It is one week until we will be on our way to Colorado and the west. I thought I would let all of you know what our itinerary will be:
Thursday, Sept 2 . Denis and I will travel to Plover and meet up with Fran in Plover, WI. We plan to stay overnight and use Plover as our jumping off point for our trip west.
Friday, Sept. 3. We are planning an early start (6:00 a.m.!) to the day and we are hoping to make Kearney, Nebraska by late afternoon. We will stay our first night on the road in Kearney.
Saturday, Sept. 4. Another early start will get us on the road west once again. We are hoping to make Estes Park, Colorado by noon. The afternoon will be spent gazing at the wonders of Rocky Mountain National Park. We plan to stay the night in the heart of the Rockies in Winter Park. Read more about the park at http://www.nps.gov/romo/
Sunday, Sept. 5. We will continue our travels through the Rockies, driving south from Winter Park, over Berthoud Pass (over 11,000 ft), and regaining Interstate 70 just east of the Eisenhower Tunnel. We are hoping to make Vail about noon, and stop for lunch and a little shopping and sight-seeing. From there, we will continue on to Grand Junction and should be in town by late afternoon. Denis and I are hoping to get downtown in the evening. Grand Junction has a nice little downtown, about 6 blocks long, decorated with art pieces from local artists. We will, of course, pay homage to the most famous of the art pieces (and get our picture taken with it), Chrome on the Range. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the legend and allure of “Chrome”, check out the pics on Sunday’s blog. Read more about Art on the Corner at http://downtown.paragongj.com/aotc.cfm
Monday, Sept. 6. Today we will part company with Fran, our companion of the past few days. Fran is going to spend the week visiting with old friends and neighbors, while Denis and I are going to explore the southern part of the state. First, however, we will head west to Moab, Utah, and to Arches National Park. Arches National Park preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, like the world-famous Delicate Arch, as well as many other unusual rock formations. After our visit to Arches, we will drive south through eastern Utah, and cross back into southwestern Colorado to Cortez. We are staying this night at a B & B, Kelly Place, which is about 10 miles outside of Cortez. Read more about Arches at http://www.nps.gov/arch/ Read more about Kelly Place at http://www.kellyplace.com/accom.html
Tuesday, Sept. 7. Today we will spend the day at Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. After our visit to Mesa Verde, we will travel to Durango. We will be staying at the historic Strater Hotel in Durango for two nights. Read more about Mesa Verde National Park at http://www.nps.gov/meve/ Read more about the Strater Hotel at http://www.strater.com
Wednesday, Sept. 8. Today we going to let someone else do the “driving”, so to speak. We are planning an all day excursion on the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. We will travel by steam train to Silverton and back again in the heart of the San Juan range of the Rockies. Read more about the train at http://www.durangotrain.com/
Thursday, Sept 9. We will leave Durango today and head north and west toward Grand Junction through beautiful Unaweep Canyon. We plan to make one very special stop along the way, however, at the Gateway Auto Museum. The museum is part of the Gateway Canyons resort, conceived and built by , the owner of the Discovery Channel. This museum houses some of the most beautiful antique automobiles in the world. We will stay in Grand Junction this night. Read more about the museum at http://www.gatewayautomuseum.com/
Friday, Sept. 10. Today we plan to see more natural beauty and take in the Colorado National Monument in the morning and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in the afternoon. The Colorado National Monument preserves one of the grand landscapes of the American West. Towering red rock monoliths exist within a vast plateau-and-canyon panorama. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park offers vistas of a canyon of sheer walls, carved over centuries by the Gunnison River. Read more about the Monument at http://www.nps.gov/colm/ Read more about the Black Canyon at http://www.nps.gov/blca/
Saturday, Sept. 11. Today we will meet up once again with Fran and head east toward home.
Here’s a photo of the three intrepid travelers:
See you along the way! Remember to visit often. We will post our adventures and photos every day, internet permitting!
Susan & Denis
