Our drive to Gunnison, CO on Saturday was about three hours. We had lunch on the road and arrived at the Gunnison KOA right at 2:00pm for check in. We were so late to the party planning this adventure this was the only campground I could find for Saturday night. Honestly, it wasn’t terrible. We had a real shower, flushing toilets, and laundry facilities. It was a good reset for the halfway point. From one perspective it looks like a KOA. From the opposite perspective it looks perfectly pleasant.
Campground Chef in a crowded KOAIt’s like we have the place to ourselves
After checking in, we went to Hartman Rocks for a short desert hike. We really pushed the Prius to its uphill limits. This area is filled with mountain bike trails and the road was super rutted. We decided not to push the limits too far and hiked around from the first parking lot.
Adventure awaits RocksThat view! Lichen Champion
We saw several great wildflowers over the past two days on our hikes. Here are my favorite.
The hike was hot with a nice breeze. We decided a short hike was best to keep us from a visit to the hydration station. We went back to the campground and enjoyed not having neighbors- until they arrived after we went to bed. Speaking of the campground, we decided this would be a great opportunity to rack up some license plates. As we walked around, we added an additional 5 plates to our collection. Bringing our total up to 43! #strongwork
Friday morning we drove back to Taos for a very important mission… Fun Rings! As we drove down the mountain, we got stuck behind the line marking truck. Painfully slow trip down most of the mountain!!
We made it to Taos, finally. After a quick stop at the Walmart for fizzy water, ice, and pimento cheese, we walked through the Taos plaza on our ring hunt. The second store was a huge success. A fun silver and turquoise ring for each! The lady who helped was super nice and warned us of bears while hiking. She suggested we carry a knife. ??♀️
Fun Rings!
A few of my favorite pictures from our walk around Taos.
Friendly reminder in Taos, NMCatching fish
We fixed pimento cheese sandwiches for lunch and were back on the road. Our next destination was Elk Creek Campground near Antonito, CO.
Elk Creek
We had no cell service in the campground. It was kind of fun to fall off the grid. We decided to take a hike. The skies were overcast and the temperature was in the low 70s. We thought it might rain while we were hiking. Luckily, the rain held off and danced around us. The hike was lovely.
Cool TreeRain Clouds Hiking in Aspen
After our hike, we set up camp and made a gourmet dinner of tortellini and sauce. We also had a chance to try out the portable shower. It was cool and refreshing. We had to layer up because the mosquitoes were really bad. But, with cool dry nights in the upper 40s layers were good!
The next morning, we relaxed and didn’t leave camp until 10ish because we needed to stop at the visitor center to use their wifi to get directions. As we were sitting there, the nice host – who told us about the hike the day before politely ease-dropped on our conversation. When I said we needed to head back to Antonio, he replied, “That’s cute. It’s Atonito.” We had a good laugh. Me especially, because I’m notorious for mispronouncing places.
Saturday morning camping vibes
With another bag of ice for the cooler, we were off for Gunnison, CO.
Thursday morning Sadira and I beat feet to get out of Texas. Honestly, we couldn’t leave it fast enough. The beauty of the concave desert landscape is truly in the eye of the beholder. Of which we aren’t. The best part of TX, besides leaving, was spotting an Alaska license plate in the hotel parking lot.
Alaska!
We were so excited to cross into New Mexico and even more excited when we started seeing mountains on the horizon. Unfortunately, we didn’t heed the the last pit stop before we started across the NM desert and with no facilities available for 60+ miles, we had to use the facili-trees. Along the drive we saw lots of cute prairie dogs popping tall and welcoming us to NM. Our first stop was in Taos, NM. We enjoyed lunch at the Taos brewery. Delicious beer & pizza.
Lunch
Before heading to our campground, we drove out to the Rio Grande River Gorge. We bravely crossed the bridge on foot and held our breath when we looked down!
Rio Grande River GorgeWindy HairDon’t look down…
Elephant Rock campground was smaller with perfectly acceptable pit toilets. Our neighbors felt the need to preach thereby encouraging us to plug in some tunes. The higher elevation was cool and optimum for star gazing.
