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Arches National Park - Moab, UT
Yesterday we drove from Denver to Grand Junction, where we met up with Jim and Cathy for lunch. Jim never fails to surprise us, when we arrived for lunch we found out that they were packed up and ready to go with their 5th wheel. So after lunch we drove over to Moab, taking the back road down to Moab that winds along the shores of the Colorado River (pictured above). We stopped and checked out some petroglyphs and the ruins of an old rock house built up into the hillside over the road. We stayed in a motel in Moab, Jim and Cathy camped along the river. Our room was very nice and only $65/night, as it is off-season. We found a great little brewpub/restaurant for dinner - Dewey's Restaurant & Bar - we enjoyed it so much that we went back there again tonight.
We spent today in Arches - what an incredible place! I did not think that I would have the chance to ever see it, due to the crowds and permits necessary to enter the park during the spring, summer, and fall. Grateful that the weather cooperated and we were able to make this visit during the winter. We had a beautiful, warm winter day and we took full advantage - taking a couple of short walks and then a longer hike to check out different areas. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day:
Jim and Cathy were awesome tour guides through the park - what a great day! After dinner, we headed our separate ways - tomorrow they are headed to Yuma and we are headed back to Tucson.
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Christmas in Colorado - Lafayette, CO
We took the scenic route up to Denver, since the weather was cooperating. We spent the night in Santa Fe, meeting up with Doug's sister, Jayne, and her husband, Charlie, for dinner and some very expensive adult beverages! ($15 for a mediocre glass of chardonnay!) It was nice to catch up with them, hopefully, we will see them down the road - as we like to hang out in New Mexico!
We arrived in Lafayette on the 18th, making ourselves very comfortable in Rachel and Tyler's house. We had a great Christmas, the weather was nice enough for us to enjoy a couple of games of pickleball outside and we managed to conquer an Escape Room on one of the colder days. It was a wonderful time with family and friends.
Since the weather was still very mild in Colorado, we have decided to drive over to Grand Junction to visit Doug's cousin, Jim, and then to go to Arches National Park, since I have never been. We head out tomorrow, always sad to leave our kids - they always make us feel so welcome!
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Settling In - Tucson, AZ
We have been back in Tucson since November 28th. We have spent a bit of time getting back into the swing of things. Doug is playing pickleball and tennis, both of us are playing a little golf. We are also catching up with our friends here in Tucson.
I went on a hike up to Garwood Dam in Saguaro National Park East with our friends Cheri, Ray, and Karen. We had a lovely day for a walk through the cactus!
We also had a visit from Doug's brother Bob and his wife, Ellen. They were on their way to Dallas in their new trailer and stopped for a couple of nights. We played a round of golf and spent a little time catching up.
A couple days after their visit, we wound things down and packed our bags to head to Denver for Christmas with our kids....on the road again! This time we aren't taking our trailer, just our truck, we are not into WINTER camping!
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Colleyville, TX to Tucson, AZ
We left Colleyville at the crack of dawn yesterday, spent last night in El Paso. We left El Paso at a snail's pace, due to road closures for construction! Ugh!
Pretty skies in El Paso, but we were happy to put El Paso in our rear view mirror!
We arrived in Tucson, took a nice nap, and made it over to a happy hour with friends in the park - glad to be off the road for a bit.
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Family Time - Colleyville, TX
We arrived in Colleyville on the 17th, both my younger sisters and their families are in the area, as well as my folks - lots of people to hang out with. Unfortunately, I am TERRIBLE about getting pictures when we are all together, so I didn't get one of all of us on Thanksgiving (maybe next time).
Doug surprised me for our anniversary - our kids drove down from Denver - what a great surprise that was. Plus, they got to see their grandparents and a bunch of cousins, aunts, and uncles. Dan hadn't been to Texas in 14 years! It was really nice having them here.
Birthday celebration for my niece, Shelby, and my brother-in-law, Ronnie on Tuesday the 21st.
Thanksgiving cookies - my sister, Julie, is so clever!
I managed to get a picture of the table....but, not of anything else on Thanksgiving. Total failure!
