RED(rum), WHITE(water), & BLUE(birds)- A Grand Finale TR to Our Year of the National Parks

[HouCuseChickie]

Had to get some kid pics...

Unlike that stair step looking section above that wasn't really a steep drop...this was...and we previous saw people taking pics with their heels right on the edge!

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Coming up...we finish up in Canyonlands and work out our last night in Moab plans.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We still were doing pretty good on time, so David suggested we drive to one other spot in this section that he wanted to see...and I took some pics along the way...

It was another stunning viewpoint, although we didn't have time to hike into the crater dome thingy he wanted to see.

We drove a little farther up...

I know the pics don't totally do it justice, but it is a total wow...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

This also not only showed us that we were getting to see the Green River again (maybe even seeing water we saw flowing from the north the other morning), but it made us realize that we were coming full circle with our Christmas trip as well since you can see where the river flows.

A few more pics before heading on...

(reminded David of Yosemite)

We started to make our way out...

... when Sam announced the need for restrooms, so she went in while I played games with this raven hanging in the picnic area.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

That got boring, so I crossed the road to check out the view on more time.

After that, we started heading back to Moab.

The kids played the most ridiculous game in the car on the ride back. I had a bottle of Children's Pepto back there from K's stomach issues...and they were playing "Hide the Pepto!" Stuff you do when you're bored. Meanwhile, David just kept saying...REDROCKS- REDROCKS!

(loved the name)

*Sorry for all of the bugs!

Once you realize those arches are out there...you just can't not see them...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Almost at the turn off...

And we're nearly back in Moab...

Home Sweet Hotel!

David got done what he needed to do and we took a pic with all of our Keens. We'd later be called out as the Keen family. LOL

I was tasked with finding a spot for dinner. There was one place that was built into the side of the red rocks that had a free shuttle (I had a pic of it earlier in the TR) and it would have amazing sunset views, but I read that you were paying for views vs food quality. There was another that was a fairly easy walk from the hotel and the menu looked decent, but we needed to make reservations at least 2 hours in advance and more mixed reviews on the food than I would have liked. So, I picked a place up the road that got great reviews, was walking distance and seemed like a bit of an overlooked gem.

I think it took us less than 3 minutes to walk there...and the only strange part is that the neighboring motel's pool was attached to the restaurant. I'm guessing they were all one thing back in the day.

So, here we are at Sultan and I'm excited. Nobody else really was and there were a few things that David and Sam didn't like, but for the most part, the food and service were excellent.

Kendall was having a hard time making a mess...so she stuffed her napkin in her shirt. Not sure where it came from, but she declared that she thought that the napkin made her look taller. LOL

All in all, I was happy with the meal...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

So, we walked back so we could drive somewhere for dessert.

Yes...we're liking Moab!

First stop was this diner. It's a cool retro theme and the line was out the door, but we should have walked away when we saw that the ice cream and shakes were Blue Bunny.

David and Sam got shakes, but K couldn't because of the shared scoops and equipment. Another guy in line told David about a coffee house up the street that would be a good and safe option for K...so we headed to this place called Coffee Roasters. They had all kinds of goodies and were more than willing to accommodate K. She wound up getting 2 scoops of huckleberry...and we all sat outside while the three of them finished up their treats...and I took some random pics. We even had a few little sprinkles of rain, but it's so dry that it evaporated almost instantly.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

After this, we headed back to the hotel...time to pack up and be ready to move on. We also noticed that they forgot to put in our shower curtain. I guess they swap them out each time they clean a room...so I had to call for a new one. That's a first!

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Coming up- we leave Moab, UT to head to Cortez, CO to see one national monument and one national park.

 

[Sans Souci]

My husband has been talking about visiting some national parks. I really like the look of Moab and The Arches from your photos? Is there enough to do for a week, or it is best combined with another city?

 

[HouCuseChickie]

My husband has been talking about visiting some national parks. I really like the look of Moab and The Arches from your photos? Is there enough to do for a week, or it is best combined with another city?

I don't know if I could find enough for a full week in Moab. Sure, some people might spend more time hiking Arches and Canyonlands. We didn't have time for it, but Glen Canyon, Capitol Reef NP, Monument Valley, and Four Corners are all about 2-2.5 hrs from Moab. So you could turn those into day trips. While I didn't know this before we traveled (something I will get into when we do go rafting), is that Moab is big for whitewater rafting. I think my brain was so focused on the parks for certain areas that I just didn't look into other activities. In any event, we saw a lot of rafting, Jeep and ATV companies in Moab if that's your thing. Cataract Canyon, which is at the southern/southwestern end of Canyonlands NP, seems to be a very popular rafting spot. If we had been better prepared (or booked something), going out for an evening of stargazing would also be a great activity in this area. I think some people even book 1-night camping adventures strictly for this purpose.