Dinner was campground gourmet. Chili, cheese, canned wine and altitude puffy Fritos.
All in all – it was a first night of successful camping.
This morning, my niece and I left Memphis and drove to Amarillo, TX. What started out as a joke to meet up with her parents on their adventures https://semisabbatical.com/ morphed into a trip to Colorado. We spent 12 hours in her parent’s Prius cruising west on I-40. The car is loaded with camping supplies, snacks, and wine. #winecamp That part of I-40 doesn’t have much to offer. Except windmills, Cracker Barrels, and Stinky Stella in Shamrock, TX.
To spice up the trip, Sadira downloaded the app Plate Spot to track how many different license plates we see. After 12 hours we were at 28 plates. #strongwork
We made Cadillac Ranch our destination for today. It was underwhelming, kind of like driving I-40 West from Memphis for 12 hours…
Cadillac Ranch – Amarillo, TX Obligated Selfie at Cadillac Ranch
Tomorrow we are driving to Taos, NM and then to our first camping spot. A much shorter drive day with an afternoon hike!
According to Ancient Chinese Philosophy, Yin and Yang is a concept of dualism. It describes how two very different things can be complementary to one another. I realized today that my Yin & Yang are Palm trees and Aspen trees. Neither can be found in the same place and both are in places I want to be! Also, when I’m around one, I’m super happy and can get really excited to talk about seeing the other. We had one last hike in Park City today. I knew I just wanted to Forest Bathe or as I learned in Japan, “Shinrin-Yoku”, in an Aspen Grove. That meant we went back up the Ontario Trail (longer side) of the Bald Mountain. As we shinrin-yoku, I was in hiking nirvana.
At the top, we snagged a selfie #favoritehikingpartner and stayed a minute in the best chairs in Deer Valley. Just enjoyed a chance to look out at the future together.
While we were hiking, I also sorted out why open chair lifts stress me out. I grew up loving the thrill of the first drop of a roller coaster. And chair lifts seem to trigger that same reaction…. Oh, crap! I’m gonna drop and I don’t have a harness! But they don’t drop fast. Nonetheless, I grab tight to the closest person… sorry, Dave! Thanks for hanging on to me!
This morning we hiked up to the top of Bald Mountain using the Sliver Lake Trail. This trail was steeper than yesterday’s and a little shorter. It wrapped around the mountain and gave incredible views of Sliver Lake.
Glimpses of the lakeAppropriately named Silver LakeAspens
One area we hiked through looked like there had been an avalanche at some point. Many trees were down and cut up to help clear the trail.
Downed trees
Along the way, I was able to spot a few more wildflowers to add to my collection. Please enjoy the pictures!
Creeping YellowcressJacob’s LadderAspen FleabaneStream bank Wild HolyhockStar Chickweed Red BaneberryCommon YarrowHawk’s BeardParsnipflower Buckwheat Sulfur FlowerOrange Agoseris – Mountain DandelionFireweedTall fringed BluebellsYellow SalsifyWavyleaf ThistleBlack eyed Susan At the top!
We were to the top by 9:45. The chair lift didn’t open until 10. So, we sat for a spell and enjoyed the view. That’s what is nice about this part of the vacation. We don’t have to be on a schedule.
Top of Bald Mountain
Confession- open chairlifts stress me out. Don’t look down! Especially, at the start.
Heading down on the chairlift
We enjoyed lunch at the resort. In the afternoon we hiked the Sultan Out and Back. It was actually a loop. It’s a trail that’s available to hikers and horseback riding. It should have been named Horse Poop Trail. There were Horse Pies everywhere. I didn’t take pictures of the poo – you just have to trust me on that one. The trail stayed low on the mountain and had several nice views.
Silver Lake The turnaround point put us on a road uphill.
We saw these new wildflowers on our afternoon hike.
ElderHoundstongueYellow Salsify – going to seed
And these butterflies were EVERYWHERE! Several would fly along with us as week hiked. I used an app called PictureInsect to identify it.
