October 12, 2022 – January 27, 2023
After an exciting storm the night before, we woke up to sunshine and made our way to Aurora, NB to go to the Plainsman Museum which was recommended to us by my dad.
It was a really cool museum with different rooms setup as time capsules of different businesses and even a mud brick home from the past. It was a lot of fun to walk through many of these rooms and even though quite a few things were before our time, there were things that we recognized from our generation (certain toys, cash registers, etc). Lee also enjoyed going through all of the old tractors they had on display and showing me what they did, and the ones he used as a kid growing up on a farm.
We spend that night in Deshler, NE close to the border of Kansas.
The next morning we got going at a decent hour so we could make it to the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, KS. As with the other presidential libraries we have been to, we really enjoyed our visit. I did not know much about Eisenhower but the one fact that still sticks with me is that his brother campaigned against him and was a vocal critic of his presidency. The site of the library also has his childhood home on the property (we were unable to visit it since it was being renovated).
After our visit we headed to Hutchinson, KS where we had tickets to visit the salt mine there (Lee’s aunt Louis recommended it to us). Hutchinson was not a very pretty town, very industrial, but we were able to find a nature park and had a pleasant run on their trails before calling it a night.
We had our tour of the salt mine the next morning and it was very interesting. The mine has a museum, a storage facility and a working part of the mine. Ownership of all three businesses is different. We were able to see a lot of the equipment used to mine the salt as well as tour lots of the old abandoned areas of the salt mine. If you are in the area it’s worth a stop.
After the mine we drove a ways to our stay for the night, a vineyard and winery in the middle of nowhere Kansas. The winery looked like a big barn but we soon found out it is the home of the owner as well as his business. We parked amongst the grapevines and headed in. We were able to visit with the owner and found out it was not an easy business for him. He still worked his day job (I believe at Oracle) while figuring out which grapes would survive the climate and soil of Kansas. He was a somewhat quiet man but we had a nice visit with him before Bingo night started.
We were lucky there was room for us as the room filled with friends and patrons from the nearby towns (at least 25 minutes away). We met some locals who were friends with the owner and had a nice time getting to know them as well as play some bingo. Come to find out the woman sitting next to us was a massage therapist, and she was so nice to open her spa the next day to give me a massage (as my hip had really been bothering me).
So the next morning we got up and headed to the nearby town where her spa was. It was really nice but I have to say based on the looks and size of the town I’m surprised she can stay in business. I had a great massage but I was glad to be heading to Colorado. Kansas wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. Flat, windy and somewhat desolate feeling.
We arrived in Greeley, CO late in the afternoon of October 15. We spent a few hours driving around Greeley and Windsor to see the farm Lee grew up on, his high school and other places that brought back a lot of memories for him. I enjoyed seeing where Lee grew up! We then got in a workout at an Anytime Fitness after our drive down memory lane and had some Thai food before heading out to Horsetooth Reservoir to see if we could find a place for the night. As soon as we got close to the campground we could see things were looking pretty full and sure enough, every spot was taken. So we went back into town and stayed in the Sam’s Club parking lot. We have occasionally stayed at a WalMart parking lot or a rest stop and if all we are doing is parking to sleep for the night they can be great places to stay.
We got up at a decent hour the next day and headed for Rocky Mountain National Park. We spent the day driving up Trail Ridge Rd and doing some short hikes and a quick stop to check out the Moraine Park area where we saw a large herd of Elk. RMNP is beautiful and we were both glad to be back in the mountains after weeks of flat land.
The next day Lee took another walk down memory lane. We drove into the Devils Gulch and then took a walk down North Fork Rd to find the cabin of one of his neighbors in Greeley that he did some work on during a few summers when he was a teen. We also took a hike up to Gem Lake, which was very pleasant.
That night we decided to stay at the Stanley Hotel since it is such an iconic part of Estes Park (Steven King stayed there and it was the inspiration for The Shining). It was a nice enough hotel but doesn’t quite live up to the hype. We did run into some guests dressed as “the twins” from the Shining which were pretty funny. They were asked by many people to get a photo and I had to get one as well. It was a fun night.
