I spent my first night in Grand Junction, Colorado. It was unremarkable but to be fair, I didn’t deviate too far away from the interstate. I’d quickly regret this as I headed out the next morning on the interstate where disaster struck.

Tunnel Explosion CBS News: Both directions of I-70 halted for vehicle fire inside tunnel

I got stuck on the interstate for 2 hours with about an eighth of a tank of gas remaining due to a car catching on fire. So, I had to turn off my car to conserve gas as I cooked in the 95 degree heat. After this debacle, I finally got to Colorado Springs, where I stopped at Raising Cane’s for my first time. I’m ashamed to admit it but it’s better than any fried chicken I’ve had in Seattle. After Cane’s and checking into the hotel, I visited a nearby park called Garden of the Gods.

Garden of the Gods Garden of the Gods

It was a reminiscent of my short stint at Arches National Park except there was much more greenery. Overall, aside from Cane’s, it was my favorite spot to visit in Colorado. The next morning, I started driving directly to the next state. Onwards to Kansas!