Mormon Fritillary
It was a beautiful day. We finished with dinner at the resort with a former shipmate of Dave’s. The dinner and company were excellent.
We started out our day with a hike up Bald Mountain along the Ontario Trail. I researched this trail before leaving home and knew it would be a good one. If you enjoy hiking or trail running, check out the app AllTrails. It lets you search for trails near year or in a specific area. It also has a GPS feature so you can “see” your location on the trail in real-time. The app also gives you information about the trail you want to hike – distance, elevation and difficulty level. Anyways, we hike the trail up the mountain and it was a beautiful alpine hike. It was about 3 miles up the mountain and through several Aspen Groves.
At the start of the trailA third of the way up – notice the orange lichen
Did you know Aspen Groves are one organism? Yep, they grow by cloning. All the trees shared the same root system and send up shoots to grow new trees. The Pando – The Trembling Giant is a grove of quaking Aspen in south central Utah and considered to be the largest single organism. #sciencefacts
A little over halfway upThe last one before the top
Another fun science thing to see on this hike was the lichens. Lichens on the rocks are a sign of good air quality. When hiking, we liken to see lichen! #sciencejokes
Green Lichens
The other highlight of the hike was the numerous wildflowers! They were everywhere! I took a lot of pictures and was able to use my plant id app “PictureThis” to identify them all. Another great app. You simply snap a picture and look it up later, or if you have the time you can identify the plan immediately. The app then saves the plant to your virtual garden collection. Check out all the flowers we saw! #wildflowergeek
Wild Geranium Richardson’s Cranesbill Geranium Silky Lupine Sticky Geranium with a beePacific NinebarkGiant Red Indian Paintbrush Wasatch BeardtonguePurple ConeflowerColorado Blue Columbine Butterweed Common Pacific PeaNettleLeaf Giant HyssopSticky Cinquefoil Twolobe LarkspurBeach PeaWoods’ Rose
As we got closer to the top, the weather started to change. Clouds were rolling in and raindrops started falling.
My Love in the Alpine wildflower field
The views from the top were worth every step!
Lots of mountains and lichen on the rocks!Hiking ❤️WabiSabiSole at the top of Bald Mountain Geological marker at the top of Bald Mountain What a view!
By this point we were chilly and wet from the drizzle. We made a smart decision to take the ski lift down the mountain. Save our knees and enjoy the view!
Going down…Relaxing and enjoying the view
After our hike we had lunch and relaxed before going into park city for dinner. We started with happy hour at Wasatch Brewery. I enjoyed the Juicy IPA and Dave had the Chasing Tail Pale Ale. Both delicious. I have to admit, we’ve been disappointed with the Brewery swag. Story on the street is that orders aren’t being filled because COVID. Maybe next time…
We enjoyed a sushi dinner at Yuki Yama. It was good. The sashimi appetizer and the Japanese wagyu beef bruschetta were excellent. The rolls were alright.
Sashimi Japanese Wagyu Beef Bruschetta The presentation was better than the taste…
We returned back to the room after turn down service. Water, chocolates, tomorrow’s weather forecast and slippers. So, cute.
GooooooD NiiiiiiiiGHTTTTTTTT!
Sunset for our balcony….
I totally get the love of Park City. Until tomorrow-
Today we traveled from Moab to Park City. As we drove over the first mountain there was a noticeable difference in vegetation as we transitioned out of the desert. Once we passed through SLC and went up and over the mountains again, there was even more noticeable difference. Ecosystems are amazing. On our way to Park City, we stopped at Sundance. It was beautiful. This picture was my favorite.
My Love at Sundance
Moving on, we stopped in Park City for lunch at Squatters Brewery. Dave had a lager and I enjoyed a “Juicy IPA”. We split the “New York Cheesesteak” – despite everything wrong with that name, it was delicious.
Squatters Brewery
After lunch, we goofed around Park City until it was time to check in. We are staying at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley. It’s absolutely amazing. Our room is fantastic. Amazing views, full kitchen, two fireplaces, two bathrooms, amazing bed and did I mention the view. I was so excited about everything… and then the bellhop told me about the laundry room with complimentary detergent. I felt like I landed in vacation heaven. A comfortable bed AND free laundry after being in the desert for 3 days… yes, please!
