This is post 21 on our cross-country USA adventure as we travel though Utah and Colorado, on our 6-month adventure.
The following areas in Utah and Colorado are covered in this post.
Day 1: Prescott Valley to Monticello, UT (day 161 of the overall trip)
On last year’s road trip, we had 4 different stops in New Mexico as well as several in Texas. Even though it is warmer there, we opt to go north and bypass them both our way home. We both agree that southern UT is one of our favorite places in the US so we’re going to spend 4 days in Monticello, about 45 minutes south of Moab.
Prescott Valley toward Flagstaff Arizona
Rt 89 North to Rt 160 and through the Navaho Indian Reservation
Passing though Flagstaff we proceed north on Arizonia 89 and then turn off on Rt 160 which will take us through the heart of a massive Navaho reservation. its cloudy and overcast and we can see evidence of flooding as we push through this area. We are disappointed in the weather as this is a really scenic area and the weather is hiding a lot of beautiful landscapes.
Rt-191 to Bluff Utah
As we near Utah, we turn on Rt-191 and for a bit, the weather lets up and the sun pokes out here and there as we pull into the town of Bluff.
Bluff Fort Historic Site
As we approach the town of Bluff we see signs for Bluff Fort Historic Site – and it is a welcome site! We could use a break from driving and we love visiting these old forts. The more we visit, the more we understand the times and culture of their time period and how some interconnect in the story of settling the west. This park is free and tells the story of early Mormon settlers to this area along the San Juan River. The church enticed a number of its parishioners to forge a route from Escalante to Bluff to settle a new community in southern Utah before the lawless men ruled this space. Seventy families answered the “calling”, expecting the journey to be 125 miles over six weeks. Instead, it took them six weeks just to blast a path, now known as Hole-in-the-Rock, into the cliffs to create safe passage through a treacherous 1,200-foot drop. All told, the journey covered 260 miles and took six months, remarkably without a single death.
The restored fort has 21 buildings that do a great job of telling what life was like for these pioneers. Many of the buildings offer voice recordings (in 7 languages) that tell individual stories whether it is the perspective of a child, a parent, a farmer or a tradesman. Bluff proved to be quite challenging to tame and many families eventually went north to either Blanding or Monticello where conditions were more favorable for farming.
Bluff to Monticello Utah
We still have an hour north to drive to our lodging in Monticello. As we pass through Blanding we spot a Dinosaur Museum we make note to visit while we’re here.
Our Cabin Rental in Monticello
We’ve scored another amazing VRBO rental overlooking a golf course with spectacular views of the Abajo Mountains in the distance. The leaves are in their full fall color glory. The house is a little dated, obviously built in the 60’s, but offers a great respite for us. You can feel the essence of the love in this home for the family that for over 4 generations, spent many hours here together. There are many pictures of the family, gems and fossils collected in the area over the years displayed throughout the house. They’ve framed a 1-foot square section of the original orange and green shag carpet and it hangs at the bottom of the basement stairs. We have a modernized kitchen, 2 bedrooms and 2 family rooms (one on each floor). We aren’t within walking distance of anything, but we’re a 45-minute drive from multiple cool places to explore.
Day 2: A Southern Utah Adventure Loop Day (day 162 of the overall trip)
We’re going to spend today visiting 3 places we’ve never been and 3 places that were the highlight of our time here in 2009. Here’s where we talk about an observation we made while in the area. The temperatures were basically a high between 65 and 70 each day and how it feels isn’t the same as how it feels at home. Here, it means shorts and short sleeve shirts – it feels hot. At home, we’d have at least a thin long sleeve shirt on. We know humidity is a factor and this area has very low humidity. It is also light colored rocks, not much dirt and the heat must reflect off the rock. So let’s just say, we wouldn’t want to be in this area hiking outside if temperatures were any higher.
Muki
South Toward Bridges National Monument
First on the agenda for the day is Bridges National Monument and drive south on rt 191 and then west on rt 95, is truly beautiful.
Mule Canyon Indian Ruins
Before reaching Bridges National Monument we spot a sign for the Mule Canyon Indian Ruins and decide to check it out. It turns out to be the 700-year-old ruins of an Anasazi community located in the Bears Ears National Monument. It’s not large by the standards of many of the ruin sites in this area of the world, but it was worth a bit of time to stop and read the placards and walk around.