I think Buddy might have had too much turkey and pie - what a personality this dog has!
A little champagne to toast our 40th anniversary!
Oh, wait, I do have a couple of pictures with PEOPLE in them:
Dan and Juniper.
Eric and Dan, you can tell they are related!
Julie and Juniper.
Rachel, Grandma Sally, Grandpa Dick, Dan, Doug, and myself - it has been a long, long time since the six of us have been together.
We had a great time - we played pickle ball, cards, and just enjoyed hanging out together. Thanks to everyone for taking such good care of us!
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Settling In - Tucson, AZ
We have spent the last couple of weeks getting back into our Tucson routine. Of course, the weather has been phenomenal, even a bit on the warm side. We have managed to play a bit of golf:
A couple rounds at Dorado and a round at Fred Enke - we can definitely tell that we haven't swung a club all summer!
We joined our friends, Ron and Marce, for a round of golf at San Ignacio Golf Course in Green Valley - followed by a wonderful evening with two of our favorite people!
We bought new furniture - easiest assembly EVER! Huge improvement over our previous chairs.
Doug got back into playing tennis, I am still working my way up to that (need to strengthen those knees). I have enjoyed several walks along Pantano Wash:
And, of course, plenty of gorgeous sunsets and sunrises to take in:
Tomorrow we are heading to Texas, the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, to visit family for Thanksgiving. It is a long drive, so we are spending tomorrow night in Big Spring, then continuing on to DFW on Friday. Back on the road, again!
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Deming, NM to Tucson, AZ
Uneventful drive from Deming to Tucson today. The traffic was pretty light and the weather was great. We arrived around noon and spent the rest of the day getting settled and unpacking our trailer. It feels good to be back!
Happy hour in our "backyard".
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A Little Golf & Sunshine - Deming, NM
We've been in Deming since the 22nd, stayed at our Escapees' park - one of our favorite stops along the I-10 corridor. Doug played golf everyday, I nursed a tender elbow for a couple of days (I think I got it from all the scrubbing I had to do to clean our grill when we were in Valley of the Gods-it's hell getting old and feeble!), but was able to play a round today. It felt good to get back out on the golf course, even if the golf wasn't very good!
We are headed to Tucson tomorrow, going to spend a couple of weeks there and then head to Texas to visit family.
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So Many Choices - Pie Town, NM
We arrived in Pie Town mid-afternoon. We found a free camping spot in the city park and then wandered over to the pie shop. There was a bit of a crowd, but it was worth the wait!
Las Cruces Honey Pecan Pie - delicious!
Lovely, quiet spot for the night.
Gorgeous New Mexico sunset!
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CDT Hike #2 - Cuba, NM
Today we hiked south, starting from the same spot we hiked north from yesterday (just a few miles south of Cuba). We did meet a couple of CDT hikers along the way, they shared their trail names and how they got their names. Always fun to hear people's stories, amazing to me that they can do these through hikes!
This hike was pretty easy, just a few ups and downs, but nothing too crazy.
Taking a little break in the shade, enjoying a small snack, before turning around and heading back.
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CDT Hike #1 - Cuba, NM
This segment of the CDT wandered across a sage and tumbleweed covered open area, before entering rocky cliffs and hoodoos. It was a nice hike on a beautiful day. We encountered a couple of SOBO CDT hikers, it was fun to hear their stories.
Pretty views as we climbed up to the mesa.
Views from the mesa.
Selfie from our lunch spot.
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Revisiting the CDT - Cuba, NM
We are now in Cuba, NM - going to spend the next couple of days hiking a couple of sections of the Colorado Divide Trail (CDT). We are still experiencing glorious fall weather, going to take full advantage of that.
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Another Wash Hike - Valley of the Gods, UT
We are spending one last day in this area, it has really quieted down since the weekend. We are the only people left in the area we are parked in - just lovely! We took a little walk up another wash in the area - it has been so nice to get some hiking in. We missed our summer and fall hiking while we were in Europe!
Surprisingly, we found a little spring gurgling up in the wash.
Great view of one of the many massive formations along Valley of the Gods road.
