Day 8

We got up a little after five in the morning. Dad wanted to get an early start so we could be home by the end of the day.

We checked out of the Hotel Nevada and left by six. Progress was good, and we soon passed the state border and entered Utah. Once again I saw things I was familiar with--rolling mountains and sand-filled valleys.

As we drove along Dad noticed someone stuck on the side of the road. So we pulled over. Dad, Josh and Mom went out to see what was wrong and found that the stranded lady had blown a tire. They helped her to put the spare on and without much delay were moving on.

The day slowly continued. We saw the Painted Desert landscape again, and though I had already done so twice, I found myself taking pictures of some of the same rocks.

Again we had snacks and skipped lunch. We were making good time and, sooner than I thought we would, we crossed into Colorado! Mountains rose up and we knew we were getting close to home. We went up on swerving road and crossed Monarch Pass, the highest we got that day. We came around canyons and I really started recognising things. Finally, we actually got into our town! We did not continue home, though, because we were staying at Grandma's house that night. We got all settled in, took a few showers and went to bed for the last evening of the trip.