Salida, CO to Pagosa Springs, CO - Sun 11/7 (Day 31)
Two headlines for today:
1. Ziplining: Captain Zipline took us on 6 zip lines just outside of Salida, zooming across some canyons, and overlooking the Arkansas River. Stacey was a little nervous, but fortunately we both picked up the vibe of the thing very quickly and enjoyed every moment and view. We were joined on the tour by a massive family from Texas (who were on a girls only family reunion thing) , and one of our guides looked very hungover (scary for safety), and the other was an overly enthusiastic female guide (who was actually very good at the whole thing and looooved to talk).
2. Soccer grand final at Benson's (the same bar we'd been at the night before). The bartender "Duffy" (who was apparently spending the Summer in Salida helping out his kid brother who owns the bar) was fantastic - very funny (but potentially a little "washed up"), with lots of funny anecdotes (like the girl he "fell in love with" at the beerfest and his goose bump reaction to anything awesome), and a canny knack at introducing bar patrons to each other (Steve the retiree on our right, and Jonathan the hiker on our left). We had a fab time, despite being disappointed by the loss of the Netherlands (Duffy also shouted us a few drinks so our bill only came to about $35 in the end, which was very decent!)
After the Benson's experience, we had a careful drive to Pagosa Springs.
Pagosa Springs, CO to Cortez, CO via Mesa Verde - Mon 12/7 (Day 32)
On our way to Cortez we visited Mesa Verde National Park. MVNP is known for the ruins it houses of the Anasazi/Ancestral Puebloans, the native Americans that lived there around 1200AD, and in particular, there are fabulous cliff dwellings that they erected (an evolution of the original pit dwellings they used originally after settling-down from the hunter and gatherer life they lead). OK, that's the history lesson for today! Overall, it was incredible to see original sites of where people lived hundreds of years ago, and the craftsmanship that went into building the dwellings was fantastic. We did a ranger guided hike of one area called "Cliff Palace", and a self-guided tour of "Spruce Tree House" and an extended tour to see some original Petroglyphs.
When we got into Cortez, we were hot and ready for a refreshing dip and shower... But as we were checking-in, a Mustang enthusiast grabbed Tim for an extended car chat. He came out for a look at the car, and even overheard our room number at check-in, commenting "Oh great! That's right across the hall from mt room!" Fortunately, we didn't get any surprise visits from him (although we did consider using the "Do Not Disturb" sign!
Cortez, CO to Mexican Hat, UT via Monument Valley - Tues 13/7 (Day33)
To get to Mexican Hat, we drove south west to go via the Four Corners (where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado all intersect). Unfortunately it was closed for renovations when we were there, but we got close enough I guess! There were about 6 cars observing what should be the Four Corners behind the closed gate, which made for a pretty funny photo, and we were surprised to see a picture of the Four Corners Monument later that day as it is so low key we couldn't imagine what maintenance needs to be done on it! Nevertheless, we got a photo of the Closed-Gates-of-the-Four-Corners and headed on to Monument Valley, which was as picturesque as you'd imagine (and as you'd recall from movies like Thelma and Louise). We even took the liberty of naming some rock formations that aren't named (that we're aware of!) The landscape in this part of the country (southern Utah) is a bright blood red colour, and the way it lights up at sundown is spectacular. Our motel in Mexican Hat was situated between a big red cliff and the green Colorado River, and it was clearly the best situated motel we've had. We cooled off with a swim in the river (which was encouraged "at our own risk"' and it had a surprisingly strong current!), and afterwards enjoyed a refreshing bevvie on our verandah (more like an outdoor corridor to guest rooms, but we made it our own). For dinner we went to the Swinging Steak, and had a New York steak each. We figured this place would be a tacky hotel restaurant, but it was really delish, and the "Swinging" part of the name actually refers to the way the steak is cooked... On a grill that swings over the flame! Quite entertaining to watch the cowboy cook away, really. We took many a photo of sundown, and enjoyed the fact that Mexican Hat is literally that placer we all refer to as "the middle of nowhere").
Mexican Hat, UT to Moab, UT via Natural Bridges and Dead Horse Point - Wed 14/7 (Day 34)
To get to Moab, we first stopped off at the Natural Bridges National Monument, which is about a 15mile loop through a Park where we stopped at viewpoints to see 3 Natural Bridges that were formed by rivers carving their way through the landscape. We did a short hike to the third bridge, and were really impressed by how relaxed the Park restrictions were with how we could walk under the Bridge and around it's vicinity. The Natural Bridges detour was short and really enjoyable, but we were happy when we arrived into Moab and were able to take a refreshing jump into the pool (have we mentioned how hot and dry Utah is?!) That night, we went for a drive to Dead Horse Point to watch the sunset, again taking many-a photo. There are a lot of bugs in this part of the world, and the bug spray does nothing!
Moab, UT to Salt Lake City, UT via Arches - Thurs 15/7 (Day 35)
We were really excited to get to Moab, especially after our sales attendant at Bloomie's in Chicago was so amped about it! We got up very early in the morning so we could beat the heat (which is basically impossible in the desert), and headed straight for Arches National Park so we could get a hike in before the day got too hot. The hiking here was very different to what we've done so far - a lot rockier and more climbing involved, and sand everywhere! The Double O Arch (which we were hiking to) was absolutely worth it. Our exhaustion after this pretty much killed any other hiking we'd considered doing that day, and after seeing a few arches, the terrain started to get a little repetitive. We're so happy we went to this park, but were a little disappointed to be worn out on this landscape! As we were leaving the park, we stopped at the ranger station to refill our water bottles, and a woman commented on our car saying "It doesn't feel right to call it 'a car' - what do you call it?", which gave Stacey the opportunity to answer "We call it 'the duke'", and the woman seemed to think this was more than appropriate. Tim was a massive trooper, doing the entire long drive from Moab to Salt Lake City that afternoon, and we stayed in all night, did some washing and enjoyed Indian takeaway - it was so tasty (and a welcome change from all the sandwiches and burgers we've had!)