The next day we decided to do a big hike to the top of the Twin Sisters. We had great weather and the trail was fairly empty with the exception of a hiker here or there. I could definitely feel the elevation, but made it to the top and then watched Lee as he went to go tackle another peak in the distance. It felt good to do a harder hike with the some elevation since it’s been so long!
We continued south the next day, making a stop at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It was a small but beautiful park and we enjoyed our quick visit before driving a little further south to a campground on the way to Great Sand Dunes National Park.
We made it to Great Sand Dunes National Park with enough time to do a 3.5 mile hike amongst the sand dunes. It was actually more challenging then we expected. A lot of times it was one foot forward, half foot back. But the scenery was more beautiful than expected as well as the designs made in the sand by the wind. We had so much fun that we decided to see if we could get a campsite for a second night (it was very full!). We got lucky and snagged the last campsite for the next night.
We had a leisurely morning the next day, did a few chores and then moved to our new campsite. We then went out to hike amongst the sand dunes again, our goal being to make it to the top of the tallest dune (which we did!). We definitely got in a workout, Lee of course having to take some of the steeper hills than me as climbing in the sand can sure make your calves cramp!
The next day we made our way to Durango where we made a quick stop in Pagosa Springs (and added it to our list of places we’d like to go back and stay), it looked like a fun little resort town with several hot spring resorts. We didn’t linger too long as we had appointments at WalMart to get our flu shots and covid boosters. We had checked the weather in Durango and it was going to be rainy on the 23rd so figured we may as well get our shots on the 22nd, get a hotel room and then convalesce since the flu shot always seems to make me sick.
We got our shots had a nice dinner and then headed to the hotel to see if we would make it without getting sick. Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the night achy and headachy but in the morning when we got up it was rainy and cold so we just had a lazy day in the room until late afternoon when we started feeling better. The rain had stopped so we walked down the street for some lunch.
We were so glad we had the hotel room, there are certain things the van is not good for and being sick is one of them!
The next day we went to Mesa Verde National Park, it was beautiful and the ruins were so cool to see, however we were disappointed to find out we couldn’t get that close to them. You now have to go on a guided tour with a ranger and they were done for the season (I’m sure it’s a good thing to preserve the ruins). Luckily both of us had each been to the park in years prior when you could get up close.
After our visit, which wrapped up 49 of the 50 states we have visited since we left on our adventure, we headed to Utah for the night where we stayed on some BLM land in Bluff with a beautiful view. It was nice to be back where it was easy to find public land to camp on.
Over the next few days we visited areas in Bears Ears National Monument that were just beautiful and fascinating. We took a very rough ride on the Valley of the Gods loop which is similar to the rock formations in Monument Valley but more remote and rugged. We rode out to Monument Valley that afternoon but unfortunately we were a little late to have any time to visit before they closed, so instead we ran on a road close by where we could still see some of the scenery of the park.
The next day we took a couple short hikes to see the Butler Wash Ruins and the House on Fire ruins. We then went up to Natural Bridges National Monument late in the afternoon and wished we had time to do some hikes, it was such a cool area. Unfortunately the campground was completely booked so another item on our list of places to go back to.
On our way to Moab we also made a quick stop at the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum which I highly recommend. The amount of native American artifacts they have is very impressive. We also made a quick pit stop to see the Newspaper Rock petroglyphs, which is one of the largest known collections of petroglyphs. I thoroughly enjoyed our few days in Bears Ears National Monument and would love to go back and explore some more.
In Moab we got an AirBnb since Drew was coming out to stay with us to do some bike riding. The first day of riding we road at Navajo Rocks which is an area I really like to ride at. We had a nice ride and it was a beautiful day. The next day we did the classic Slick Rock trail. It is always a tough ride for me, the uphills are steep and I end up walking some of the trail, although I am happy to report I road more of the trail this time than on prior trips (although I still walked a lot).
