History, landmarks and surprises: discovering the US

Grand Canyon. Monument Valley. Meteor Crater. Death Valley. Arches, Bryce and Zion National Park. Canyonlands.
I have just mentioned some of the most famous, beautiful and poetic places in the USA and, without any doubt, in the world.
A 20 days road trip to visit them all. Astonished, every time I stared at these beautiful natural monuments.
Some question were in my mind: how will I be able to be amazed again? How will I be able to find something more amazing?
These fears were strong when I have discovered a place that made me change my mind. Although it can sound exaggerate, believe me. It is not.
I am talking about Hanging Lake, a small but immensely beautiful location close to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. It might not be the most famous place on earth but it is a pure gem nestled in the mountains of the Centennial State and it offers views and emotions that maybe neither the Grand Canyon nor the Monument Valley can give.
After a 30 minutes hike through a quite difficult but incredibly fascinating uphill trail I was able to reach the lake itself. When you first take look at it, it is impossible not to feel breathless and amazed from that sight.
The crystalline water of Hanging Lake fills your eyes with an almost unnatural green-blue color that is still incredibly clear in my mind. And it is not only the water: the air is as refreshing as a bath in a tube full of ice and pure as the white of the snow that was adorning the place here and there.
I still also cannot believe how many small things Hanging Lake can offer you in a place that small. I walked on the narrow log that brings you right in the middle of the pond. I was sprayed with the icy mist produced by the waterfall and I crossed the creek that brings the water to it. I walked under the second cascade on top of the lake and I laid in the trees’ shadow.
But what impressed me the most of Hanging Lake were the smiles of every single person there. Not a single child crying, not a single couple fighting, not a single person complaining for the long and tiring hike. Just smiles and joyful people enjoying a startling hidden crystal in the middle of Colorado that maybe no one expected to find.