Getting to Moab might also help dictate parts of your trip. Salt Lake City is going to be your cheapest option, but it's a longer drive. There is a small airport in Grand Junction, CO that might also work. I'd imagine it's pricey, but supposedly United and American now have flights going directly in and out of Moab, but I tend to avoid these tiny one gate airports unless there is an amazing deal...since they are usually several hundred more PP than the slightly larger regional airport options.

Ultimately, when I've told people we did a national parks trip and went to CO and UT, everyone wants to know if we went to Bryce and Zion, so maybe trying to combine those parks with Arches and Canyonlands might be the way to go if you haven't already been to those places. My parents loved Bryce and were pushing hard for us to add it on to this trip, but Bryce is around 4.5 hrs away from Moab and 7 hours from the next park I wanted to hit in CO.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

DAY 10ish...maybe

Before I get into the next day, I forgot about a video I took of us driving outside of Canyonlands. It's nothing major...but video does come off a bit differently than still pics.



So, back to the 10thish day...I hit the gym again and some lady remarked to her husband as they passed me in the hall that I was smart for doing that...and they should too. Ok...well, I went to the gym...did my thing and then met the fam for some breakfast.

After that, we packed up, checked out and hit the road. Next stop...Cortez, CO! The way we were driving took us past the eastern rim of Canyonlands (which got a few Candylands shout outs from Sam), towards the Needles section of the park. We had seen enough needles from above and had started to get our our fill of red rocks that we opted to skip it. Still, it's kind of cool to drive along the exterior of the park.

(the bugs will just keep getting worse...still didn't stop me!)

We also passed this rock!

And more REDROCKS!

And an arch outside of Arches!

The terrain changed the more we drove.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Last chance to reconsider Canyonlands needles...nope. Buh-bye Candylands!

So we kept driving...

We eventually came upon a wind farm...

And then a small town where we'd turn east to start heading towards Colorado.

See...we are now back in CO!

Cortez really isn't too far either. Google Maps really varies up the travel time between Moab and Cortez (I've seen it as high as nearly 4 hours...which is not correct), but I want to say this entire part of the journey took as a whopping 90 minutes...give or take.

We drove past lots of fields with mountain tops looming off in the distance.

We also realized that a lot of the farms we were passing were bean farms. I don't know why, but I wouldn't have expected that. You really learn a lot about the country when you get out and drive.

And when you can't have Motel 6...you can always stay at Motel 9!

We got closer and closer to the mountains as we drove...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We made a quick stop because David was a bit parched...even though we were almost there...

...and eventually found ourselves in Cortez.

I took a few pics of the interesting stuff as we drove in.

It was too early to check in, so we decided to do multiple things before check in (after they put our bags back in the office). I had seen on a map that Canyon of the Ancients National Monument was about 10 minutes away...so we figured we'd check it out first.

There was next to nobody here, but it's a NM, so it was worth a peak just to get another stamp in the book.

I took a few pics outside before heading in...

Time to head in...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The monument covers a pretty large area and unfortunately, we weren't prepared to hike to see things like the Kiva ruins and stone towers. As it was, I didn't know this was here until I was doing the last minute review of the map for our Drive.

David also saw some things about about how some of the excavated sites had been re-buried for preservation purposes. So, the kids got their stamps and we explored some of the artifacts in the visitor center. Some things were very neat and interesting, while others...not so much. I'll spare you the history of the site, but some of the things on display were from the people who first discovered and were researching/excavating in the area. It's just odd to be looking at things that are centuries old (or older) in the same space as things from the early 1900s. I get it...I just don't know if it was needed.

The kids were having fun...

They also had a small art gallery in there...

We took a quick look outside...

...which prompted all kinds of wild animal behavior. Fear the crazy galloping eagle!



Because this is how she's going to scare off mountain lions and bears frequenting the area...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

This is equally scary...

Speaking of...the trail detailed above wasn't too long, but Kendall kept putting on her Birkenstocks and while I can walk a good distance in mine (same style- different color), she can't in hers. It was driving David nuts. He got really angry and this was the day that he declared she could't wear the shoes again until we were home. He was actually going to trash them, but I paid for them and refused to let him do anything that wasteful. I just wish she would have gotten it into her head the first time this came up...over a week ago...that she can really only wear these to dinner and should be wearing more practical shoes during the day.

So, we headed out and decided to make our way to Mesa Verde NP...the real reason we were in Cortez.

(yes, I like the big cow!)

Mesa Verde was only 15 minutes from our hotel in the other direction, so it wasn't a major drive. Although, we did get stuck behind road construction...again! I guess summer is really the only good time for them to do this in CO.

We at least didn't sit too long and were moving shortly. Funny to see the contrast in the landscape. It's a pretty view either way.

Almost there...

First stop...the visitor center...which anyone can go to without paying for entry into the park.

It took the kids three passes to figure out that this was the stamp station.

You could book ranger tours (for a cost) into certain areas of the monument, but because of Kendall's shoes, we weren't doing anything like that. Plus, there's still plenty to see without going this route. So, we headed outside and explored a little. I liked a lot of the little details...

