This last week was our annual quick road trip! This year we headed south. We only had a few days, so we couldn't go far. But we made the most of the time that was given to us.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Our first stop was Pagosa Springs. This has become a favorite location for many of our family members, so we were happy to finally make it there! The drive there is beautiful. Highway 285 out of Denver is a great drive! As we got to Buena Vista, I commented that Buena Vista really does have some buena vistas. Oh, and don't stop for gas in Saguache if you can help it. Gas was $4 a gallon! And the restrooms were port-o-potties!
The first thing I noticed about Pagosa Springs is that they have one movie theater. It has one movie playing, once a day, and it's closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays! Funny! The next thing I noticed about Pagosa Springs is what a charming little town it is!
Isn't it darling?! Love it! And then there's the hot springs. Oh, now that was HEAVENLY! I loved going from pool to pool, trying out the different temperatures. 109 was a little much, but I had to try it. Just my feet, mind you. That's all I could get in!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
We left at 8:00 am and headed for Mesa Verde, which is only a 2 hour drive from Pagosa! We had always wanted to go to Mesa Verde, so this was a real treat! We took a tour of the Cliff Palace, which was a fun little hike with ladders to climb and everything! It's really amazing to see where those people just carved out homes for themselves on the side of a mountain!
Amazing, huh? Unbelievable!
Here are some more pictures:
After we left Cliff Palace, we drove around a little bit. We didn't take anymore tours, but we did walk around the museum.
We left Mesa Verde around 3:00 pm and headed for Four Corners! The location of the monument is actually a few miles off from where the four states would meet if they remeasured using today's surveying instruments. But since the original borders are what hold up in a court of law, they aren't going to move the monument. Funny, though. But now I can say that I was in four states at the same time!
Yes, I am a nerd.
After leaving Four Corners, we head west through Arizona for a bit and then north in Utah. Our first stop was Bluff, Utah, where my great grandmother, Annetta Hansen Frederickson Craig lived for several years. They have renovated the house, so Mom and Dad didn't recognize it at first. We got a short tour of Bluff because of that. But here is Grandma Freddy's house:
Our final stop of the day was Monticello. Who should we see, but none other than Mater!
Who knew that Radiator Springs was in Monticello!!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
We went to the first session of the day at the Monticello Temple. This was my first time in one of the "smaller" temples. It was fun to see how the layout is different from the larger temples.
After leaving Monticello, we headed for Moab. That place has a lot of "Urgent Care and X-Ray" places. We thought that was pretty funny! Our next stop was Arches National Park! SO MANY cool things to see in Arches! A geological treasure trove! Here are just a few pictures:
Such a beautiful place!
We had wanted to take a dirt road out of the park, to save some mileage. However, it had rained the day before and the ranger that Shauna talked to said that the road would most likely be impassable. She suggested that we take Highway 128 north and west to I-70. We took her advice and were SO GLAD that we did! It was a beautiful canyon! Very similar to Lake Powell, just without the lake.
We made it to Grand Junction around 6:30 pm and had dinner, then headed out again for Glenwood Springs. We didn't get there in time to go to the hot springs there, which was a bummer. Oh, well...maybe another time!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
We were up and out SUPER EARLY. We hiked Hanging Lake and we had to get an early start because we had a deadline. I later noted that we were "that guy." We were the first ones on the trail, meaning we were on our way down when the next people came. I've always said "That guy is crazy!" about the people coming down as I'm going up at an early hour. We were "That Guy."
Now let me say this about the hike to Hanging Lake: IT'S FREAKING HARD!! A little over a mile and pretty much straight up. But let me also say this about the hike: It's totally worth it! Hanging Lake is absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!
Mom and Dad made it to the top, too! It took Shauna 40 minutes, me an hour and 15 minutes and Mom and Dad an hour and a half! I didn't climb up to see Spouting Rock because my legs were KILLING ME!!! We made it back down and made our deadline to be on the road so we could get home on time!
The whole trip was a lot fun! It's always so nice to get away for a few days. It was great to be able to visit a part of my home state that I've never been to! Where are we going next year? We don't know yet. The jury is still out on that one!
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