Grand Adventure: Day 6 Astronomy Day

Hubby awoke this day feeling tough but wanting to go sight seeing with us. Off we went. First stop: Petrified National Park.

We pulled in, showed our newly obtained national park pass bought the previous day. We were told that it was National Park week and that admission is free to all parks for the week. Arghhhh! LOL

Petrified forest is full of giant logs petrified and full of gems. We didn't take a lot of time to explore the trails. Apparently, there are lots of dinosaur fossils and such in the park. The short amount of time we did walk the trails, we all turned a little red, not realizing the sun's intensity. It was a lovely day, quite warm and sunny.

The park also includes some of the Painted Desert. This is a stunning landscape. One can see for a long distance. One mountain peak was 120 miles away. The clouds cast shadows over the stripped, painted landscape. Similar to the Black Hills of the Dakotas but yet unique in it's own way.





Onward we went to Meteor Crater. DD#1 loved this place. A giant hole in the desert floor where a meteor hit at some point. This is where the Apollo astronauts trained for their moon missions. In the exhibit area there is a meteor piece made mostly of iron weighing over 1,000 pounds.









We then made our entrance into Flagstaff, AZ. We located a hotel, had dinner at Salsa Brava, a wonderful Mexican place. Then to Lowell Observatory. Here we were able to view Mars and Saturn through the Clark telescope which was built in 1898! Very cool. Saturn was incredible!! WOW!!! We could clearly see the rings around the planet and its moons. DD#1 entertained us and those around us waiting in line by pointing out many stars and constellations. They also had a 16" telescope viewing the moon and M3 globular star cluster.

A very full day. The cool night air at the observatory did not help hubby.

Grand Adventure: Day 5 Colorado to Arizona

We arose to another beautiful day, the view of the mountains from our room was beautiful. I could look at that everyday.

This day we visited our first National Park - Mesa Verde. We ran into road construction so it took a bit to get up the mountain. It was windy and chilly. A lot of trails in Mesa Verde leading to ancient dwelling places of the Pueblo people. We signed up for a tour of Cliff Palace. Our tour guide, Clyde, is a Navajo Indian. He mostly discussed the Indian culture and beliefs. I would have liked to have learned a bit more about the cliff home - oh well. The depth is about 900 feet, with structures of 4 stories. It was a tight squeeze through the rocks to get back to the top. Incredible to think that people made their homes in a cave of a cliff.



We returned to Cortez for lunch then settled in a the drive to Four Corners where Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado meet. Driving through the Indian reservation of Colorado - - not much to see. We arrived to find the monument closed for refurbishment. Disappointed, we decided to pretend we stood in all four states at once since were within a few hundred feet. We have great pictures of the closed sign.

Then we got in for a long drive - down through New Mexico into Arizona. Again, I was in the driver seat - hubby will let me drive across flat lands. A dull land through Indian Reservations. Saddened me to think this is what we, Americans, 'gave' the Indians. It is a flat, barren land, the color of puce. DD#1 said it was the color of the Crayola crayon 'golden rod' which she and her sister used to call 'poopy color' as small girls.

We drove through a few small sand storms and saw thunderstorms of dark clouds and lightening in the distant mountains.

As we drove, I did not realize that as hubby rested he was actually going down hill physically. By the time we reached Holbrook, AZ, he was quite miserable. Achy, feverish, congested. It seemed he caught the crud the girls had the week before we left. We pulled into a hotel, tucked him into bed. We girls went in search of meds and a case of water. Once we had him settled we found dinner and hung out in the hotel's small lobby to give him a chance to rest.

Holbrook, AZ is on the old Route 66. As we drove around this small town, we quickly identified some similarities to Radiator Springs of the movie "Cars". We even found the cone motel! A hotel with wagwams. I had a very nice conversation with a gentlemen that could have been 'Doc'. It was really quite funny.

Grand Adventure: Day 4 Route 550

This day, we set out early, rising at 5:30am to go to Durango/Mesa Verde/Cortez... we really had no idea just how far our travels would take us. DD#1 was in an incredibly great mood, bubbling with chatter. DD#2 was quiet. I think she was unsure of the drive ahead of us. Hubby wisely chose the "scenic" route. Route 550 across Colorado.

Our first pass was Wilkerson - 9,502 feet ... We topped the summit and my breath was literally taken away; my jaw dropped. The view of the Mosquito & Sawatch (?) ranges.