I’m not sure we’ve convinced Drew that mountain biking is a hobby he should take up.
The morning we left we had breakfast with Drew and his roommate’s family that were also friends of Lee’s. It was nice to meet them and I think Lee enjoyed catching up with them as it had been a while since he had seen them.
After Moab we made our way up to Salt Lake where we had another Airbnb for the week. It was a week of lots of appointments (dentist, doctors, van maintenance, haircuts, etc) and I also got a chance to attend my book club (it was great to see my friends, I’ve missed them), got to get lunch with my friend Dawn and some time with our kids. It was a busy but fun week to be back “home”.
After leaving Salt Lake we decided to go to Zions for a couple days to see if we could get permits to hike Angel’s Landing in Zions NP as Lee had never done the iconic hike. We didn’t get them the first day we applied but luckily got them for the morning of Nov 7. It wasn’t over the top busy on the trail, but definitely busier than when Adam and I had hiked it in 2016. We had to wait on the way up and down for people to make their way on the trail. But it was a beautiful morning and we timed the weather perfectly. At the top the wind was starting to blow and by the time we got to the bottom it was pretty windy. I think it’s a hike everyone should do once and with the permit system it helps to keep the crowds somewhat manageable. You definitely will not have this trail to yourself unless the weather is truly ugly.
After our hike we were supposed to have gone to dinner with friends of ours but unfortunately they fell sick and we had to cancel so we decided to get a little closer to Vegas (which was our next destination) and stayed in the parking lot of a casino in Mesquite.
The next morning we headed to Vegas for the opening day of my friend Andrea’s Jeremiahs Italian Ice franchise (she has invested in it with her daughter Meagan and her daughter’s boyfriend Will). Meagan has been working non-stop to get it opened and we were excited to be there to support them on their opening (plus it’s a delicious treat). Andrea looked fabulous and it was so good to see Meagan and Will. We spent a couple of days with Andrea so that I could have a chance to visit with her.
We had plans of going to Grand Canyon NP but it was a little out of the way to Mesa and after all of our travels we were ready to just settle for a while. So we decided to skip it and visit next year, and instead head straight to Mesa where we have been since.
We’ve had a really nice visit with my parents and my brother and family. We’ve done a lot of mountain biking and paddling (mostly Lee), Lee’s helped Grant with his van build, I was able to make a quick visit to Yuma to see my friend Heidi, we did a day trip to Saguaro National Park, spent a little time with my mom in the hospital (thankfully she’s fine) and I’ve enjoyed cooking for my parents and hopefully giving back a little to the two people who have given me so much! Oh and I finished my biology class with an A or A- (can’t figure out what the official grade is).
We also had a few visitors while we’ve been here. My sister Amy and her family came down for Thanksgiving, Adam came for a week over Christmas and Jack and Carmen came out over MLK weekend (they were supposed to have come at Christmas but Jack got Covid).
We also took a couple of short trips during this time. As we watched all of the snow falling in Utah, we decided we had to take advantage and spent a few days in Utah skiing. It was the first time either of us had stayed at a ski resort (we stayed at Snowbird) and we skied for four days straight. Jack, Adam and Carmen skied with us a few days. On the 4th day our bodies said that we may have overdone it (at least mine did, Lee is the energizer bunny). We had a great time though and the snow was the best it’s been for that time of year in a long time. We also had a chance to have dinner with my sister and Lee’s kids as well as see our friends Matt and Melissa since we stayed with them the night we got in and the night before we left.
We also took a quick trip to Puerto Penasco, MX with Grant, Viviana, Afton, Derek and Adam. We went fishing one day and caught a lot of fish (although nothing too big) and Grant and Lee paddled another day. Even though the scenery wasn’t the best we still had a good time hanging out.
It has been nice to stay in one place for a while, but I’m itching to get going again. Our next few months of travel are places I’ve had on my bucket list for a long time and I am pretty excited to go!
