Colorado: The Green State

Crossing over to CO from Monument Valley was gorgeous. The drive out was through twisty and windy roads from red/rust colored earth to carpets of green and large mesas. 

The road out of Monument Valley

We met my in-laws at a phenomenal antique store that was truly like traveling in time. All items were beautifully organized by category or glassware by color ( of a certain period- depression era). 

We all then headed into Mesa Verde. Now, I will say I'm so glad we made it here but there are a few things we should have done better so here are my tips

* arrive early- the park is HUGE and the roads are windy

* stop at the visitors center to get tickets for the ranger led hikes. A lot o the park you cannot see on your own and you must go with a group. 

* if you have really little ones bring a carrier if you plan on going, some of the ladders are 100+ feet up and down. ( we didn't  do these)

* even the easy hike is strenuous if anyone has trouble getting around. 

* there is so much to see and it should be seen in ones lifetime

We were really short on time but hope to one day come back. Both girls made it to the Tree House where we climbed down a short ladder. They really enjoyed it and it helps them visualize different was of 

living including architecture and masonry

We spent the next two nights in a cabin at Vallecito just outside of Durango. The kids spent the day learning to fish in idyllic lakes set with snow dusted  mountain caps in the background. It was surreal. 

Durango is a very cool and popular little town. We wish we had more time to explore. There's a train ride up the mountain passes that takes you to the town of Silverton. There is also a bike race in which thousands of cyclists race the train up this treacherous elevation. This town had so much to see and do including beer tasting at Ska. 

The 160 from Pagosa Springs to Del Norte offers so many scenic stops and a gorgeous view as you climb in elevation to reach summit at Wolf's Pass at the Continental Divide. 

Getting to the Great Sand Dunes before sunset was a rush but also the perfect time. Unfortunately we were unable to

book a campsite inside the park and had to drive 40 min in and out. I do NOT recommend this site. There are campsites just outsete the park with a general store that looked a lot better. 

GSD is a park not to be missed. I loved it 10 years ago and I loved it this time.  The little creek that runs in front which you MUST cross to reach the dunes is definitely the highlight for kids. The dunes themselves are deceiving in height. Little legs did ok going up but had complaining once up the first peak. We didn't get very far. The worst part of this whole day were the mosquitoes. The older one gets huge golf ball like bites that took a few days to recover from. 

The next day we packed up early and got on the road by 7:30am. We had a long two-day journey to make it to Chicago. The drive along the Sangre de Cristo mountains is amazing, I'd love to check out some hikes one day. The portal town of Salida is very quaint and hip with art galleries,"coffe shops" and eateries along the water. 

We were giddy with excitement on the drive from Salida to Canon City. The Arkansas River winds next to the road with rafters all along. I would not take the kids at this age but I do intend on coming back to do this!!

The bridge at Royal Gorge is historic and stunning but the whole thing is a money making enterprise. You cannot walk over without paying a fee. The whole area is set up to be a theme park with zip lines and cable cars. It's unfortunate. 

After meeting with a friend in Colorado Springs for lunch we said Adieu to the mountains and locked in on some flat farm roads up to Nebraska. Staying on the local roads were scenic but you must pay attention for on coming traffic that passes head on to you. 

Seeing cattle graze on grass for acres and acres and a random cayote lurking was all romantic until you hit the interstate and from there on you get to see the Industrial Complex that produces America - Corn. 

Monument Valley: Big Butes

Our first night in Monument Valley is one to remember.  We pulled into our campsite at Gouldings which was nestled between large butes of red rock.  The site had lots of trailers and a few tent sites which were close to each other.  The bathrooms were amazingly clean, lots of free showers, wifi, and and indoor pool.  What can we say?  Oh and the closest drive into the park.

Our night was so hot we decided to sleep without the rain fly.  Around 4 am I woke up to some large drops on my face and my husband rushed to get the rain fly on.  By then I noticed lightning.  It may not have been close, but at 4 am and in a tent, maternal instinct kicks in and you're ready to protect those babies.  I watched for an hour to see the lightning light up the sky and also make bolts that hit the ground at some distance.  By 5:15 and some light in the sky I was ready for a run.  Heading down the hill I felt I could have been like Forest Gump and keep running.  It was breathtaking and even at 5,000ft elevation, I was elated.

We spent the morning in the park exploring the butes, learning about rock formations, erosion, and also precious rocks.  The unpaved path in our Prius was doable.  We fretted about it and so we took our box and hitch off and left it in our tent.  It was a good thing since it was quite a bumpy ride but nothing the car could not handle.  I cannot imagine the kids putting up with the open and dusty jeep ride.  The park cost $20 and it was just amazing to drive by all those butes.  However, I will say that if you are strapped on time 163 heading S/ SW is the money shot.  You see a lot from there and this is the movie scene.  Hitting this stretch at sunset is the best.  The park is hot- very hot at this time but it was amazingly green on the valley floor.  I will say that as much as we enjoyed looking up, there was more to see down in the grasses.  The wildflowers were stunning and changed from one location to the next.  Not sure if we got lucky with some recent rains.

