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After leaving Paris, France, Yunluo and Yan Shenyu came to the United States. Most of what I see when I walk www.biquge.info is the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, and what I hear and hear is the strong voice of the world's largest country, and the economy, military, science and technology, and entertainment are often the first words that come to mind when everyone mentions the United States.

But, all this pompousness aside, this land of the American continent is precisely the one that deserves to be savored the most. This part of the trip will take you across the central United States, with a focus on national parks and natural wonders that are unique to you, as well as the different landscapes of the American continent.

Therefore, Yunluo wants to show the most primitive and real American continent from the perspective of Yunluo's travel, so that Yunluo can temporarily forget the world's largest economy, forget this scientific and technological power, forget this military hegemon, and return to nature, return to the primitive, and return to the naked American continent.

Yunluo did a lot of homework in the preliminary preparation process, formulated a lot of plans, and finally came up with a set of plans that he thought were quite reasonable.

The road trip lasts about 14 days, starting from Illinois, passing through Kansas and Colorado in the south, traveling north along Utah, visiting Yellowstone and returning east, passing through South Dakota and Iowa, and finally returning to Illinois. The tour will visit five national parks.

There are also a few attractions in the small Arizona town page, which is about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) in total, which sounds crazy. Yunluo had dreamed of such a trip for a long time, and couldn't sleep the night before it was almost realized.

The day before departure, Yunluo went to the airport car rental office and rented a Chevrolet Impala, this large front-wheel drive sedan is really spacious, and the trunk can be said to be the largest in the car Yunluo has ever seen, and it is no problem to lie down for two people. But this model, which has not been redesigned for many years, still has a lot of impersonal design.

For example, the control is very uncomfortable, the driver's storage space is too small and too small, the data displayed on the dashboard is insufficient, and so on. But the low price of $500 for two weeks is nothing to complain about. The price is really good. When I first got the car, it had only run more than 6,000 miles, and it can be said that it had just come out of the run-in period, and there was still a smell of new cars in the car.

After driving the old second-hand car of Yunluo for so long, every time I rent a car, Yunluo especially enjoys the feeling of driving a new car. Although the car was very large, after stuffing the items that Yunluo and Yan Shenyu needed this time, they instantly felt that the car was full.

In addition to two suitcases and two travel bags, the car also carried a camping tent. Folding chairs, freezers, blankets, bedding and pillows, plus drinks, snacks and a mess of travel goods make this car a mobile home.

At eight o'clock in the morning, carrying the supplies and anticipation of the trip, I drove on the 70th road to the west. On the first day, there were no attractions arranged, and the scenery enjoyed was nothing more than a large area of hills and fields outside the window, but the excitement at the beginning of the journey made Yunluo and Yan Shenyu completely forget the boredom and tiredness of a long drive.

In the evening. Yunluo and Yan Shenyu arrived in a small town called Hays, Kansas, and stayed at the Super 8 Express Hotel next to the highway exit. There was no cloud in the sky that night, the clear sky was especially dazzling, and Yunluo and Yan Shenyu stayed in the hotel with a family, two parents with three children of the same age, looking at their equipment is also to take the children to experience the wild life, the kind of happiness oozing from the five people made Yunluo particularly impressed.

A short drive from Hays will take you across the state line to Colorado. The elevation of Colorado gradually increases, and it is uphill all the way. Denver is the capital and largest city of Colorado and one of the economic centers of the entire western United States. It has a population of more than 600,000 (it can only be regarded as a small city in China).

Denver is right next to the Rocky Mountains, compared to the scenery around it. There's really nothing to stop in this city for a long time. Yunluo personally thinks that in addition to the world-famous metropolises such as New York and Los Angeles, the other so-called "big cities" in the United States are all the same and featureless, and the attractions in the cities are nothing more than zoos or aquariums with various gimmicks.

Occasionally, some "historical sites" are also commemorating some small historical events that only happened in the last century, and are not worth seeing. The same is true of Denver, which was only built in 1956. It is younger than the capital of Xinhua, relying on Colorado's abundant oil and gas reserves, which is a product of the great development of the western United States.

