Blogs from Colorado, United States, North America - page 202

Day 19: Monticello, UT to Dolores, CO Total Miles: 61 (1267.8mi total) Talk about hard work. We actually managed to get a great place to stay last night near the local cafe and it was a windy night. We got free breakfast at the Comfort Inn because the girl working there was supportive of our ride and let us have it; that was nice of her. Daniel decided to stick around town and get some things done while me and Jess headed off towards Dolores, CO and maybe beyond. Well, beyond never happened. We managed the first 18 miles or so on a sub-par road but nothing all that bad in terms of weather. And then it started to blow and man it blew hard. The remainder of the day had us fighting sustained 20+mph headwinds ... read more

Reece: Waking up early, eager to see the mountains that were now no longer cloaked in darkness, we set off down scenic Route 34 towards Estes Park. (P.S. We got the cinnamon buns. They should not be, and probably are not, world famous.) Even before arriving at the Rockies we were greeted with a spectacular drive through the Roosevelt National Forest where a winding road led us through a canyon following the Big Thompson River. The sides of the canyon were so tall and so sheer we couldn’t even see the sky until we made our way out. Arriving at the entrance gate to the park Caitlin jumped at the opportunity to get an annual pass that allows one to go to any national park in the country. At the Falls View visitors center we were ... read more

Reece will be guest-authoring this entry because of his uncanny love for the seemingly boring, but beautiful state of Kansas. Kansas, the sunflower state. Sunflowers seen during trip: 0. Ever since the early stages of planning for this trip, Caitlin and I had a prejudice towards Kansas that entailed a long, straight, monotonous drive on Interstate 70. Originally we planned to simply drive from St. Louis directly to Denver all in one day. When it comes down to it, that is what we did essentially, but to me it has been the best drive so far. Instead of becoming desensitized to the beauty of what is considered fly-over country, I became more and more distraught at the fact that I would probably never see a place like Kansas in person ever again. Eastern Kansas, surprisingly, is ... read more

It took us ages to actually even get out of Texas, the place is massive. The gruelling 23 hour journey from Houston to Denver was made bearable by the beautiful scenery we encountered as we got near to Colorado. After going through the flat pan handle region it was such a treat for the eyes to see foot hills and green trees. We made quite a few stops on the way, including Amarillo. Yes Greyhound showed us the way to Amarillo! We even came across an American woman we had met in Memphis. She had asked us to look after her elderly mother (82!!!! what a grand age to live till and still be quite active in mind and body) who was on her way to Lake Charles (which is half way between Baton Rouge and ... read more

Hi Everyone, So all that bad, cold weather we've been complaining about the past week and a half, well it doesn't sound all that bad right now. We are camping in Moab, Utah just outside of Arches National Park and it is about 91 degrees at 7 pm. Apparently this is about 10-15 degrees warmer than usual. We just can not win! Today we visited Mesa Verde National Park and it was stunning. Mesa Verde is the ancestral home of the Pueblo Indians located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. To reach the park we climbed Mount Montezuma to about 9,000 feet. The panoramic views were amazing. They are amazing cliff dwellings located throughout the park, however, some of the larger sites require a guided tour. The rangers recommended that we visit the Cliff Palace ... read more