Tues. Oct. 4, 2011

There were lots of RV’s in the lot at Harris Ranch when we pulled in last night. It must have been a popular travel day on Highway 5! We decided to sleep in a bit because of the long drive yesterday. In the morning we opted for something better than cold cereal and toast, so we walked over to the restaurant for a good “home cooked” meal. Then it was back in the RV one last time, and we headed for P-Town.

We had a great time on this trip, and covered a lot of territory in just 13 days! We could come back and spend an entire week in some of the places we visited J The drive was perfect because the weather couldn’t have been better, and the scenic roads were awesome. I am so glad that we were able to plan this trip with Barb, it was very nice to get away and enjoy the great outdoors!

Mon, Oct 3, 2011

Today we slept in! We headed to the Las Vegas Strip at about 10am. Last night we looked at all of the lights, and today we’re going to see “The Palazzo” and “The Wynn”. Barb has not seen these two yet. We walked and walked, looked around some shops, and played a few slots. Rich won $10 and Barb won $15! I lost a dollar L It was getting to be lunch time, so we walked over to “The Mirage” and ate at “BLT Burger”. We thought about going to “The Venetian” for some ice cream at Hagen Das, but our lunch was HUGE, so we just looked around at the canal shops. We left Vegas a little before 3 and headed to Harris Ranch.

Sunday, Oct 2, 2011

We headed out bright and early today for Bryce Canyon. We wanted to get there right when they opened at 8am. I drove behind the RV so that we could leave it at the visitor’s center and take the Honda through the park. Leaving the RV in the park allowed us to hook up and continue on to Zion without returning to the KOA. This saved us about an hour.

Bryce is a very beautiful park! It feels sort of like the Sierra’s because it has lots of trees, campgrounds and a lodge almost like Yosemite. There are hundreds of miles of horse trails, bike trails, and hiking trails. From the second look out we watched people zigzagging all through the canyon like ants! There were hikers on rims, in crevasses, and on the flat trails. After quite a hike in, Barb stayed to take lots of pictures, and Rich and I climbed down the Navajo Loop Trail. It was straight down into the bottom of the canyon! It was Awesome! It was so beautiful that we just kept going down and down, climbing over boulders and under tunnels. We stopped every once in a while to look up and see the canyon walls towering above us. Now that the pictures were all taken and my legs were like noodles, it was time to climb back up J Stopping every chance we could helped get my heart rate back on track, and after about a half an hour of climbing out, we were back up to the trail. Barb and I drove to the next look out while Rich walked on the Rim Trail, almost 2 miles, and met us. The three of us walked and climbed for over 4 hours!! We went to the Bryce Canyon Lodge for lunch, and did some shopping at the gift shop. We hooked up the car, and headed off for Zion National Park.

On the way we passed through yet another National Park – Capital Reefs National Park. Yes, this is beautiful country out here in Utah! We arrived in Zion at 4:15. Barb and I checked out the gift shop while Rich parked the RV and unhooked the car. He picked us up outside the store and we drove all the way through the park to the East entrance, stopping at all of the lookouts along the way. We drove through a 1.3 mile tunnel that was built in 1930. At three places along the way, there were huge windows carved out of the walls of the tunnel, offering you a picture framed view of the mountains! It was slow going because they stopped the traffic to only a few cars at a time, going one way. The Ranger gave a baton to the last car they let through. On the other end, that car surrendered the baton, and cars were then sent through, a few at a time, in the other direction – the last car carrying the baton. We left the park at sunset which was a beautiful sight behind the mountains. We went just outside of the park to the town of Springdale where we stopped at an award winning restaurant called “Parallel Eighty Eight” in Driftwood Lodge. It was a VERY fancy dinner, and YUMMY!!! Barb had fillet medallions surrounding a grilled Portobello mushroom, with a sun dried tomato aioli, and a drizzle of Dijon mustard sauce, all on a bed of baby spinach. Rich and I had a roasted garlic appetizer and pan seared pork over a sun dried tomato polenta, with a goat cheese, apple and fennel sauce. SO GOOD! We didn’t plan on such an extravagant meal. We were just trying to find a place with a big enough parking spot and this was it. Lucky for us J

We left Zion at 6:45 and headed to Las Vegas. This was a big day! 3 National Parks, 3 States (Utah, Arizona and Nevada) and a killer meal! We arrived in Vegas at a little past 10pm.