The rest of the drive, my jaw continued to drop - - the views were stunning. The song.... "The Majesty of the King" kept reverberating in my mind. We were blessed with clear skies and comfortable temperatures.

My jaw has road rash as it continued to remain agape throughout the drive - tee hee

The Continental Divide - Monarch Pass 11,312 feet. The snow covered peaks, the rugged terrain, the pine trees... my ears popping, needing more oxygen :) :)

Hwy 550 - a very scenic route through the mountains. The road is windy, with many switchbacks and several passes. Hubby drove through them with skill while we girls gasped at the waterfalls, the peaks, the drop offs (right next to the road and my seat!), the views.... I took pictures and then put the camera down and decided to just enjoy the viewand the ride. Even the towns we passed through were at heights of 9,000 ft. Ouray declared itself the Swiss of the Americas - this the beginning of the amazing drive. Silverton - the mining town in the middle; finally coming down to Durango at around 6,000 feet.



We continued to Cortez for the night. Hubby relaxed in the pool with the kids - he earned a relaxing evening following all the mountain driving. I did some laundry. We slept well.

Grand Adventure: Day 3 Breath Taking

We spent the day in Colorado Springs/Manitou Springs. We randomly selected a hotel on the drive. God directed our footsteps to exactly where we wanted to be - - the foothills of Pikes Peak in Old Colorado Springs bordering Manitou Springs.

Everything we wanted to see and do was in Manitou Springs within about 3 miles.
We slept fairly well even at 6,000 some feet. While preparing for our day - DD#2 developed an acute mid/low back muscle spasm that put a little anxiety into my heart. The pain was quite severe. She was yelping in pain, pale, & sweating with pain. We rubbed her back, gave her ibuprofen, prayed over her.... the spasm passed. That was the end of her neck and back troubles :) Praise the Lord!!

We left the hotel to find a mountain summit, the sky was clear, the air crisp, perfect day for veiwing. We made our way to the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The mountain had heavy snows so we could not make it to the summit. We did however get to make it to about 13,000 feet - about 1,000 feet shy of the summit. Other than getting a little altitude sickness - - it was simply breath taking. The awesome beauty of God's creation. I am in love with mountains!!! The streams, babbling brooks, trees, wildlife, fresh air - thin air - - all breath taking.

DD#1, who seemed to be unsure about this adventure west, beamed from ear to ear on the Railway. We could see the Continental Divide from up there - as well as several states including Kansas & Wyoming. The views were stunning and I am certain our pictures will not do them justice. Hopefully we have been able to sear the sights into our memories.

DD#2, however, had a little more challenge with the heights and altitude sickness combined with motion sickness. Her stomach was a mess. We got her drinking water and looking around which helped her immensely.



We decided a pizza lunch was in order. We stumbled upon a great little pizzeria. We plotted our next destination.... which we decided would be Seven Falls. We plugged our destination into the GPS. We arrived to find it temporarily closed for renovations until May 28. Disappointed we drove back about a mile to a visitor’s center. The helpful lady gave us a map and some trails to hike. Again, our footsteps were being guided. We were in a City Park - everything was free (bonus!) We went to Cascade Falls were we hiked up about .3 miles, a rather steep .3 miles. DD#2 practically ran the entire way up. This is her "thing". It was a bit chilly but very tolerable with a fall/spring jacket.

From Cascade Falls we went back down the 'hill' to Mt. Cutler. We climbed about 400 feet to 7200 feet. About a mile hike. The trail was easier than the Falls - more gradual. We were nearly the only ones on the trail - only met 2 to 3 others. Protected from the winds it was quite warm. Again DD#2 was enthralled racing up the path. We even had a glimpse of some of the "Seven Falls". (all without paying the fee :) The view from the top was amazing! I wish I could give words to it but they fail me. I returned down the hill with sorrow. I was actually glad Seven Falls was closed - the hike was incredible.

Dinner was delicious - - Stage Coach Inn in Manitou Springs! Yummy beef & buffalo steak dinners.

Grand Adventure: Day 2 COLORADO

Mountains!! Need I say more? We drove all day from Lincoln NE to Colorado Springs. The cross winds were sooooo high that even the semis were struggling to stay on the road. High wind advisories all day. It did get old driving in it.


Can you believe it? Hubby let me drive for two hours this morning :) I got the easy drive if you ask me. I dealt with wind gusts but he dealt with constant wind the rest of the day. This is our first trip with the girls that they are old enough to sit in the front seat. So I had the treat of crawling in back for a nap and to be beat soundly at a game of Farkle by DD#2.