Natural Bridges National Monument
It takes an hour to drive south, then west to Natural Bridges National Monument, a place we didn’t have a chance to visit on our last trip. Utah’s first National Monument has 3 impressive natural bridges that can be seen from the road and/or experienced by hiking to its base. As always, our first stop is at the Visitor Center.
Into the Park
Leaving the Visitor Center, we begin the loop drive into the park and are treated to sweeping views of the surrounding country.
Sipapu Bridge
The first bridge to explore is Sipapu Bridge, the largest and most spectacular of the bridges. It is, in fact, the 13th largest natural bridge in the world! It is 220 feet high with a 268 feet long span. We have a full schedule today and have decided we only have time for one hike in this park today. We opt to skip the hike to the base since it is considered the most strenuous of the three with a trail that includes makeshift ladders, rope climbing and takes about 4 hours to complete. From the overlook we get a pretty decent view of the bridge below.
Kachina Bridge
The second bridge is Kachina, a bridge that is 210 feet high with a span of 204 feet. We learn as recently as 1992, more of the sandstone rock fell, enlarging the opening. We also opt to skip this 1.5 hour hike to ensure we have time today to see all that we want to see.
Owachomo Bridge
At the third bridge, Owachomo, we learn it is the smallest and oldest of the three at 106 feet high with a span of 180 feet. We do the .5 mile hike to the base and marvel at what water erosion created.
The Route to Muley Point
Our next destination today is Muley Point and the road from Bridges National Monument sweeps along on top of a high plateau.
Muley Point
Back in 2009 when we explored southern UT, we found this amazing overlook called Muley Point Overlook. Muley Point Overlook is a true hidden gem that offers stunning panoramic sweeping views of canyon country. Muley Point itself is a landscape of enormous boulders with numerous cracks, some as deep as 20 feet. It is so quiet, you can hear your heartbeat. On a clear day you can see Monument Valley, the Four Corners, Valley of the Gods, and the Goosenecks. It is considered one of the best free camping sites and for us, one of our favorite lunch spots. There’s no picnic tables, we just sit on the tailgate and enjoy the serenity, the view and lunch. Other than one tent way off in the distance, we’re the only ones here for well over an hour.
Don’t get too close to the edge, it’s a REALLY long way down!
Moki Dugway
Muley Point is located just a short 4 mile drive off a road known as Moki Dugway. Not for the faint of heart, this 33-mile road contains an 8-mile section of unpaved road is narrow, winding and pretty much nothing but 11% grade switchbacks that take you down the side of a cliff. When you’re not white-knuckle concentrating on the drive, you can enjoy views of Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods in the distance and the San Juan River Canyon below. Last time we were here we drove up Moki Dugway to Muley Point Overlook and then back down the same route. This time we drove the easy paved part first (new to us) from Natural Bridges to Muley Point Overlook and then only drove the unpaved descent down to the town of Medicine Hat.
Gooseneck State Park
Next, we head to another place we haven’t been to before – Gooseneck State Park – that offers an overlook of several “gooseneck” turns in the San Juan River over 1000 feet below. The river takes over 6 miles of meandering turns for the river to advance a mere 1.5 miles. The view is amazing and there’s a $5 state park entry fee, but that’s pretty much all there is (unless you want to have a picnic lunch or camp). We are here a total of maybe 15 minutes.
A Look Back
Before heading to our next destination, we look back and see the cliffs of the Muki Dugway before us and it’s hard to believe there is a road to the top imbedded in those rocks.
Valley of the Gods
We return to one of our other favorite places in this area – Valley of the Gods. The views here are similar to the more well-known Monument Valley, but unlike Monument Valley, this place is not run by the Navajo nation, is free, and doesn’t require a Navajo guide. It is also WAY less crowded than Monument Valley! The 19-mile gravel and dirt road winds through stunning buttes, towering pinnacles and offers sweeping views of the valley. It takes us well over 2-hours to slowly navigate the road and enjoy the beauty.
Valley of the Gods back to Monticello
We pop out of Valley of the Gods and head back to Monticello first on Rt 163 east and then north in Rt 191. The weather is great and in this part of the world, it seems that incredible beauty is always around the next corner.
