Day 2 - Monday
Monday: Picked up Janine from the airport around 11:30 and headed out for some sightseeing. Made it to Seven Falls and to Garden of the Gods. Headed west after that toward Canyon City. Caught Royal Gorge but just after they closed the park for the day. Took a quick drive up a scenic road above Canon City. That night we stayed in Salida, Co.
Day 3 - Tuesday
Drove through Blue Mesa Lake on Rt 50 and then on to Black Canyon of the Gunnison where we were buzzed by 3 USAF C-130 cargo planes flying low over the canyon. From there on through Montrose on the way to Ouray. From Ouray we took 550 south to Silverton. It was snowing a little above 9,000 feet. Makes the mountain roads a little more interesting. Shopped in Silverton for a little bit. Much of the town closes after Labor Day. We continued on through Durango to Cortez where we stayed.
Day 4 - Wednesday
Headed right into Mesa Verde National Park after stopping for the first GeoCache of the vacation. Spent 1/2 the day in Mesa Verde NP then headed on to Monticello where we picked up a couple more caches in Speed Trap, On the Boarder & Hideout from Loyd's Lake. We picked up one final one for the day on the way to Moab at Big Indian Rock Cache. From here we drove into Moab, UT.
Day 5 - Thursday
Off into Arches National Park to climb up to Delicate Arch first thing. Spent some time hiking and driving (and complaining about the hiking) in Arches. Stopped at Balanced Rock on the way out. Drove down 279 along the Colorado river to Jug handle Arch. From there, up a 4X4 trail to the top of Dead Horse Point. We drove into Canyonlands NP but the overcast skies and late hour made it kind of pointless. We couldn't see anything much less take a picture.
Day 6 - Friday
Stayed in Moab one extra day b/c of the weather. Drove down Kane Creek Road to Hurrah Pass. Continued down the road a bit but turned around so we could do some more on the other side of the river. On the way back toward town, we stopped and found Kane Creek Cache. After a bite to eat in town, we headed back down 279t. We stopped at Indian Petroglyphs on the way down to Potash. From there, on to Musselman Arch. One of the only arches in the area you can walk on.
Day 7 - Saturday
On the way home (sort of). Headed South on 191 into Gallup NM. Stopped at Recapture Overlook and White Mesa Mill. Sometimes it pays not to read. Radio Active signs were not funny. We drove to El Calderon area where I spent some time waiting outside of a cave for the nightly exodus of the bats. No one bothered to tell me that these particular bats are migratory and moved out almost 2 months ago. Well, I'm over any fears I may have had about walking in the mountains down a dark path by myself at night. Stayed the night in Albequerque.
Day 8 - Sunday
Hopped on 25 north hoping to catch some balloons going up. We saw a couple in the air. We missed Ablequerque International Balloon Fest by 2 weeks. Oh well, something to keep in mind for next time. We drove back through Colorado Springs and Denver to 80 to head home. made it to Grand Island Nebraska area.
Day 9 - Monday
Drove straight home. Arriving around 5pm. :( Below is the result of 10 days on the road with me.