There's not much to see, but big cities mean there's probably something to eat. There's a Japanese restaurant called domo, on the edge of downtown Denver. The white lime walls on the exterior don't tell you that it's a very chic Japanese restaurant, but when you enter the inside, you immediately feel like you're in Japan.

The restaurant has a tree-lined courtyard with small bridges and pavilions in the courtyard, and you will feel the urge to speak Japanese when you enter. The food here is also amazing, the Japanese noodles and beef rice are very similar to the taste that Yunluo has eaten in Japan, and there is a huge feeling of satiety after eating.

After lunch, Yunluo came to the home court of the Denver Nuggets to take a few photos, satisfied the selfishness of Yunluo, a die-hard NBA fan, and continued to rush west. In order to have a little more time to visit Arches National Park tomorrow, Yunluo and Yan Shenyu chose to stay in Grandjunction City, which is only an hour and a half drive from Arches Park.

But before going to Grandjunction, a little thing happened: Yunluo's car was reminding Yunluo to change the oil. Here is a strong criticism of the budget car rental company, Yunluo car rental told them before the car rental that Yunluo has to drive thousands of miles, and they need to change the engine oil for Yunluo in advance, they are full of promises but still give Yunluo a car that needs to change the oil immediately.

It's only been two days of driving, more than a thousand miles, and the car can't move, and Yunluo is very angry. Yunluo immediately called the car rental company, and they said that they could find a local budget car rental office to give Yunluo a free change of car, although they were very polite to each other, but Yunluo still wanted to scold in his heart: How long the fuck does this have to delay Lao Tzu!

I searched the Internet with my mobile phone, and there is a budget company's car rental office in Grandjunction Airport, which closes at 10 o'clock in the evening, and Yunluo and Yan Shenyu can go to Grandjunction in the afternoon. So when the time comes, you can go and change. But Yunluo's heart was still very unhappy, so much luggage in the car had to be reloaded, and a lot of time and energy were wasted.

Along the way, Yunluo and Yan Shenyu scolded budget half to death. But then I think about it, the unknowns encountered during the journey are also part of the trip. After Denver, the road has a lot of curves and ups and downs (because of the Rocky Mountains). But the scenery is really too beautiful to say.

All the hills are covered in tall and neat conifers, and the babbling Colorado River flows through the foothills, accompanied by large snow-white clouds, and the whole picture is stunning. Yunluo and Yan Shenyu stopped at a random viewing point next to the highway, and picked up the camera with a click.

The beautiful scenery made Yunluo and Yan Shenyu forget about the problem of the car for a while, and Yunluo and Yan Shenyu enjoyed it for a long time before getting back on the road. When they arrived at Grandjunction, it was already close to dusk, and Yunluo and Yan Shenyu were also hungry, so they used their mobile phones to find a Chinese restaurant called "Zen Garden" to prepare for dinner.

As soon as he entered, the boss greeted him warmly in Chinese: "Where are you from?" "Huaguo." "Where are you from the United States?" "Oh, Illinois......" The boss judged that Yunluo was Chinese by feeling. So before Yunluo could speak, he asked first.

The owner is very friendly, about 60 years old, Malaysian, wife, heard that there are guests who can speak Chinese and hurried from the back kitchen to greet Yunluo and Yan Shenyu, it seems that it is not often seen here Asian compatriots, two Asian faces of travelers make them excited.

The old couple came to the United States more than 30 years ago and opened a Chinese restaurant. As soon as you live, you will live until your hair is gray. The boss said that the natural gas resources of the city of Grandjunction were about to run out, so it was getting more and more lonely day by day. The city has long since lost its former prosperity.

This is also what Yunluo and Yan Shenyu saw when they first entered the city, the appearance of an old industrial city, there are few figures in the huge place, and the quiet and empty buildings seem to be ruins.

Yunluo has walked so many cities in the United States, this is not the first city like ruins, and the desolate impression of cities such as Detroit and Cleveland is still preserved in Yunluo's mind. The aging of a nation is slowly eating away at its prosperity.