Day 3: The Dino Museum and Canyonlands Overlooks (day 163 of the overall trip)
The Dinosaur Museum
We have another full day planned today and we start by heading south to Blanding to visit The Dinosaur Museum just as it opens at 9:00am. We’ve been to many dinosaur museums over the course of our travels and this one is keeper! It does an amazing job of laying out the evolution of dinosaurs, including how they’ve helped prove out the tectonic plate theories and the once large supercontinent of Pangea. It contains a massive section of a petrified tree from the Permian period (one of only 9 known pieces) and explains how it differs from the more common petrified wood of the Mesozoic period. The museum includes not only skeletons, but has fossilized skin, eggs, and footprints.
Dinosaurs and Birds
Unlike many dinosaur museums which focus on creatures like the T-Rex, this one has a particular focus devoted to recent research and proof that some dinosaurs had feathers and how birds descended from dinosaurs.
Movies and Pop Culture
And that’s just half of the museum’s focus. The other half chronicles the evolution of dinosaurs in pop culture and films. There is a vast collection of original movie posters and memorabilia. This was a wonderful alternate aspect of dinosaurs presented by a museum. Check out the picture of the really big bird below!
How the Original Movies were Made
We learn the first movie was called the Ghost of Slumber Mountain and they show how the stop-motion filming brought dinosaurs “to life” for the first time. This silent black and white film continuously plays on a screen. They have the original mechanically operated brontosaurus used in the filming of the 1933 King Kong movie. They have a display where you can see the multiple layers of foreground and background that helped create the illusion of a scene.
BLM drive to Canyonlands Overlooks
The museum was great but it’s time to move on to our next destination of the day. Our VRBO host had a hand-made book of things to do and see in the area. While many offer this, few have places in their books that we didn’t find in our research. They not only had the individual places, but suggested daily itineraries that combined several places. We learned there is a drive on BLM land that is just outside of Canyonlands National Park that has 2 overlooks with fantastic views. For a brief description of Canyonlands National Park, it is comprised of 3 regions/areas.
The most popular area is called Island in the Sky, named for a large mesa providing multiple views of the many canyons in the park. The second most visited area is called Needles which is located in the southeast corner named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone found here. The third area is called The Maze and it requires a permit to travel and explore this area, because it is the least explored area in the entire lower 48.
The turn-off is about halfway between Monticello and Moab and is a 38-mile unpaved route. We decided to drive the full-length first to Anticline Overlook and do the other on the way back.
Along the way we pull over several times on the gravel road and hike in a bit to get a few photos of Canyonlands National Park which is below us.
Minor Overlook
As it turns out, there is a “minor overlook” aptly named “Minor Overlook” a few miles before the Anticline Overlook. We do stop there where we meet 3 folks travelling together – a sister, brother and brother-in-law who are all nearing retirement. The brother comes out this way at least once a year and he’s brought the others along this year to share this area he loves so much. They are camping and have 3 vehicles between them since the sister lives in Florida, the brother-in-law in Chicago and he lives in Colorado. It is a great view, but they assure us the one at Anticline Overlook is even better.
Anticline Overlook
An anticline is an “A” shaped geological arch caused by an uplift folding of the earth. This overlook provides sweeping views of parts of Canyonlands’ Island in the Sky and Maze areas as well as the La Sal Mountains. The Kane Creek Anticline is located across the Colorado River off in the distance, just past the Potash Evaporation Ponds below. As a former seabed, a company named Intrepid mines the salt that is mixed with potassium – hence the name Potash. We are at least 1500′ feet above the canyon below and cars look like ants as they drive the 39-mile unpaved Shafer Trail through Canyonlands. This is an off-road experience that requires not only high clearance, but four-wheel drive (even all-wheel drive is not recommended). We grab lunch here and marvel at how uncrowded it is, as we are the only people here for well over an hour. What a glorious off-the-beaten path place.
Needles Overlook
On the drive back out, we take the turn-off to Needles Overlook. It is definitely the lesser of the two. And while it provides a “view” of the Needles section of Canyonlands, they are so far off in the distance we’d hardly really call it a view. All in all, we highly recommend the drive out to Anticline, Minor and Needles Overlooks.
Newspaper Rock
We take a peek at the maps of the area and decide we want to take a scenic drive back to Monticello. To get to this scenic drive we head towards the Island in the Sky entrance to Canyonlands. The turn-off to our road is just 6 miles from some petroglyphs called Newspaper Rock, so we decide to take the time while we’re here and go see them again. They are just as we remembered them, and it is somewhat strange to us that there’s just one large cliff wall with hundreds of petroglyphs – but none other on nearby cliffs.
