Road Trip - Rocky Mountain National Park

Let's just say that the Benson Family has been good to us on this trip so far. We got a hold of Julie and Andrew the day before we arrived in Denver, CO and they set us up with their Aunt Jennifer for a place to stay. I'd stayed with Jennifer before and was excited to see her and her cats again. Archer (R.I.P.) is not with us anymore, but the kitten that Jennifer has now (Mack) is awesome. He smells everything, climbs on shoulders, and loves being petted. Anyway, enough about the cats. While in Denver, we indulged in one great meal at Shells and Sauce. It was a great stop to hang out with the Benson's, do some laundry, wash some dishes, and recharge our batteries (literally and figuratively). 

The next morning... off to Rocky Mountain National Park! As we drove up the mountains and reached Estes Park, CO we knew this was going to be a special place. The park was unbelievable! First things first, we were very excited to meet my big Sis (Denise) at the park and go into the backcountry. 

We packed up our stuff in the packs (that was an ordeal), and headed up into the mountains on the Fern Lake Trail. The trail was great, although the elevation was pretty tough. We started the hike at 8,160 feet and made it up to about 9,500 feet before reaching the campsite. Let's just say that turned out to be a problem for more than one of us.

We checked out the lake that evening. It... was... awesome!

The next morning, despite Lacey not feeling so well because of the altitude, we went for a short hike up to Odessa Lake at 10,020 feet. The lake was spectacular!

We hiked out and camped at Aspenglen campground before taking the long way out of the park and seeing everything it has to offer (from the car at least). On the way out of the park we got a nice group picture at the park sign. It'll be sad to see Denise go tomorrow, but it was a great time having her here with us. Have a safe drive home D!

Next up for us, a Rockies game at Coors Field and then up to Breckenridge to see Alyssa. Can't wait!

Road Trip - Mesa Verde and Great Sand Dunes

As we headed East from Grand Canyon we could tell there would be a rough patch of driving, in other words, more desolate desert to drive through. The Painted Desert was kinda cool, but not really our style. Eventually we reached the Four Corners. I was not too excited to see the Four Corners. After all, it's just four states that happen to have their imaginary borders bump up to one another. We had to stop though, because Brooke told us it was the coolest thing ever (or something like that). It was, as advertised, four states that touch corners with one another, and the Navajo Nation decided that we owed them $3 per person to see it.

Anyway, after that was over we finished our drive to Mesa Verde National Park. I have to admit that I was not very excited about that stop, but it was on the way and it split up the drive nicely between Grand Canyon and Great Sand Dunes. I was surprised, however, to find out that the park is actually really cool. The landscape is beautiful, the views are great, and (as much as I hate to admit it) the history is cool. We were able to check out one of the largest and most intact cave dwellings (Spruce Tree House) on a little self-guided tour and that was really cool.

These things were built in the late 1100's, which makes them even more amazing. The Anasazi people would farm the mesas above and climb up and down to their cliff dwellings that could remain cool in the hot summer and be warmed easily by fire in the cold winter. They are really pretty amazing, something that was definitely cool to check out indeed.

We stayed one night there before moving on to Great Sand Dunes National Park for a night. As we crossed the Continental Divide in the Fit (now named Sally, because we figured you can't drive a car for three months and live out of it if it doesn't have a name) Lacey spotted some clouds in the distance. She asked if the clouds were fog, smoke from a fire, or what. She also joked that maybe it was a sand storm at the park. We had a good laugh, until we realized that the joke was right and that the 40+ mph winds with 70 mph gusts were kicking up so much sand in the valley East of the park that the whole area was shrouded in a painful and disgusting cloud of flying sand. As we drove through I felt like I was in one of those cheesy movies where someone gets caught in a storm in the Sahara and can't find their way out. The bad thing, though, was that we had no oasis to find at the end, only a very windy campsite. 

We set up the tent (which was difficult), made dinner (which was difficult) and ate it in the car (which, surprisingly, was difficult). We did find one nice respite from the wind though in the mountains near the park. There we drove a few miles on a dirt road, hiked a half mile to a small crevasse, and waded through some 35 degree water to see a very (very) cool little waterfall.

We woke up the next morning and headed to the dunes for a little walk. The wind was already picking up, but walking on the sand dunes was pretty cool. I felt like a little kid jumping and rolling down the dunes and would love to go back some day and spend a (not so windy) night sleeping on them. For this trip, though, one walk was enough.

 Anyway, that was a long post, but a lot to cover. Now, on to Denver and then Rocky Mountain NP. Until next time!

Road Trip - Grand Canyon

Now that we are out of San Diego and on the road, this trip is starting to feel real and we are settling in to the life of camping, cooking on a camp stove, and limited showers. The first couple days of the trip were great, but the real fun started when we hit the Grand Canyon! Lacey and I had both been waiting so long to see it that the anticipation was killing us.

We finally entered the park to find that the campground was full. That was not expected, but luckily there was a national forest service campground only a few miles away that was great! We went back, set up camp, had some food, and still hadn't seen the canyon. After what seemed like an eternity we got back into the park and had our first look. It's true that the first time you see the canyon is a life changing experience. It is awesome in the most literal sense of the word.

We've got a few hundred pictures from the canyon, and I honestly don't think these are the best, but they are still pretty good. On the second day we went on a hike down to Cedar Ridge via the South Kaibab Trail and saw some amazing views. I can only imagine what the views must be as you go further and further down looking back up to the top.

Some other great things happened during our trip to the Grand Canyon, but if I told you everything we wouldn't have any stories to tell when we see you all next. I'll leave you with one picture of the sunrise that we caught at 5:15 am on our last day.

We left the Grand Canyon on the East end and headed towards Mesa Verde N.P. for our next big adventure. Stay tuned!

Road Trip - SD to Sedona

So yesterday we said the difficult goodbyes to friends with our car loaded to the brim and left San Diego. Leaving was harder than we thought it would be, and one last trip to Bronx Pizza either helped, or made it worse, we still aren't sure which.

The drive to Sedona was uneventful, not to say that the stop in Gila Bend, AZ wasn't great. :) Anyway, we were very excited to be in Northern AZ for the big solar eclipse, but we spent so much time staring at the sun in anticipation of it that we were blinded and missed the big event. Actually, all reports are that it wasn't that cool, so we don't feel so bad. Anyway, we did get one good photo after the big moment had (almost) passed as the sun was setting over Sedona.

 

Anyway, we found a campsite, got some sleep (despite people chopping wood and parents yelling at kids), and woke up to a beautiful day. We started the morning by going on a short hike near the Sedona airport with great views of the red rocks.

 

After that short hike, we headed up Oak Creek Canyon, grabbed some DQ, and went on another short hike up the side of the canyon for some amazing views up and down. 

 

  

To end our amazing second day (of many) on our epic journey we drove out of the canyon, got a great view back down from the vista point, and headed to Anne and Nathan Benson's house in Flagstaff for a relaxing night of doing laundry, updating our blog, and charging all of our electronics. Tomorrow morning we head out for the Grand Canyon. We'll try to stay on top of this blog if you all keep looking. Until next time, send us good vibes and telepathic reminders to wear sunscreen.

 

P.S. To all our friends in San Diego, we miss you guys already, and don't hesitate to call any time this summer. To all our friends and family in Minnesota, we'll be there in August/September and can't wait to see you!