Kitchen and denBedroom – views of the mountains View out the backMain bathroom DenWasher & Dryer. This Dwyer is HAPPY
Our elevation is about 8,500 feet. We are surrounded by green ski slopes, evergreens and aspens. Once we checked in, (started laundry) we walked around to enjoy the view.
These beautiful planters are Everywhere! I took this picture around 4:30pm.
We finished up laundry, dealt with an A/C issue and were ready for dinner. Yes, at this point in the day the sun was blazing hot and shining into the room. The A/C was at 75 and only going up. The repair man was there in minutes and had it working in 15 minutes. Ironically, a storm was coming at the same time and it became super cold. However, the storm coming over the mountains was beautiful.
Around 6:30. Storm moving in!
We went to the Champions pub/ game room for dinner. Pizza & Salad. On our way there, we found the Clown Car. we were pleased to see he was tucked away for the next couple of days. The resort shuttle will take us to trails, dinner and anywhere else (in a 5 mile radius).
Good night everyone. I’m officially relaxing and on vacation…. Tomorrow is a new day with lots of trails to find!
View from the balcony Deer friend from our balcony
Today started early – even by Dwyer standards. I really wanted to see Delicate Arch at sunrise. The drive from our Airbnb to the Delicate Arch trail head is about 30 minutes. The hike to Delicate Arch is 1.5 miles mostly uphill. Sunrise was at 5:55am. I know it’s crazy… I set the alarm for 3:15am! On vacation… to chase sunrise! Before I share any pictures, I want to give a big shout out to Dave. He is always a good sport about my crazy ideas – especially, when on vacation and it involves a sunrise. When I tried to talk myself out of the whole thing last night, he encouraged me/us to go for it. He even woke up earlier than needed to turn on the coffee pot. Thank you, my love.
Us at Delicate Arch
We started hiking at 5am with our headlamps and flashlights. The trail was pretty easy to follow. It’s been well maintained because of all the visitors. I thought it would be more challenging to follow, especially in the dark, but it was pretty easy. We made it to the arch with time to spare and watch the early sun rays turn the clouds into cotton candy. It was beautiful.
First picture at the ArchCotton Candy Clouds at Sunrise Sunrise
Surprisingly, we weren’t alone this early in the morning. There were quite a few early birds. Mostly photographers trying to catch the perfect shot.
This is my favorite shot of the clouds and Arch.
Ahhhh…. Sunrise!
We stayed for 10-15 minutes and watched as the sun continued to rise and it became more and more crowded. We realized it was time to head down and continue seeing the park. It was a quick walk back down especially because we could actually see what was around us!
I also want to take a minute and share navigational tips to hiking in the desert. Trails can often be difficult to follow because there are no natural trail markers like trees or vegetation. Instead, there are cairns or rock piles. They are the navigation points to walk towards while hiking. They are spaced apart and give you a visual line of where the trail leads.
Rock Cairn
We returned to the car and headed up to our next hike. We were going to hike to see Sand Dune Arch, Broken Arch, and Tapestry Arch.
The light at Sand Dune Arch was beautiful. Broken Arch – do you see the crack? Broken Arch Tapestry Arch
This trail was really sandy in several spots. We even saw this cute little beetle.
We reversed course after tapestry arch. And stopped for a few pictures of the other side of Broken Arch.
Our next destination was Devils Garden Trail head. We stepped it out to see Landscape Arch – the longest arch on the planet.
As we walked, we started seeing elephants in all of the rock formations. Elephant trunks and elephant butts. Look at landscape arch – it is actually two elephants on either side extending their trunks. The one on the left has a crown above his ear. The elephant on the right has his mouth open. Do you see it?
More elephants
Pine Arch – elephant Pine Arch Tunnel Arch – elephant
We decided to pass on Double O Arch. The trail was crowded and really windy. We didn’t feel like scaling the fins in the crowd and wind…. We took a picture from below.