Hart Draw Rd
We head back the 6 miles to a road named Hart Draw Rd and learn this drive back adds only 5 extra minutes as compared to the main highway back. This road isn’t listed as a scenic drive, but it sure is as it travels along the northwestern side of the Abajo Mountains we see from a distance at our rental. We are treated to the vibrant fall colors of aspens and maples in the distance as well as numerous spruce trees along the route.
Back Home to Monticello
About halfway through the drive, views of red rock desert canyons and buttes come into view. Further along, the La Sal Mountains frame our view in the distance. There’s a campground near Monticello at Monticello Lake. We highly recommend this road for its scenery and way less traffic than the main toad. Well, less car traffic – we did have to stop for free-range cows here and there.
Dinner at Granary Bar & Grill
We’ve been eating in the past few days and are ready to treat ourselves to a meal out tonight. There aren’t many places that appeal to us in Monticello, but we do find the Granary Bar & Grill. The restaurant and 2-room bed & breakfast are located in the grain silos of an old grist mill. It advertises itself as a 1920’s era speakeasy and we grab 2 seats at the 5-seat bar. Our flamboyant bartender is Charlie who is delightful and jokes around with all the bar area customers. We briefly chat with two local folks having dinner at a nearby table and after a great meal, we call it a day.
Day 4: Moab & More Canyonlands (day 164 of the overall trip)
Our day starts with a text from our daughter that our hot tub at home is leaking. We have her unscrew the front panel and take a video of the leak and then have her turn off the hot tub (which stops the leak). She’s such a dear to drive 45 minutes to the dealership on her day off to show them the video to hopefully avoid 2 service calls (one to diagnose and one to fix once they order the part). We head to Moab for reliable cell phone service since we await her call once she reaches the dealership.
Wilson Arch on UT-191
Halfway to Moab we stop at the roadside Wilson Arch. Made of sandstone, it is 46 feet tall with a span of 91 feet.
Moab
Meanwhile, we realize our truck is going to need its 40,000-mile service soon. We find a dealership at our next stop but they don’t have availability for another 12 days (way beyond when we’ll be there). We reach a dealership at the next major destination after that and they have plenty of availability just 8 days away. We get to Moab and walk the main strip weaving in and out of souvenir shops looking for the perfect Moab/Canyonlands shot glass. Once we leave Moab, we’ll be out of cell phone range so we’re stuck here until we hear from our daughter. We scout out a place to have lunch and finally our daughter calls from the hot tub dealership and we learn they can come out and fix it tomorrow. We’ve averted two challenges and can now relax, so we head to Zax for lunch.
Islands of the Sky – Canyonlands
With half the day gone, we decide to head to the Islands of the Sky region of Canyonlands.
Shafer Trail Road
We’ve read up on the Shafer Trail back-country drive but the ranger at the Visitor Center says it will take 4 hours. We decide to save it for a future trip to the area because by the time we’d be done with that, the sun would be setting and we’d still have the hour plus drive back to Monticello. We won’t even have enough time to stop by all the main features in this region, but we did come here back in 2009.
The decent down into the Valley on Shafer Road is NOT for the faint hearted. Sharp, narrow turns and long drop offs are the norm. Look at the pictures below to get an idea of what driving on this road is like.
Mesa Arch
After stopping at Shafer Trail overlook, we head to Mesa Arch. This low angel arch is one of the most iconic and photographed areas in the park. With nearby Arches National Park, it is not unexpected to find an arch within Canyonlands. While we’ve already seen many arches, each new one makes our heart skip a beat.
Green River Overlook
This southwest-facing viewpoint affords the best views of one of Canyonlands’ two mighty rivers: the Green River and the Colorado RIver. We can also see features of The Maze district and the White Rim Road. Back in 2009 we learned about the White Rim Road and have often talked about returning to do it. Back in 2009, it was described as a 3-to-4-day off-road venture that not only required a permit, but the trip could only be taken by a pair of vehicles (in case one breaks down). You must take in all food and water and expect to camp along the route. Nancy chats with a couple that has looked into it and apparently, there’s been some improvements. It is now listed as a 2-to-3-day trip, there are designated campgrounds along the route, and you no longer need a companion vehicle.
