Please Visit Your National Parks

As sad as it was to leave Colorado Springs and the amazing hospitality of Mark and Suze, it was time to get back on the road and continue our trip for maximum playtime.

We swung by Safeway to load up on provisions, only to discover the joy of jalepeno cheddar bagels. Un real. Loaded up, re-organized and rested, we continued on- taking the scenic Colorado Highway 24 past Beuna Vista to head over towards Durango. Highway 24 is spectacular, and one of my favorite roads from my road trip last year. I was thrilled that Bruce and Lisa got to see it. We lucked out with weather too- while it was windy as all hell, the sky was clear and we had an amazing view of the mountain ranges, resulting in many roadside stops for photos.

I brave the wind to take a few photos

The scenery is spectacular through Colorado and so varied. We drove past mountain ranges and pillar like rock formations, lakes and rivers all within a short period of time.

After Highway 24 we jumped on Colorado Highway 550 to take us down towards Durango. 550 winds its way through the San Juan Mountains, passing through small mining and ski towns such as Ouray and Silverton. The curves on the road are sharp, with treacherous ravines down below, and a noticeable lack of guard rails.

While we had grand plans to make it out to Mesa Verde, we got sidetracked in the town of Ouray- an old mining town lining the sides of 550, nestled into the mountains north of Silverton. We wandered around Ouray, and decided to stop and have a beer. We found a small, local brewery owned and operated by a man named "Hutch"- skier, kayaker, mountain biker, brewer of amazing beer. The Ourayle brewpub had about 5 beers on tap- all locally made by Hutch. It was one of the coolest little pubs I've ever seen- there is a swing behind the bar, and a littany of hand-lettered signs stating that the hours of the pub are subject to change due to ski conditions and water levels.

This sign is going wherever I end up living and/or working.

We spent a solid hour or 2 with Hutch, sampling his ales, and learning about Ouray before we headed back on our way with a growler of deliciousness and stickers to spread the love.

We made it as far as Durango before regrouping the next morning for a day of national park adventures.

Our first stop was Mesa Verde state park- home to cliff dwellings hundreds of years old and still in remarkable condition. We woke up to snowy, blustery conditions, and were seriously debating our choice to go hiking into the cliffs- due largely to our lack of appropriate clothing-when, as we drove further into the park, the sun opened up just in time- giving us a perfect morning. We were only able to go to Cliff Palace, one of many dwellings in the park due in part to weather and to the season. Cliff Palace is the largest dwelling in the park, and a pretty spectacular site. I was told by our tour guide that I was the ideal size of a woman in the days of the cliff dwellings- which lisa and bruce thought was hysterical- as he insinuated that I was smaller then a normal person.

Bruce checks out Cliff Palace Site at Mesa Verde- at one time it was home to somewhere between 50-200 people.

I attempt to navigate our way through the park.

After Mesa we continued on our way towards Cali, with a stop in Arches National Park once we hit Utah. Again, we hit perfect weather, just missing storm clouds for beautiful sunny skies during our time in the park.

Driving into the park with our road snowman- a housewarming gift for Lisa and I that came on the road with us.

Lisa and Bruce super excited to be in Arches National Park

The three of us pose for a pic at Double Arch

View of Double Arch from the distance

We spent the large part of an afternoon driving around Moab, and could easily have spent another full day there. It is a place I hope to go back to at some point in the future- absolutely a beautiful part of the states.