As we drove back to the park entrance we decided to see if we could find a parking spot at The Windows. We were pleasantly surprised the crowds had thinned in that part of the park. We found a spot without an issue. We walked along the main trail and then took the primitive trail back to the parking lot. We had the place to ourselves on the primitive trail!
WindowsTurret ArchBehind the North and South Windows aka behind the scenes Windows Double Window Arch
After we finished with The Windows, we headed to the visitor center. It was after 11am and we were getting hot and tired. I had almost 26k steps and Dave had over 30k. I would call that a very successful day of chasing sunrise, hiking, and having fun!
We took this picture yesterday on our way to Canyonlands. We knew we would pass in the dark today. Seize the opportunity!
We were back to the Airbnb by 12:30. 8 hours of hiking and driving. That’s a full day even if we were done in a half day! After a nap and shower, we enjoyed dinner at a Mexican restaurant. It was delicious. I came for two things… a BiG margarita and sopaipilla. I first & last had sopaipillas when I went to New Mexico with my Mom in the 2008. They are sugary puffs of dough. Like a hollow doughnut. Just add honey! Both were delicious!
Hike long – drink a margarita! Sopaipilla
Tomorrow we head to Park City. We plan to not set an alarm – check out isn’t until 10:00am!
We were up early and out the door before sunrise. Because that how the Dwyer’s roll. And because I wanted to catch Mesa Arch around sunrise. Also, we had a full day planned at Canyonlands aka “Candyland” and wanted to beat the heat and crowds.
Driving towards Canyonlands Monitor & MerrimackClown Car & Moon Set
After our first obligatory shot at the entrance, we stopped at Mesa Arch. The sun angle was perfect!!
After walking the Mesa Arch Loop, we continued on the drive with our tour guide Alfred. Oh! I totally forgot to mention Alfred. Before we left, our friends Bill and Allison just returned from a trip to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. They recommended the app: GyPSy Guide. It is a narration about where you are driving. I purchased the Arches & Canyonlands tour. I’m so happy I did. We named our narrator Alfred. He’s great. He makes jokes, tells stories, talks about science and gives recommendations and mandatory stopping points. If you have a road trip planned to a National Park, check it out! Back on the road… our next stop was Buck Canyon
We stopped a few more times and then we hiked along the Grand View Rim Trail. Grand View is an understatement!
We double backed and had a mid morning snack before heading to the Green River Overlook. Again, beautiful.
Picnic Spot Green River
If the Mesa Arch was the primary thing to see, Upheaval Dome was the second. Upheaval Dome is a geological wonder. Was it caused by distillation of salt that caused it to collapse OR a meteorite? We just don’t know… what I do know. It was beautiful to see, really cool and a fun hike!
Step it up! Hiking Partners for Life!
One of the things Alfred told us about was how desert animals will burrow during the day to keep cool. Dave was lucky enough to find a “bird” burrowing to escape the heat.
Very rare bird burrowing
On our drive back to Moab, we stopped in Dead Horse Point State Park. It was where the classic scene in Thelma and Louise was filmed – where they drive off the cliff. No, it wasn’t the Grand Canyon. It was Dead Horse State Park. It was beautiful and they had running water… nice to use a real toilet and actually WASH our hands! *side note. I had no issue with the cleanliness of the CNP pit toilets. I brought this travel sized sunscreen that was super thick and greasy. After reapplying before our last hike our hands were gross.* (yes, I brought wipes and hand sanitizer – it was like zinc oxide)
It was a FULL day. We left the Airbnb by 5:45 and were back home by 1:45. It was definitely beer:30. We accomplished all the goals and had a blast. Lots of short hikes (1-2 miles) to see different stuff. We were out of the park before it was too hot or crowded. The line to get in was about a mile long when we were leaving! We enjoyed an early dinner and tiramisu for dessert in the desert.
I will always say “yes” to tiramisu!
Tomorrow is another early morning. Arches National Park… Delicate Arch at sunrise.