Upheaval Dome
We divert on the 5-mile side road to Upheaval Dome. Upheaval Dome is a depression about 3 miles wide that consists of deformed rock layers. In the center is an anticline surrounded by a “syncline” (the opposite of an anticline). Geologists don’t know for sure whether this is an impact crater or the result of “salt bubble” against the sandstone (because if you remember, this area was once a sea that has since dried up). We do the 1.7 mile loop hike around the rim of the crater.
Canyonlands to Home
As we leave Upheaval Dome and get back to the main road in the park, we realize that the drive to Grand View Point Overlook is something else best saved for a future trip. The overlook is pretty comparable to other overlooks of the canyon, but to really see “the big view” requires a 1.5-mile hike in and then back out. We’re having the same “running out of daylight” dilemma, so we decide to just drive back to the rental and eat dinner in.
Day 5: Monticello, UT to Pagosa Springs, CO (day 165 of the overall trip)
Our next main stop is Pueblo, CO but we decide we have time to break-up the drive and do an overnight in Pagosa Springs, CO. We both love natural mineral spring fed pools and this town has several. There are two ways to get there, and we decide to first backtrack south through Blanding before turning east. We are partially influenced by the fact that we need to fill up the tank and there’s a gas station just outside of Blanding that has gas at 70 cents less per gallon thanks to it being located on a small Indian Reservation called White Mesa.
It also allows us to stop at a Hovenweep National Monument which we haven’t visited before.
Just south of White Mesa we take the turnoff onto UT-262 and head towards Hovenweep National Monument. where we encounter several large herds of wild horses running in the desert near the highway.
Hovenweep National Monument
We pull into the visitor center and just as we exit the truck, we spot a couple having lunch at a picnic table and we spot the rig with Maine plates they are travelling in. We are pretty sure we saw them when we were at Valley of the Gods, so we decide to open a conversation by asking if they were there. Indeed, Dennis & Jackie were there, and we end up chatting for about 20 minutes. They are full-time travelers now for about a year and a half and are headed to Uruguay and Peru for the winter. We end up exchange contact information knowing we’ve met two kindred travel souls.
Hovenweep primarily consists of 6 clusters of ancestral Pueblo structures built at the edge of steep cliffs during the 14th century. Today we’ll view the one cluster known as the Square Tower Group. Our hike begins at the Visitor Center and is paved to the Canyon Overlook. The ranger told us the trail is pretty easy for an unpaved trail and we decide NOT to go back to the truck to grab some water for the 2-mile hike. From Canyon Overlook, we head counter-clockwise on the unpaved trail called the Square Tower Trail Loop, a 2-mile trail that loops around the Little Ruin Canyon. The first structure we see is Stronghold House that represents the group type housing common to the Pueblos. We take a side trail to Tower Point & Round Tower and then we’re back on the main trail at Hovenweep Castle. Next, we see Hovenweep House where we can also see the Square Tower down below.
About a mile later we see another cluster of structures called Rim Rock House, Boulder House and the Twin Towers. So far, the trail has been as advertised – flat and easy. Soon, however, we realize that we either turn around and go back 1.5 miles or we take the trail descending into the canyon and then back up. How bad can it be? Famous last words! The route down is steep and winds through narrow crevices and all Nancy can think is – we’re going to have to climb this back up and that isn’t going to be so fun. Up until this point, not having water wasn’t an issue, but with this more strenuous section, we’re really regretting the earlier decision. We persevere more steep climbing and narrow crevices and soon we’re back at the Visitor Center with our faces buried in the water fountain.
The Drive to Pagosa Springs
About an hour later, we’re driving in Colorado territory we’ve driven several times. In fact, just last year we spent time in the area around Durango. We pass through Delores, then Durango and soon we’re pulling into Pagosa Springs. It is an interesting story how we found this little gem of a town. When you belong to a hotel chain reward program, they send you promotional materials about places to visit and, OK, it isn’t that interesting of a story. Nancy did research and learned this area has the deepest geothermal hot spring in the world with an average temperature of 144 degrees. There are many hot spots along the San Juan River as it flows through town, most too hot to enter. But, there 3 different privately owned soaking pools as well and we’re staying at one of them.
