to LA because we've never been to Santa Monica in all our travels and I definitely wanted to see the pier and the End of Route 66 sign. On the way we looked for Lake Tulare, which had formed due to the melting snow. It wasn't very easy to get to the flooded fields because many roads had been closed off long beforehand. Then we finally made it to LA and the pier in Santa Monica.

Motel Sakura ****

296mi

Day 21

Today we take a detour via Palm Springs to see Marilyn Monroe and head to Las Vegas. We spend the night at the Plaza on Fremont Street. This means we can explore Fremont Street without having to drive.

Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas ***

355mi

Day 22

Today we first go to the Strip and then to the Coke/M+M store and HRC to do a bit of shopping. Then we drive to Hoover Dam and then to the Art District. In the evening we have tickets for the Neon Museum. It's great because everything is beautifully illuminated and there are very few people in our group so we can explore the grounds almost on our own.

Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas ***

103mi

Day 23

Today we head to Kanab with a detour to Pipe Springs NM. After that we can't do much because a thunderstorm is looming over us. So we postpone everything else until tomorrow and just go to the supermarket to stock up on supplies.

Parry Lodge, Kanab ***

205mi

Day 24

Today, with a few detours, we head to Escalante. Gerd is keen to get to Page to see how the water level in Lake Powell has risen. It's hard to believe but Lone Rock is in the water again. On the way to Escalante we visit the Sand Dune Arch, the Sand Caves and the Belly of the Dragon. Three small locations that are definitely worth a detour.

Canyon Country Lodge, Escalante ****

319mi

Day 25

Because we have a Jeep Wrangler this time, we want to fulfill our wish and drive to the Hole in the Rock. The last 7 miles of the road are only recommended for 4x4 vehicles. Before we tackle them, we hike to Sunset and Moonrise Arch. A very nice hike to two arches worth seeing. The Hole in the Rock is also impressive, especially if you imagine that the settlers drove down here with cattle and covered wagons.

Canyon Country Lodge, Escalante ****

140mi

Day 26

Today we head up Hells Backbone Road to the Kiva Koffeehouse and then take a short hike to the 100 Hands Panel. To round off the day, we drive to Devils Garden.

Canyon Country Lodge, Escalante ****

101mi

Day 27

As an alternative to Highway 12, today we take the old Escalante Rd and Griffith Top towards Bryce Canyon. A very nice alternative with great views. But we leave Bryce Canyon aside because this time we want to do some hiking in Red Canyon. Then we take a detour via Cedar Breaks NM to Cedar City.

Best Western Plus, Cedar City ***

150mi

Day 28

Today we visit Pine Park. Very lonely and that's exactly why we like it. There aren't many places like this left in the southwest. We then head to Cathedral Gorge SP and Teapot Arch. Then we treat our Jeep to a professional car wash. As it doesn't really get clean on the first run, we are allowed to drive through again.

Best Western Plus, Cedar City ***

214mi

Day 29

Today we are heading back to Salt Lake City. Today we also manage to visit the Bingham Canyon Mine. The huge hole and the gigantic vehicles are very impressive.

Comfort Suites Airport, Salt Lake City ***

303mi

Day 30

Salt Lake City to Frankfurt

Not much else happens today apart from packing. Our flight back to Frankfurt departs in the early afternoon.

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4mi