Leaving the "Zen Garden", Yunluo and Yan Shenyu went to the airport in Grandjunction to prepare to change cars, but to the disappointment of Yunluo and Yan Shenyu, there were no ready-made cars at this rental location, and all of them were booked. The staff asked Yunluo and Yan Shenyu to go to their other rental car spot in the city center tomorrow morning and ask.

Yunluo was so disappointed, the time was so rushed and the morning time was about to be delayed, and a burst of anger surged into his heart: "Wait until I go back and complain to you!" ”

Yunluo and Yan Shenyu set off early from the hotel in Grandjunction, the purpose was to solve the car problem as soon as possible. Today's main task is to visit the Arches National Park - the first national park of Yunluo and Yan Shenyu on this trip, and only one day has been arranged for this park, so we must hurry up and get the car done.

Another budget car rental point in Grandjunction is located in a shopping area in the center of the city, all the shops have not opened when I go in the morning, but the window for renting a car has been opened, and the staff knows about the situation of Yunluo and Yan Shenyu and tells Yunluo that they also happen to have an Impala that has just been recovered, and can be changed for Yunluo and Yan Shenyu.

Yunluo breathed a long sigh of relief while asking her to repeatedly confirm that there would be no more problems with the car's oil, because Yunluo and Yan Shenyu still had three or four thousand miles to go.

After changing into a new car, it was already past nine o'clock, and Yunluo and Yan Shenyu had to drive for more than an hour to reach Arches National Park. The new Impala is a deluxe version of the previous car, but it is a little older than the previous one, having already run more than 18,000 miles. The solution of the vehicle problem made Yunluo's mood a lot easier, and he felt more comfortable driving this one than the previous one.

The sun was not visible in the morning sky, and the thick clouds were completely invisible. The weather forecast said that there would be intermittent thundershowers in Arches National Park today, which made the clouds very tense. The park is the landform of the Great Gobi, there is no shelter, it is not a joke to encounter lightning, and the rainy weather will also affect the mood of the visit.

Arches National Park, located in Utah, is one of the most famous national parks in the United States. There are more than 2,000 stone arches in the park, all of which vary in shape, but all of them are spectacular. After arriving at the park, Yunluo and Yan Shenyu first went to the visitor center, which is well worth a stop, in addition to souvenir shops and exhibitions.

There will be explanations of the park's interior and exterior formations, and the park management will help you plan your visit according to your schedule. All the managers are geographers who have a deep love for the park, and their advice is worth a listen.

According to their suggestions and Yunluo's homework done in advance, Yunluo and Yan Shenyu quickly formulated a tour route. There are two arches in Arches National Park that are a must-see, one is called "Landscape Arch".

It is the longest arch, and the top of the arch is not much left, and it may collapse at any time, so it is likely that it will be gone if it says no; Another arch is a landmark throughout Utah (it is printed on the license plates of all Utah-registered vehicles) called "Exquisite Arches."

Both of these need to be climbed on foot to see, the landscape arch takes half an hour to walk, the delicate arch takes nearly two hours, and the road is rough and difficult to walk. The delicate arch is the best place to watch the sunset, and many photography enthusiasts come in the evening to photograph it burned red by the sunset, so Yunluo and Yan Shenyu plan to see it last.

Some of the more famous arches, such as the northwindow (northwindow, southwindow), are on the side of the road in the park, so you can stop your car and see it.

The reason for the formation of the arch is interesting. Countless years ago, it used to be a vast ocean, and a thick layer of salt had settled on the bottom of the sea, and there was a soft layer of stony on top of the salt. Later, when the sea receded, the salt slowly piled up under external force, squeezing the layer of stone and soil that covered it into an arc.

After the sea recedes completely, the land here is eroded by the wind, the rain washes away, and all the salt is washed away, and all that remains is the arched land, which gradually forms arches of different shapes. Arches are fragile because they are formed not by hard rock, but by relatively soft sand, so the life of the arches is relatively short.

One of the most fragile arches is the Landscape Arch, which is located in the northernmost part of Arches National Park in an area called "Devil's Garden" (Yunluo doesn't know why it got such a scary name), and there is a flat path that leads to its bottom after getting off the bus. The landscape arch is the longest in the entire park. (To be continued.) )

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