Then it was time to head into the park!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I think this is also where David got into prancing deer jokes. Yeah...you see these signs all over the place...and not just in parks or CO, but we were just seeing so many of them that it started a lot of really bad jokes about deer and dancing and things of that nature.

Obviously, Mesa Verde isn't one of those things where you think so much about the wildlife and landscape from the obvious visuals, but it's still really pretty upon entry...

We had a funny ranger today...she wanted to quiz Sam and asked her to name at least two of the national parks she's visited with her pass. She FROZE! She was at two parks the day before and she couldn't come up with names for either one! Oh well...time to drive in...

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Coming up- we tour Mesa Verde and see the things I thought I'd only see in history, art and architecture books.

 

[Sans Souci]

I am laughing at your husband threatening to trash your daughter's Birkenstocks. There's always an "angry dad" moment on road trips. Sometimes it's "You kids stop that RIGHT NOW or I am turning this car around!" Or it's getting grouchy that someone ordered something never tried before and really expensive for dinner and they ended up not liking it. My husband gets really cranky on road trips when we approach the DC area on I-95.

 

[MinnieM123]

I am laughing at your husband threatening to trash your daughter's Birkenstocks. There's always an "angry dad" moment on road trips. Sometimes it's "You kids stop that RIGHT NOW or I am turning this car around!" Or it's getting grouchy that someone ordered something never tried before and really expensive for dinner and they ended up not liking it. My husband gets really cranky on road trips when we approach the DC area on I-95.

Ha ha ha!! Deja vu!! It was the same way in our family when I was a kid growing up. My father would have at least one mental breakdown on every family "vacation"!!

@HouCuseChickie , I'm really enjoying your TR. It's amazing how many places you visited. That part of the country is so interesting. Great photos!!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I am laughing at your husband threatening to trash your daughter's Birkenstocks. There's always an "angry dad" moment on road trips. Sometimes it's "You kids stop that RIGHT NOW or I am turning this car around!" Or it's getting grouchy that someone ordered something never tried before and really expensive for dinner and they ended up not liking it. My husband gets really cranky on road trips when we approach the DC area on I-95.

Oh boy, I know that section on 95. My dad used to call for silence until we got past that area...so naturally one of us would break the silence when we spotted a DC landmark from the road.

Ha ha ha!! Deja vu!! It was the same way in our family when I was a kid growing up. My father would have at least one mental breakdown on every family "vacation"!!

@HouCuseChickie , I'm really enjoying your TR. It's amazing how many places you visited. That part of the country is so interesting. Great photos!!

Thank you! When I was planning, I realized that so much of it is stuff that we'd probably never have opportunity to see again without going out of our way, so I tried to cram in as much as possible. I still can't believe how much we did in this time.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It's a pretty steep and winding drive in the beginning of MVNP, but it's pretty and the kids love a tunnel!

I also spotted a few deer with my 20/20 vision! But no pics. Oh well...still great views from several spots as we were heading in.

Sam got all bothered that we were seeing stuff. She started fumbling with her words in her frustration and said something like "I never perceived you to be a deer spotter." David came back and meant to say... I perceive you to be a deer, but it came out as beer...which had us all cracking up. So, Sam was a beer for a while.

Of course, the main thing I wanted to see was about as far from the entrance as you can get...so a lot of slower driving to get there...

I really didn't research this part of the trip very well, so I was surprised to find food and lodging when we got to what we dubbed the halfway point. Yes, I was busy with work and kid stuff, but I was also trying to add a bit of spontaneity to our travel. We decided to stop for a quick bite to eat. I couldn't eat much, but David and the kids ate well. I believe the flatbread is traditional Native American frybread.

It also looks for a pretty nice spot for star gazing...

They thought I was in the bathroom...until this moment...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

...and the shop had some fun things, but still nothing I wanted for me...although, the covered butter dish was tempting.

I could also see some storms starting to form, so we got a move on!

Like YNP, Mesa Verde has evidence of fire damage. Each section that has burned has a sign with the year of the fire. Unlike YNP, the trees here haven't really started growing back. I guess Juniper doesn't grow back like lodgepole pines.

So, let's be honest...when you go to Mesa Verde, the Cliff Palace is the first thing you want to see. Well, it was for me. So, that was our first stop. On a side note, I love how many of the national parks have their own font. Mesa Verde's is this Art Deco style that I never would have expected in a park of any sort.

This is one of those things you see in history and art books, but you don't realize how incredible it is until you see it in person. We walked down some stairs to a viewing platform and there it was. I will also admit that I got choked up. The last time I remember reacting on this level to something manmade like this was when I entered the Sistine Chapel and looked up to the ceiling.

We could also see some other structures in another spot from this vantage point...

As I noted before, we did not book any of the tours, but the people on the tour give you some perspective on the sheer size of these structures and cliffs.