Journey to the West
En route to Utah!
I've always been a play it safe kind of girl. But when I met Cliffton I found myself taking more chances and going on more adventures than I ever dreamed of doing alone. So for my last year in optometry school we were required to choose 2 off site externship rotations. There were so many opportunities to experience and learn in different places across the United States. Initially, I wanted to do what was logical: do both of my externship sites in Atlanta, GA. We want to eventually move there so it made sense. Not to mention, deep down I feared doing anything too risky. Moving outside of my Southern bubble might get dangerous, or uncomfortable. But, in a happy twist of fate I ended up needing to choose a non-Atlanta site as all the spots were filled. I thought about choosing other sites in North Carolina where my parents are but somehow none of the sites seemed to fit just right.
After weeks of deliberation, Cliffton convinced me that this was an amazing opportunity to seek out adventure and push myself outside of my comfort zone. So that's why we ended up driving 22 hours, and 1500 miles from Memphis, TN to Salt Lake City, UT.
We started out our journey saying goodbye to Memphis, our home of 3 years. We will miss the Mississippi Riverfront Park, that provided us with the most serene view every day, Gus' Fried Chicken, the ultimate comfort food, and all of the friends that we have made along the way.
Our first stop was Kansas City, MO. We had one full day there. We started it off with the WWI museum, wandered around the City Market, and ended at The Plaza, a local shopping area. We ended the night at Cliffton's newfound favorite coffee spot: Thou Mayest.
Our view from the top of the WWI Monument
Next stop was Denver, CO. On our day there we spend the whole morning site seeing and hiking around Boulder, CO. We hiked up to see a rock formation amphitheater. That afternoon we explored downtown Denver and ate at the most delicious dessert place, Sugarmill Denver. I had a delicious salted caramel tart, and Cliffton had a light and airy pistachio creme cake.
The Rocky Mountains
As we continued our journey to the west we were in awe of the Rocky Mountains' majesty and beauty. We stopped several times for photo ops and selfies of course. I'd like to think we experienced all four seasons in one day. From the snow capped mountains in Colorado, to tenderly blooming green mountains, to desert-like plateaus in Utah and back again to lush green- it was all miraculous and exciting to behold!
Goodbye Colorado!
We have only been in Midvale, UT for one day but already we are impressed. Last night we ate our hearts out at Sweet Ginger, a Szechuan restaurant right across the street from out new home. This promising discovery was enough to make us hopeful about what is to come in this next 3.5 months. This morning we dedicated our time to Donut Falls trail- a charming little waterfall on the Wasatch Mountain. On our way up it started snowing. As a girl that hates snow, and cold things, I must say the snow was absolutely lovely. It was the fluffy kind that bounces off your cheeks. We made it back in one piece, with soggy wet feet and lots of pictures to share.
I can't wait to see what these next few months will bring for us! More to come!
-Adeline