Early afternoon we spotted our first glimpse of the mountains. Oh how magnificent! And such a treat after the long, flat, mono-tone colored terrain of Nebraska. Tumble weed blowing, cows, feed lots, corn stalks.... and then hills which turned into mountains. It was worth the drive to get here :) Although my rear end was a bit numb that night.

The girls were delighted to stop in at Focus on the Family. We got there just prior to closing, but they got to see "Whit's End" of Odessey.


We had dinner at the Mason Jar in Manitou Springs and then walked "The Garden of the Gods" - many rock formations with vistas of Pikes Peak which is snow covered. These stunning rock formations were mostly red - jutting out of the ground in all shapes.


The sky is so brilliantly blue here - incredible. The weather is tolerable - - high 50s, low 60s. The wind is brisk, however.

We spent the night at the base of Pikes Peak.


Quote of the day - - on the far west side of Nebraska; DD#1 exclaimed "I think I see a lenticular cloud formation!" Apparently you only see these near mountains. We had yet to spot the mountains. :)

Grand Adventure: In Search of Mountains

Destination: Grand Canyon and points in-between

We packed our bags, loaded the suburban, got ready for bed and a good night's sleep. We were planning to get up early and hit the road. We were hoping to get across the plain states the first day. A lofty goal and a long day's drive.

That was the plan... first our departure was delayed by DD#2. She was walking a bit crooked and stiff. Our crooked DD needed to be straightened out. So we delayed our departure until after the chiropractor opened. Bad news - we got a late start; good news - I was able to get a good cup of coffee from my favorite coffee shop.

DD#2 all straightened out and feeling better, we got our coffee, and made tracks out of town. We cruised right along through the cities, through a rain storm, looking forward to stopping for lunch. Making fairly good time.

Side note here: I am the most normal, crazy person, you'll ever meet. My goal: to entertain our driver and tour guide, hubby. I challenged him to a game of war - which I had to play his hand too. He won. Then I pulled out a sock puppet - that made him grin. (he knows I'm a bit nutsy) The girls joined in the fun. DD#2 had a stripped, dog sock puppet. Hubby added his own - - the naked sock puppet. LOL LOL

As I was saying, we drove through some rain, cruising on the interstate. We crossed a bridge, hit a bump, and heard: 'thunk, thunk, thunk, clang, thunk' Not good. Just past this bump was a rest stop. Hubby pulled in to check things out.

I, being, a girl didn't have a clue. I did take the vehicle in to the shop prior to leaving for a good check up. It got new tires, brakes, serpentine belt, ac belt, and oil change. I was assured we were good to go. But the noises eminating from the vehicle were not good.

First point of interest was the trail of liquid leading to our parking spot. "Uh oh," I thought. Well, hubby wasn't too concerned, he determined it was just rain build up in the 'pan'. Okay.... girl here, I'll believe him. Although something was definitely wrong with the rear brakes.

Time to call for a tow truck. Thankfully we were near a decent sized town. Ames, Iowa. DD#2 exclaims "I've never ridden in a tow truck before, this should be fun!" "Okay, if you say so honey."

Our hero came in an extended cab tow truck. A young man, tall, lean, & lanky. He had short cropped hair with a section a bit longer in hopes of a mow hawk. Very kind and courteous. He loaded up our truck and all of us and took us to town. He made a recommendation for lunch. He even got a chuckle when again, DD#2 exclaimed a funny. Seeing a semi truck hauling animals - - "Oh, look! Horses!" "No sweetie, those would be pigs, we are in Iowa now."

Our lunch was fabulous. If you find yourself in Ames I have a great recommendation for a restaurant. We still had to time to fill. It turned out to be something with the emergency brake (remember I'm a girl). It would take a couple of hours to repair. Across the street we spotted a Salvation Army Family Store. We headed in there to shop for a bit. We had fun finding the most outrageous outfits we could find. Just a few blocks away were Target and Wal-Mart, another good time filler and we were getting exercise! Then to Panera for coffee and treat.

Finally the call came... the truck was repaired and ready to go. We were off again!

I believe our delays were for a reason... I have a Blessed Controller, my heavenly father watching over me and every step of my life. I also caution you to be careful what you pray for... I asked God to reveal himself to us on our trip.

We made it to the east side of Nebraska and called it a night. Not as far as we had anticipated but we were on our way.