Gorgeous red canyon walls as we made our way up the wash.
Awesome views as we made our way back to our campsite.
We had a great time visiting this area, there is just something magical about the places we have been in this part of Utah. Our last evening here did not disappoint us:
So long, Utah, until we meet again.....
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Goosenecks & Natural Bridges - Bears Ears National Monument, UT
Everyone left this morning, so it is just Doug and I left at the campsite. We decided to do a little exploring and headed out to Goosenecks State Park and then on to Natural Bridges National Monument.
Impressive view from the rim at Goosenecks.
Look at the color of that water! It sure was a long way down to the river - definitely wanted to stay away from the edge.
After taking a short walk along the rim at Goosenecks, we drove over to Natural Bridges National Monument. We went on a nice loop hike - going from the parking area at Sipapu Bridge Viewpoint, down to Sipapu Bridge and over to Kachina Bridge, then up to the Kachina Bridge Viewpoint, and returning to the Sipapu Bridge Viewpoint parking area.
Looking down at Sipapu Bridge from the viewpoint.
Making our way down to Sipapu Bridge - ladders, railings, and steps were involved. It was a pretty steep descent!
Another view of Sipapu Bridge, just before the final descent to its base.
Sipapu Bridge - almost to its base!
Beautiful view of Sipapu Bridge from underneath.
We continued down the wash toward Kachina Bridge. It was a lovely walk, plenty of canyon walls and a bit of sand to trek through.
Gorgeous striated canyon walls as we neared Kachina Bridge.
Kachina Bridge - just before we walked under it.
Looking back at Kachina Bridge - it is impressive!
Just a short walk from Kachina Bridge are some petroglyphs and ruins. It was a bit of a scramble to get up to them, but well worth the effort.
There were pamphlets near the petroglyphs that provided detailed information about the site. The park does not promote this area, but if you stumble upon it, you are more than welcome to check it out.
It was now time to climb up out of the canyon - it was a steep climb back out and the temperatures were a bit warm by the time we got to the top. Luckily, there were a couple of stops during the climb to rest and take photos!
Beautiful view of the fall colors in the wash, as we made our way to the top.
One last view of Kachina Bridge as we climbed out of the wash.
We made it to the Kachina Bridge Viewpoint, crossed the road, and followed the trail back to Sipapu Bridge Viewpoint and to our truck. Great hike and thrilled to actually visit Natural Bridges - a place I had never been to before. Bears Ears National Monument is full of treasures, glad that it has been preserved for all of us to experience.
The two peaks in the distance are the "Bears Ears" of Bears Ears National Monument.
#goosenecks state park#natural bridges national monument#utah hikes#bluff#bears ears national monument#utah
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Annular Solar Eclipse - Valley of the Gods, UT
We had a perfect day for viewing the eclipse - not a cloud in the sky! It was a total zoo - lots of people filing into the Valley of the Gods to view the eclipse. Luckily, the dust cleared before the eclipse started and we had a good time watching it all unfold. I, unfortunately, did not get a great picture of the eclipse, as it was hard to do all the maneuvering required to obtain one.
This image is just before the total eclipse happened. It was pretty cool to experience it. I will have to ask around and see if anyone else got a decent picture of the total eclipse. If so, I will add it to this post at a later date.
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Wash Hike - Valley of the Gods, UT
We had a beautiful day today, so we decided to do a little exploring. We dropped down into the wash below our camping spot and walked for a couple of hours.
Looking back up at our campsite from the wash.
We didn't find anything spectacular, but the views were pretty and it felt good to stretch our legs.
The gang - myself, Terry, Judith, Doug, Cathy, and Jim.
We spent the rest of the day hanging out in camp and enjoying the gorgeous weather and good company. The sunset did not disappoint:
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We Are Not Alone - Valley of the Gods, Utah
We had a beautiful drive from Palisade to Valley of the Gods - the road along the Colorado River is spectacular!
When we arrived at Valley of the Gods road to find a spot to camp, we were shocked to see how full the dispersed camping areas were. We did manage to find a spot for the group, we were grateful that people were willing to share their spot with us!
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