Sat, Oct 1, 2011

Today we left early for our drive to Bryce Canyon. The GPS showed a 7 hour drive connecting to highway 70. We checked out another route south/west through the canyons, and it said 4 hours. So we called ahead to the Cannonville KOA and asked about the roads suitability for an RV towing a car. She said that highway 12 was a beautiful drive and if we were up to the challenge, she would suggest that we take that route. It was a lot shorter than highway 70, but we would definitely be going slower. Well, she was right, and I’m SO glad we took on the scenic challenge!

WOW, WOW, WOW!!!!! This area is beyond beautiful! I can’t say enough times how breathtaking the vistas are. We meandered up and down the mountains, reaching an elevation of 9600 feet on Boulder Mountain. There were a few hamlets along the way where they farmed hay and grazed cattle and sheep. These little green areas with their irrigation sprinklers on were picture post card worthy against the rugged and towering canyon walls. There were cows actually hanging out right on the road in several spots J At times we found ourselves driving on the spine of the mountain which was literally just wide enough for the two opposing lanes of traffic. You looked over the edge on BOTH sides of you to a vast canyon that seemed bottomless and stretched out as far as you could see! There were many pull outs along the way allowing us to take advantage of every treat that came around the bend. At one of these pull outs, there was a long wooden walkway that you could walk out on, letting you get up close to several petroglyphs. The longer you looked at the side of the wall, the more of them you saw! Most of the way on this route we could only go from 25 – 40 miles per hour, but it was more than worth it! We still managed to save about a half an hour getting to Bryce.

After checking in at the KOA we drove a few miles to the “Mossy Cave” and water fall. The water flows through here from the river, via a canal that was dug by the early settlers in the 1800’s to bring water to their town. This was not a small task with primitive tools such as picks and shovels. There are a few small orchards left in the area that still take advantage of this engineering marvel. It was a mile hike into the falls and cave. There were two bridges that crossed the river along the way that offered great views. From down at the river, you could look up and see the beautiful rock formations of Bryce Canyon.

We drove into the little town of Tropic for dinner. Hahaha, it was easy to decide where to go – there were only two restaurants in town. The one we chose also served as a gift shop, gas station and grocery store! Tomorrow, it is off to explore Bryce Canyon.

Fri, Sept,30, 2011

Today, we have reservations for a 4 hour jet boat trip down the Colorado River. It took us 64 miles round trip through Moab Canyon and just into Canyonlands National Park. The view of the rock formations from the bottom of the canyon was very different than it was when we were driving high into the mountains. The temperature reached 95 degrees today, a bit cooler than yesterday. Sure glad we weren’t here in August! There are SO many things to do here; jeep trails, rappelling, climbing, rafting, biking, canoeing and lots of hiking trails. We hiked several miles all together in Arches National Park alone J

After our boat ride, we went back to the Arches Loop and began where we left off yesterday. We ended at “Delicate Arch”. It was quite a rugged, rocky climb to get there, but it was beautiful! This is the arch that is depicted on the Utah license plate and the welcome to Utah signs on the highway. We also took a little time at the visitor’s center to buy T-shirts, pins, a hat and a magnet for the RV. Then it was off to dinner at “The Blue Pig” a really good BBQ restaurant! Tomorrow we are off to Bryce Canyon.

Thurs., Sept 29, 2011 – Moab, UT

Today we headed out of Colorado and made our way to Moab, Utah. Our last stop before crossing the border was Aztecas restaurant in Grand Junction for lunch. We had eaten here before and it was a really great meal. We made this our destination lunch and I’m glad that we did. It was just as good as we remembered!

We arrived at the Moab KOA, unhooked the car and drove to Arches National Park. We did about half of the loop before it began to get dark. The rock formations here are really pretty. Over the years the sandstone has eroded leaving strange columns, arches and balancing rocks. It is a very scenic drive with lots of hiking trail to some of the more famous formations. We really got a good work out, as well as some great pictures! We had dinner in downtown Moab at the Moab Brewerey.

Tomorrow we are going to take a 4 hour jet boat ride on the Colorado River through the canyons in Canyonlands National Park.

Wed., Sept 28, 2011 – Aspen, CO

We set out early this morning for the John Denver Sanctuary which was just a short walk from downtown Aspen. Barb has been a fan of his for a long time and heard about this place from a TV special. After John’s untimely death in 1997, the memorial gardens were created in tribute to him and his work. It is a very peaceful and quiet setting with beautiful landscaping right along a stream that is home to several trout. The walking path meanders through granite boulders that are inscribed with the lyrics form some of his most famous songs. Visitors sometimes bring flowers to lay at the base of the rock with their favorite song in his honor. After leaving the park, we took the short walk into town to do some shopping and have lunch. The shopping here ranges from the upscale designer stores, to the touristy T-shirt and collectible shops. We had lunch at a restaurant right at the base of the gondola. The view up the slope with all of the fall colors was just breathtaking! We couldn't have asked to be here at a more beautiful time of year. We headed back for a little more shopping, and then hit the road to check out Vail.

