Road Trip 2009--Part I

****Revised Version!!!****

We thought it would be fun to take a road trip vacation to finish out the summer...and so far it has been fantastic!
Tues--
After loading up the 5th wheel, we set out and spent a day driving from home to Farmington, NM--getting rained and even hailed on in route! It was decent drive, but the kids did great (despite Travis only sleeping about 30 mins. out of 7 +hrs in the truck !). We ended up spending the night at the fair grounds there. It was cool 'cuz it was just us in the whole place.

Weds--
We hung out in Farmington for the morning and then drove on to Mesa Verde and spent the night at the AA RV Resort--in short, this place was redneck, but a hit with the kids. We were surrounded by horse corrals--which Reagan absolutely loved. They even had heated pool and hot tub--which felt great 'cuz the rain kept falling off and on! Reagan learned to climb trees...and Travis or "monkey see monkey do" tried too!
Thurs--
Mesa Verde National Park...this is a huge (the largest actually in the US) archaeological site. Per the paper work there is over 4,500 sites including 600 noted cliff dwellings. We saw just a fraction of this. We did "hike" down to Spruce Tree House and saw the museum there. We went a on "driving tour" where we stopped at a point on the mesa where you had a panoramic view of 6 cliff dwelling in the mountains surround it. Amazing! We'll have to make another trip someday so we can go in more dwellings--they have 10-30 ft ladders to go up and down and small tunnels you must pass through (which wasn't possible with a 22 mo. old busy boy!)
We drove this night up to Delores, Colorado. We drove along the "million dollar highway" and the scenes were breathtaking--everything looks like a postcard in Colorado! Priest Gulch RV park was right on the Delores River and we got more rain and temp even dropped to 42 over night! Reagan and Travis enjoyed digging in our dirt and made a friend named Shannon from Albuquerque.
Fri--
We started out the day driving further up the amazing Colorado Highway up to Telluride. First, we drove right up to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. It was beautiful...amazing how at the end of the valley road a waterfall just appears. Then, it was a trip to the park for lunch (where Reagan met some friendly ducks and Travis took a nap) then a walk through the farmers' market (which Jason said was Hippy Heaven) and through town and on to the Gondolas--and into the SKY! The kids loved this. I did too--its like floating through the air! We made it to Mountain Village (at the top of the mtn. above Telluride) where Reagan found a mountain to climb and we enjoyed some ice cream and Mexican fish tacos!! (crazy Larsons!)
We drove on up above Telluride to some small mtn. towns--just checking out the scenery and then decided to head back. On our way back to Priest Gulch, we decided since we were already near by, we would make the 4X4 trek up Ophir Pass. The road is an old wagon trail from Ophir to Silverton. It wasn't too rough, but we were on the side of a rocky mtn. thousands of feet up! Climbing roughly 4,000 feet in just an hour amounts for some cool views...and even some snow on the sides of the mtns. Crazy! At the end, we stopped a the stream and let the kids stretch out and Jason panned for gold. Just a flek--so no real luck, but fun just the same! We didn't get back till late, but it was a great day!
Sat--
Travis, Reagan, and I all started in with a summer cold--runny noses and coughs were abundant! Must have been the cool 60 degree air we were in! So, we drove to Cortez and got some meds to help with the sniffles. Jason decided with all the lakes and rivers around, he needed to go fishing. We relocated to the McPhee Reservoir and then went fishing where the Delores River meets the Reservoir. Jason even caught a fish within just a few minutes of us arriving! A few more bites, but then it was off to the cool Delores Kids Park , and back to the trailer to eat our fish (we had some frozen to go along with the fresh one--at Reagan's request).
Sun--
Still sniffling, we got up early and went to church in Cortez. It was a small ward, but the people were nice and we even met a family from Douglas who knew some cousins of mine. Then, we drove on into Durago, Colorado. It is beautiful--and reminds me a lot of Flagstaff. We are camping at the United Camp Ground and are just a stone's throw from the Animas River (which flows right through town) and the Train runs right through our camp too! We have all amenities here--even cable TV and wireless internet! Camping sure is rough these days! We also ate an amazing place called Serious Texas BBQ. It is yummy to say the least! It is warm here --80's and everyone is rafting the river. We are all wishing we could go, but we'll have to save that for our next trip. There are horses everywhere--even in at this camp ground. Reagan is loving it!

Mon--
We got up today and watched the Train run through camp. Reagan and Travis absolutely loved this! They can't wait to ride on Weds. Then, we just checked out downtown Durago. It has lots of historical buildings and cute shops. We went to the Zubberfizz Soda factory and got a tour and learned how to bottle soda. Then, we went to (the Original) Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory...yum! The kids are resting and then we will be off to Bar D for a chuck wagon dinner and show.

***Bar D turned out to be great--good food and some cheezy, funny music mixed with some twangy country. Reagan and Jason were in Heaven!

We are having fun just relaxing...yes, even I am just taking things one day at a time! Colorado is such a beautiful state...every view is picture perfect. And we love the weather!