The other highlight of our campsite was that we discovered some trails into the rock right behind our tent.  This led to the most spectacular rock arch form which rivals some photos of Arches in Utah.  I'm sure they are amazing, but for a quick campsite hike this was a truly hidden gem.

The kids spent the afternoon cooling off in the pool followed by a fantastic pork massaman curry and coconut rice.  This was one of the pre-prepped packets of food I made before leaving (photo on FB).  Simple steps like this have really helped expedite meals and to also make them pretty great since I would not want to carry all these spices and veggies around for days.  Having it frozen and in the cooler has been a lot of help.  Hopefully I'll have a meal prep/ camping packing post ready by the time we're done with this trip.


If you like what you read, please check out FB for random and occasional photos.  Most everything is done from my phone, so service and spelling are spotty!

Thank you for visiting!

Oh and we stopped at an antique shop where I got an amber cake stand and a blue glass ball canning jar!

The View restaurant. Excellent view Nd break from the heat, ok on food. 

The 'mittens' left and center

An arch behind our campsite.

Dinner of pork massaman curry and coconut rice. Some awesome whiskey from San Fran. But that was a mistake considering our drive to CO. 

Grand Canyon Star Party

We departed about an hour late, ate some Redneck BBQ and spent the night in Williams. 

This morning we headed to Grand Canyon to set up camp, ride the bus, and walk to the rim in mid-day heat and a whining 4 year old. With the promise of a "cool treat" we managed to hobble a few paces. 

Let me tell you that if you plan on visiting these big parks just plan on buying your food here and save yourself the headache of pre-packing food. Before coming here I stopped at Safeway to get bread, and some other items. After spending $80 on 2 plastic bags I am baffled that people shop in such places when faced with choices. I spend about that much on our weekly groceries from Whole Foods but that included 3-5 lbs of organic meats or fish, organic milk, fruits, veggies, and stuff I don't need. Safeway I got $9 of grapes, fermented cantaloupe, and some fake organic deli meat. 

My point is the general store in Grand Canyon has far better choices which I should have gone with. 

Things never go as planned. We are not getting hikes or grand views, but the kids are loving looking at butterflies, birds, and other wild life. Setting up the tent and just playing around alone is enough for them. 

Don't get me wrong there's a lot of whining and 'I'm hot," " I don't want to walk" so on and on and on.  It has been hot but stopping at the general store for a cool treat helps us all.  We packed up our burgers and headed back to the rim for sunset dinner. Ended up not going as planned but we went to the visitors center for the Star Party. Let me tell you this was AMAZING!  We saw Saturn 3 times. I saw 3 of its moons, the rings and all. We saw Jupiter, the lines across it, some of its moons, a very bright Venus, and the red giant whose name I cannot recall. We had a whole lesson on constellations from a Bostonian and at the end of it all my 6 year old was so happy she don't want to get to bed. 

All in all Grand Canyon was educational in so many ways. We spent a good part of today exploring the park as well but the drive out to Monument Vally was just stunning. Setting up camp in dusk and watching the stars (and planets) come out is stellar. Can't wait to see the park tomorrow. 

Family cross country road trip

Two adults, two kids, a Prius an a hitch!

This is us for the next 5 weeks driving from the west coast to the east coast making it our first cross county road trip with kids. I did a very similar trip 10 years ago with a friend when this same Prius was new. Now 10 years later, two children, and family to visit we are hitting the road in 5 days. 

That's right in 5 days we take off. Currently I'm on a delayed flight from Chicago heading home to finish the last week of school and to pack like a maniac. 5 days to get our act together.  To say the least, making lists has mainly  kept us feeling sane for this journey. 

It's a bit odd to write this but I was encouraged to do so by many friends who also felt that I should document our no-media way of travel. I guess these days portable media is normal and I have refused to give into it with the kids . My stance on this is, generations have traveled without being plugged in, so can we. In the past 7 years we have not turned anything on for the kids while traveling so I'm not ready to start now. If you start it you can't take it away so don't do it to begin with. It's just not a choice and when faced as such we make do. I'll go into detail as we travel and as I begin to post more. 

For the next 5 weeks we have to make do with the same limited clothes, meal preparations, and lots and lots of looking out the window and checking out maps. Yup that's right. We went to AAA and got ourselves half a dozen maps of states, regions, and the entire US. I hope to get these kids aquatinted with reading maps and working on their geography.  Yes we will have a GPS that's part of our phones but the main source are maps. 

As someone who stresses over healthy home-cooked meals on a daily basis, making sure we maintain this is very important to me for these 5 weeks. Yes there will be a road stop for some local fare, fruit/produce stands, local brew, and ice cream, but there will be zero stops at fast food. Again the no choice method. I hope to meal plan and prep when staying with family in major cities. We will have a smaller cooler, dry food bins, produce bags, clothing and camping gear. All this needs to fit so being organized will be key. 

Photos and smaller entries will be updated when possible on Facebook. Hope our experience will inspire you to travel some with your family this summer!!

Looking forward to sharing this with you and would love to hear from you as well!

The orange line is from my trip 10 years ago, green our current and changing route.