Vail is what I consider to be the typical Alpine ski resort town. At a little over 11,000 feet, you feel like you have been transported to a village in the Swiss Alps J Everywhere you look there is a lot of carved wood trim on the buildings, window boxes filled with flowers, shops along stone pathways, and even a glockenspiel clock tower! We did a little shopping and then treated ourselves to some ice cream. There were still a few hours of daylight left, so we decided to hit one more ski town – Breckenridge.

This town has the same feel as Aspen, only on a much smaller scale. We had dinner at Eric’s Downstairs, a pizza pub and sports bar kind of a place. We did a little more shopping, and then headed back to Glenwood Springs. Wow! Lunch in Aspen, ice cream in Vail and dinner in Breckenridge – what a day!!! Tomorrow it is off to Moab, UT.

Tues., Sept 27, Alamosa to Glenwood Springs

This morning we drove to the Zapatta Falls. Our camp ground is at 7500 feet, and the falls is at 9000. When we turned off for the falls, it was a three and a half mile drive up a pretty steep gravel road. It was very slow going, and REALLY bumpy. Once we got to the parking lot, we climbed another half mile on foot. The views around every bend were amazing! All of the trees are starting to change colors, the rugged mountain tops, the sweeping valley and the Dunes in the distance – Beautiful! As we got closer, we could hear the falls. The water was flowing pretty close to the trail, and running quite fast. The trail narrowed, and the only way to the base of the falls, was in the water. There were signs warning of slippery rocks and fast water, so Barb decided not to go in the river. It would have been too easy to fall, and the water was FREEZING!!!!!! Rich and I made it a little ways down the river and into a cave that was carved out by the falls. It was very loud inside with the two falls coming down 30 feet from above. It was really pretty J I was so afraid that I might drop my camera, or fall in because the water was rushing around my legs. Wish I could have been steadier, I could have taken hundreds of pics! We walked back down the mountain, which was much easier and faster, and took in all of the beautiful views from high above the valley floor.

We picked up the RV and headed north on highway 17, to 285/25, then over to Glenwood Springs, our next stop. We are staying at the Glenwood Canyon Resort, right along the Colorado River. OH MY GOSH!!! Just when you thought it couldn’t get any prettier, there it was! Beautiful deep gorges (really deep!), and all of the bright yellow Aspen trees!! Again, my camera just doesn’t do it justice. It just dawned on me – the state motto is welcome to colorful Colorado, and the are not kidding! I just put it all together; Color is the root word in Colorado. There is a strong Hispanic history here, so I looked up the Spanish for Colorado, and it means flush with color, red hued, dyed and scarlet J We went into the town of Glenwood Springs for dinner at Juicy Lucy’s, it was very good.

Tomorrow we are going towards Aspen to see the John Denver Sanctuary, then stroll about Aspen.

Monday, Sept 26 – Alamosa, CO

Today we set out for Alamosa, CO. We were hoping to be able to sled down the dunes at the Great Sand Dunes Park! We brought our sleds and some wax, just in case. After about two and a half hours on the road, we decided to stop in the really small town of Ojo Caliente which consisted of 3 little buildings, and 2 houses. We were pretty hungry, so we chose the Mexican restaurant – hahaha! All 3 were Mexican restaurants J We sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather while we ate enchiladas, burritos and huevos rancheros. There were quite a few people there for such a small little place, but it’s not surprising since it is the only town for miles and miles along the highway.

Our next stop was Alamosa KOA to drop off the RV before heading to the dunes. The mountains were breath taking!! They were covered half way up with trees in their bright autumn colors; the tops were rocky and dotted with snow; and the great dunes glistened in the sunlight at their base. Yay! It looks like our sleds will work out really well. From the parking lot, the dunes looked SO close. Wrong!!! Walking a half mile in soft, deep sand is tough, and that is just getting to the dunes! Then it’s two steps up and one step down, sinking and falling all the way up just to slide down and start all over again! IT WAS A BLAST! We climbed and sledded until we could climb no more. It was time to call it a day. Uh-oh…… The half mile in the soft deep sand again. By the time we reached the car, we had severe noodle leg and could hardly breathe!

As we left the park, we saw a turn off to a water fall that we will try and check out tomorrow. We went into downtown Alamosa to the Rio Grande Inn for dinner, then headed back to the KOA to clean up and get to bed a little earlier than the last few nights.