The area was used by the Ute people who named it Pah Gosah, which is translated into the phrase “water (pah) that has a bad smell (gosah).” After the Civil War, the US considered building a convalescent hospital here, but plans were abandoned, and land was sold to private investors. Some built primitive wooden bath houses and in 1880, Dr. Mary Fisher founded a healing clinic here. In the 1930’s, Cora Woods built a geothermal swimming pool and 23 small rustic cabins. In 1950, the Giordano family purchased the property, drilled more geothermal wells and built an enclosed bath house next to the pool.
Mountain Pizza & Taproom
Our lodging is located in the heart of the historic downtown and is within easy walking distance of many places to eat. Our hotel recommends a place we walk to that turns out is closed. We do a quick internet search and head just a block further to Mountain Pizza & Taproom. We order a pizza and grab a seat outside since the weather is so delightful. They have a “self-serve” beer system where you get a fob bracelet that you tap on the beer you want and it keeps a record of how much you decide to pour. This allows you to taste small amounts, mix if that’s what you want (think “black and tan”) and means you don’t have to wait around for a bartender when you are ready for more. You turn in your fob at the end and you pay for what you drank. Signs tells you the price for each ounce and after each pour, it tells you how many ounces you poured. We’ve run into this system once before and we hope it catches on.
Healing Waters Resort & Spa
Healing Waters Resort & Spa has been welcoming guests since the 1950’s thanks to the Giordano family. It shows its age, but for Harrison and I its charm is the nostalgic feel of family vacations of the 1960’s. There are two other hot spring resorts in town, both of which are newer and focus on a higher-end experience. Our room is quite spacious and we both agree, we made a good choice. We spend the evening in the healing water pool just steps away from our room. We learn most of the guests here are European and we enjoy just hanging out in the 90-ish degree water for several hours, watching the sun set. This little town and this hotel are going to be on our radar for a future stop in our travels.
Day 6: Pagosa Springs to Pueblo (day 166 of the overall trip)
We have time available, so we take a leisurely walk through the central part of Pagosa Springs. There’s definitely a lot here to make this place interesting enough that we plan to return some day.
Wolf Creek Pass
As we transition to our next location, we go over Wolf Creek Pass at elevation 10,857 ft. We both remember our first encounter with this pass back in 2004 when we were much less experienced western US travelers. It was the same time of year (mid-October), it was just after dusk and snow was coming down at a fierce pace. Many vehicles were struggling to get up and over the pass back then, even with chains, and we’re grateful for beautiful weather today. Wolf Creek Pass was made famous in 1975 by country music artist C. W. McCall’s spoken word song of the same name, in which the pass is described as “37 miles o’ hell – which is up on the Great Divide.”
Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byway
As with any transition day, we’ve plotted out the route we’ll take and always try to incorporate scenic byways when we can. Fate has a way of helping you sometimes and today is an example of that. When we get to the bottom of Wolf Pass, we stop at South Fork because Harrison needs to use a bathroom. We stop at a little roadside stop with a public bathroom that has a placard informing us about the Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byway. Unbelievably, none of our maps mark this route as scenic and we would have missed it if it weren’t for all the coffee Harrison drank this morning. It extends our drive by 1.5 hours, but it sounds worth the time.
It began as a footpath used by the Ute Indians and was widened as horses were introduced by the Europeans. At one time there was a 25 cent toll for a horse to travel and $1 for a wagon or a team of horses. An established stagecoach charged $16 for a two- to three-day trip, including meals and lodging, widening the paths over twenty years. Next came the railroad in the 1880’s and by the 1920’s, the automobile came along and replaced the railroad, and the route continued to widen. Today, most of it is paved and it offers just jaw-dropping scenery along the route.
We travel through Creede, an old silver mining town that today is a seasonal tourist town with an underground mine museum, a historic theatre, not to mention a reputation as a rowdy town in its heyday. Sadly, we don’t have time to either explore the town or the 1-hour scenic unpaved drive called Bachelor Loop. Just outside of town, we see remnants of the once thriving bentonite clay mining industry.
We go over Spring Creek Pass and stop at the Windy Creek Overlook that offers views of 5 mountain peaks higher than 14,000 feet. We stop at Slumgullion Pass for a tailgate lunch. We pass by the gorgeous Lake San Cristobal and then we pass through Lake City, a town with buildings well preserved from the 1870’s. It is one of the largest national historic districts in the state. We regret that we don’t have time to spend doing deeper exploration in these towns, but we know we’ll be going back through this area again someday. We eventually reach the end of the silver thread drive in Gunnison. Wow!