Salt Lake City, UT to Pocatello, ID - Fri 16/7 (Day 36)
- long drive (went through Temple Square in Salt Lake to see the home of Mormanism). So hot on arriving into Pocatello that we went straight to see a movie ("Grown Ups" which was pretty entertaining), then did nothing in Pocatello except check-in, eat dinner, and book accommodation for the coming weeks.
Pocatello, ID to West Yellowstone/Yellowstone National Park - Sat 17/7 (Day 37)
- oil changed, drove to Yellowstone, and had lunch on arrival to get our thoughts together (fab little "pancake restaurant" that we'll probably patronize over the next few days as our hotel, the Round-Up, doesn't offer breakky)
- drive was non-eventful until we entered YNP and we saw a bunch of cars stopped on the side of the road... We slowed to see what all the commotion was and there was a small Mule Deer family taking a rest on an island in the Madison River
- tried to sign up for some ranger guided hikes, but all booked up, so we got some advice on self-guided hikes instead. Our first stop was the Old Faithful visitors centre where we got some further direction, and on our way out we saw a Bison grazing just off the road, so we got out and took a couple sly pics (despite ranger advice to stay inside the car... No one is listening to their safety advice!!) We then did our first hike, the Howard Eaton Trail, to get to the Lone Star geyser. The trek went through varying stages of forest (from recovering-from-fire, to super lush). Unfortunately there were no bear sightings (maybe this is fortunate! But we think we heard one "roar" like chewbacca from a while away!), and when we got to the geyser, it was isolated (unlike Old Faithful which frequently has about 3500 people hanging around!), and it was situated near the River which was very picturesque. We didn't think we'd be fortunate enough to see it blow as the best estimate is that it only blows approximately every 3 hrs... But it was our lucky day! We'd spent about 15mins refreshing ourselves at the river, and as we approached the geyser again, it blew! It was absolutely incredible - the roaring/rumbling sound of it, and the mist that shot about 30-40feet into the air. It was unlike anything we've ever seen before! We reported the time we saw it blow to the ranger at Old Faithful (so they can keep track of it to help their estimates), and he was so genuinely excited for us to have seen it (and without crowds if people) that it made the entire experience even more unbelievable.
- we joined a group for a ranger talk on bears which was really interesting. The ranger, Linda, was very engaging and knowledgable, teaching us things about the park's history (like how the military used to be the park caretakers before the parks service was instigated), and she also gave us some bear safety tips which we keenly listened to!
- we saw Old Faithful blow (with about 2500 of our closest hicks), and it was quite worth the wait (it went about 25mins later than we'd estimated)
- Tim had his first encounter with a deer on the road on our drive home, and handled it like a pro! (and it wasn't your ordinary deer.... It was a massive Mule Deer!)
Yellowstone National Park - Sun 18/7 (Day 38)
It is impossible for this place to disappoint us, it is incredible and so diverse! What we hadn't expected, though, is how massive the park is - the drive between each visitor's centre generally takes 30-45 minutes, so we're really happy we allowed a few days to explore all of its wonders. So, today we set off to drive to Lamar Valley (apparently the Serengeti of Yellowstone) and the Canyon via Mammoth Hot Springs. Our recap:
1. Lamar Valley: The Ranger who had recommended this drive claimed he had seen 2 wolf packs and about 3 bears on a drive between Mammoth Hot Springs and the park's East entrance. We were fortunate enough to see a bear feeding on a "kill" from across the Yellowstone River, but a park ranger broke up the viewing party as a lot of people were parked recklessly and causing traffic havoc - but we were so fortunate to see it! In Lamar Valley itself, we also saw a few bison herds from a distance.
2. Mammoth Hot Springs: We walked the boardwalk through the hot springs, which was very similar to what we saw at the Old Faithful area. Lots of impressive colours and terrace formations.
3. Canyon Area: This was a real highlight of the day. We started a moderately easy hike, and joined a group that were looking upon a magnificent elk! S/he was so big and strong, and the antlers were massive and elegant - it was sensational! We then continued on our way toward Artist Point, and the colours there were spectacular; it literally looked like an artist had dropped their palette (mainly of pinks/yellows!) down the mountainside! The canyon was formed by the Yellowstone River, eroding away the earth over many thousands of years, leaving behind the gorgeous, coloured canyon walls and two falls (that are actually taller than Niagara!)
- As we were leaving the park, we saw a coyote skulking around very close to the road.
Yellowstone National Park - Mon 19/7 (Day 39)
- As we entered the park this morning, we saw a coyote again (perhaps the same from last night!) It looked like it was stalking something, so we pulled over to watch... And within a minute, it had pounced and caught it's prey! It was so exciting and lucky of us to be there at the right time!
- Today's goal was to explore the Lakes region. Tim had found an 11mile back country hike which looked like it would give us some good exposure to the area, so we went straight to the visitor's centre to collect some info. Unsurprisingly, it was really picturesque as it wound along Lake Lewis and the Lewis River Channel, ending at Shoshone Lake where we enjoyed a packed lunch sitting on some old driftwood. The walk back to the car was more direct, and "uneventful" (but obviously still lovely!)
- We got back in the car by 330pm and toured some roads we hadn't yet encountered (it was a mild, sunny, gorgeous driving day!) We came across some more elk and bison on our travels, and as we neared the park exit, we came across a Bald Eagle!! What a way to cap off the day!
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