Sun., Sept 25 - Flagstaff to Albuquerque

After breakfast this morning we headed out for Albuquerque, NM. On the way, we planned on stopping at the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forrest to kind of break up the drive. We had done this on a past trip, but couldn’t exactly remember the order in which we did it. According to the map, it seemed logical that we would go through the Painted Desert first. It was a bit off the highway, but should only take about an hour to get there and back, still leaving enough time to drive around a bit. We passed a sign for the Petrified Forrest, but it was off the road in the other direction, so we figured we would make a big loop and see it all. Well, we drove and drove for over an hour, and no Painted Desert. It was beautiful country for sure, but way off the beaten path. There was no place to turn around until we were almost to Second Mesa (check out a map!). We found a connection to highway 191 and headed south, back to highway 40, hoping to find the turn off for the Painted Desert before we went back to the Petrified Forrest :/ After a total of about 3 hours of driving so far, we were back in Holbrook – not far from our KOA last night!! But, there it was, The Petrified Forrest via the Painted Desert Loop!

The scenery is absolutely gorgeous!!! I wish that our camera could capture the depth and colors that our eyes can see! We stopped at almost all of the look outs. We walked around some Pueblo Indian ruins, and saw some really nice petroglyphs. There was a sign posted that warned of extremely aggressive bees along the trail, and sure enough, Barb and I were “buzzed” a number of times! After the 27 mile loop we headed on to the Petrified Forrest. The park closed at 6pm, and we didn’t want to miss anything. No time to stop for gas (not that there was any for miles and miles anyway!). We arrived with about 45 minutes to spare and hit the gift shop before it closed. Then we had plenty of time to walk around all of the fallen trees and take lots of pictures. Now our mission was to find gas (we really needed it) and highway 40 J The only way to the highway was back through Holbrook ! Ha ha ha!!!

So, we were finally on our way to Albuquerque! With a stop in Gallup for dinner, our ETA was 11:45 pm. It turned out to be quite a lot of driving – 542 miles, but we saw some really beautiful country! Tomorrow, it’s off to Alamosa, CO.

Sat., Sept. 24 – Oatman to Flagstaff AZ

After breakfast this morning, we took a short drive to the historic ghost town of Oatman, AZ. The weather was perfect! On the way we stopped at a small Carnercia (not sure if I spelled that right) to get a couple of bags of carrots. There are wild donkeys roaming all around, and they walk right up to the visitors for a hand out – sometimes 3 and 4 at a time!! Barb was a little freaked out, but warmed up to the adventure after a bit. Of course our first mission was to buy some hand sanitizer hahaha. The lady in the shop where we bought it said, “don’t worry, the donkeys roll around in the mining tailings all day so any parasites they may have are killed off by all the arsenic and heavy metals in the dust!” Ummm…….Really? Well, I think she was pulling our leg, just some local humor that was directed at us “city folk”.

We had lunch at the famous Oatman Hotel. This place was featured on the Travel Station a few years back. Everyone who visits here signs a dollar bill and staples it to the wall (or ceiling, post, stair, fans, windows etc.). Not sure when the tradition started, but the whole restaurant and bar are completely covered! Many westerns were filmed here including “How The West Was Won”. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon here J We ate in the restaurant right in the hotel - Rich had chili, I had a Buffalo burger and Barb had a BLT. In the middle of our lunch a gun fight erupted outside the hotel. The outlaws ran into the restaurant, grabbed a sack of gold, and stormed out leaving us all screaming with our hands up! Hahaha, when he ran in the door, he told us to scream really loud for the benefit of all the audience outside, and we followed his instructions quite well! It was fun. The Outlaws were all Shriners, and perform here every day, collecting donations for the Childrens Hospital. We bought T-shirts and souvenirs then headed back to pick up the RV.

We pulled into Flagstaff at 5:45 where we had made dinner reservations at Black Bart’s Restaurant and Saloon. We have been here and to Oatman before, and we knew that Barb would enjoy it. She actually saw the TV show about Oatman and has always wanted to visit there. Black Bart’s is a really fun place to enjoy a great western meal. All of the waiters have to audition as singers before they are hired to work there. Most of them come from the University here in town. They give a non-stop show! Everyone rotates from serving, to the stage – sometimes passing off their table duties to another waiter! I think we had 4 different waiters over the course of our meal J Glad we made reservations because it was parent weekend at Northern Arizona University and the place was packed!!

Tomorrow we leave for the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forrest, then on to Albuquerque.