Our Lodging in Pueblo, CO
We’ve chosen a one bedroom VRBO situated on a mini-ranch 4 miles outside of town. The owners have a construction business they run out of their home which is also located on the property. Our unit is attached to the side of a very large garage. It is quiet, clean and has plenty of space. As we settle in, the owner comes by to greet us and asks if we are high internet users. We tell him we are, and he warns us there have been issues with it lately. He says they’ve been out twice this week alone and encourages us to contact him if we have problems. We cross our fingers – which works sometimes, but not always.
Day 7, 8 & 9: Pueblo (day 167 168 and 169 of the overall trip)
We’ve chosen Pueblo as our home base for four nights because of its central location to many great areas to visit within an hour’s drive. We’ve been to this general area at least 3 times so there isn’t much we haven’t seen or done. Unfortunately, we’ve both come down with a cold and with chilly and rainy weather in the forecast, we suspect most of our time here will be centered on rest, relaxation and recovery. We have less than a month until we get home and we’ve learned we’re ready to get off the road and be back in our home. Five months plus on the road is a long time and we wonder how some people do travel full-time.
College Football at Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom
Day 7 is Saturday so we’ll use this day to watch some college football. After a morning of blogging, bill paying and laundry, we head to pick up some groceries and then we stop at Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom. We don’t have this chain at home, but we’ve been to a few in our western travels and we know they have great food and lots of TVs with sports playing. We have a sweet bartender named Urayah and the food is as good as we remember. We split a personal pan pizza as an appetizer and then split an Italian hoagie. All in all, it feels like how we would have spent a typical Saturday back home and even though we don’t have an adventure, we’re pleased with our day.
NFL Football at Buffalo Wild Wings
Day 8 is Sunday and we’ll use today to watch NFL football – which again, is probably a typical day back home. We’re both still feeling under the weather and can use more rest. We watch the first game at the ranch and then head to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch several of the second-round games. Nancy brings her stash of pendants she’s been making and manages to sell two to her waitress and to a bartender. After we get back to the ranch, we catch a movie and head to bed.
Another Day in Due to Yucky Weather
For Day 9, we have tentative plans to drive up the white-knuckled road up Pike’s Peak, one of the few things in the are we haven’t done. Mother Nature has other plans for us. Winds are gusting at 55mph and that is not the type of weather for driving up a narrow, winding road. Its not the type of weather for any exploring, so we decide to take another day off. The internet has been behaving until now. We text back and forth with the owner and after a series of resetting routers, it comes back up. We can hear the winds blowing across the plains in this area and it is eerie. Nancy uses the opportunity to spend the day making more pendants to increase her inventory.
Summary
The Southern Utah area is and will always be a favorite place for us to explore. This house in Monticello is a wonderful central location and we’ll remember this particular VRBO. Pagosa Springs won our hearts as great stop-over place and Healing Waters Resort & Spa will likely be our choice over the newer hotels. We really didn’t do much of anything in Pueblo – we’re just running out of steam – which is all the more reason we will likely return.
Up Next
We continue our journey east toward Virginia staying in Dodge City, the Tulsa area and Hot Springs Arkansas. Most of these areas are new to us, but weather forecasts aren’t on our side and we’re still feeling “under the weather”.
Prior Legs of the Journey
Part 1 – The Trip to Key West is located here.
Part 2 – Cross Country to Bellingham Washington is located here.
Part 3 – The Alaska Ferry Inner Passage to Juneau is located here.
Part 4- The Alaska Ferry Inner Passage to Haines & Skagway is located here.
Part 5 – Haines to Fairbanks Alaska is located here.
Part 6 – Three weeks in Fairbanks is located here
Part 7 – Fairbanks to the Arctic Ocean is located here.
Part 8 – Denali National Park is located here.
Part 9 – Denali & Richardson Highways (Central Alaska) is located here.
Part 10 – Wasilla Alaska Area is located here
Part 11 – Homer Alaska Area is located here
Part 12 – Seward Alaska Area is located here
Part 13 – Girdwood Alaska Area is located here
Part 14 – Kodiak Alaska Area is located here
Part 15 – “Back to the Lower 48” is located here
Part 16 – “The Volcano Legacy” is located here
Part 17 – Northern California is located here
Part 18 – The Nevada and California Desert Adventure is located here
Part 19 – San Diego is located here
Part 20 – Crossing Arizona is located here
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