Out and About: Road Trip!! AZ/CO/NM

It was time.

We've been cooped up all summer, huddling in the comforting chill of our A/C, waiting for the temperatures to cool off.... and we just couldn't take it anymore!! We loaded up the Super Taco (now with camper shell!) and hit the road! We had hammered out a very, very rough idea of where we wanted to go and some things to see along the way, and that was it. No reservations, no commitments.... just GO!!

First stop: Four Corners National Monument

NM/AZ/CO/UT - all BFFs!

Interesting, and it is a item on my Life List (woo!).... but other than the monument and some vendors? Not much to see/do here. We took the obligatory tourist omg-I'm-standing-in-all-the-states pictures, and hit the road again.

Second stop: Mesa Verde National Park

Voila - now more rugged and adventure-y!

With the addition of a camper shell on the Super Taco, we now have the option of sleeping in the bed of the truck. This means less camping gear that we need to tote along (i.e., tent cots). We used this option several times on this trip. Its a pretty cozy sleeping space - think: twin sized bed - but I have slept in much worse.

Spruce Tree House cliff dwellings

The cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde are amazing! They are so well preserved, and they are everywhere!! In fact, the park rangers are still discovering ruins in the park. We only had time to visit the Spruce Tree House, but this is definitely on my "come back someday" list. The camping facilities are great, too!

Third stop: Durango, CO, with a side trip to Silverton, CO

Seriously? Amazing! I had not been to CO ever before (well, apart from Denver Intl Airport, which I have spent a few hours kicking around waiting for my next flight, but I dont think that really counts) and I think I was really unprepared for how much I would enjoy it. The mountains made every mountain in Arizona look like a tiny hill. HUGE mountains! And so many green trees! And rivers! Everywhere!

Look at it! Its all green and pretty!

 We took a side trip up to Silverton, and took the Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour. The tour was really neat, and it was super fun  to go into the mountain. There is a really primal feeling to being inside of an enormous mountain. We also walked around in Silverton's historic district some before returning to Durango. We spent one night in a hotel, and a second night at this awesome campground right next to the river. Also? The Durango & Silverton train ran right through the campground, just a couple dozen feet from our campsite.


Hello train!

Fourth Stop: Alamosa, CO

We spent a day with my Aunt and Uncle, and also got to visit my cousin and her kids some. We had dinner at the San Juan Brewery, which was really good. It was really nice to sit and visit with my relatives.... and then off we went again!!

Fifth Stop: Taos, NM

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge... it sure is a loooooong way down!

We didn't do much in Taos... I think we were both pretty tired and needed a "down" day. We found an amazing place for dinner - El Taosene. Delicious! And we went to bed fairly early... so we could hit the road again the next morning!!
Sixth Stop: Los Alamos, NM

This is a place I would have liked to spend more time. In hindsight, we probably could have stayed in Los Alamos and skipped Santa Fe. We only visited a science museum here, but wish we had had more time to see other sites from Los Alamos's history. We have now visited all 3 of the "nuclear history" sites in the Southwest: Trinty, Nuclear Testing Museum in Las Vegas, and now Los Alamos. Again, another place I would return to.

Seventh Stop: Santa Fe, NM

Here we cruise the NM state capitol building... and that was actually pretty neat! They have a huge art collection, filled with an amazing variety of pieces. Fun! We were also able to go in the Senate and Representative chambers - nothing was going on in them, but it was really cool to see them!

Stained glass ceiling of the Roundhouse Capitol Building

We camped outside of Santa Fe, and ate at a steakhouse that felt like it was practically in the middle of nowhere.

Eighth Stop: Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert National Monument

Amazing. I know I keep using that word, but really it just fits. "Awesome" would also apply. The Painted Desert truly does look like someone has taken a jumbo sized paint brush and coloured the desert.

Technicolour by Nature

The Petrified Forest is equally amazing. Its colours are just as vibrant, with the addition of the amazing petrified wood that lays scattered everywhere like discarded Lincoln Logs. There is so much of it, just everywhere you look, and each piece is different from any other piece. Its also very peaceful and quiet here. We felt at times like we were the only people around for miles. 

It looks like another planet.

The landscape in both places is also very alien, and yet so very beautiful. We spent several hours here, and I would love to spend at least another whole day. Soon! We left as the park was closing, and headed towards Holbrook for the night.

Ninth Stop: Meteor Crater

Our final stop before heading home... Meteor Crater! Another place that I have wanted to visit for a long time! The crater is enormous, much bigger than I had imagined. We learned that it was the first impact site actually identified as an impact site. How cool is that?

Big enough to hold twenty football fields!

And then we turned the Super Taco towards home again.... we went over 1500 miles in a week, and slept somewhere different every night. We saw so many awesome things..... and made a list of so many more things we will have to return to see on another trip! We were tired, but also relaxed and happy.

It was a really great trip.... I can't wait for our next one!