Showing posts with label Colorado. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colorado. Show all posts

Sunday, July 23, 2017

The Loneliest Road

No that's not a metaphor of my life or anything, there really is a stretch of highway called The Loneliest Road!

This was one of the first trips we took without Sharaya. She was married and pregnant so just 4 of us climbed into the van that morning. We left Seattle and headed East to Wyoming, then headed South to Colorado.

Chuck's mom and sister were having a few health issues and needed some help around the house. One of the big things we did was to clean out their garage so Rose could park her car inside for a change. Those Colorado winters can be brutal!



Chuck's sister Rose, his mom Mary Ann and... Chuck


After leaving Colorado, we headed East and that's when we found ourselves on the loneliest road! There's no sign of civilization for miles. I remember driving through one small town and as we came to the end of it kids were jumping off their toys and running to the street to yell goodbye to us, there was one man who was washing his car and he stopped and waved as we drove by. They knew they were the last people we would see for a while!

The Loneliest Road




This is another section but it didn't take long for it all to look exactly the same.



We came across Arches National Park and decided to stop for a while. We'd heard a lot about it but had never been there. Beth wasn't too happy about getting out because she just wanted to wait in the car and continue to eat her red licorice. (Can you tell?)

We only stayed a couple of hours and so saw just a small part of the park but the landscape was phenomenal!






Can you see Beth in this one?



I gave Beth the camera hoping it would improve her mood. It did a little, but these are some of the pictures she took. Sigh.



Arches was beautiful and I'd love to go back one day and see more of that spectacular park!
 
We ended up spending the night in Reno, Nevada and it sure was interesting. A miniature Las Vegas but not as nice. I mean, the streets seemed dirty, I didn't feel completely safe walking around, I don't know, it was just different. Now this was back in 2010 so maybe things have changed since we were there.

We had lunch at Big Ed's Alley Inn and I remember Diana and I were afraid to go inside. The area was run down and this little hole-in-the-wall was a bar / restaurant. No thank you. But Chuck insisted that these kind of places have the best food.




Well, he was right! The food was amazing! And we didn't get shot or mugged or anything!

We stopped at the hotel to drop off our stuff before heading out to The Strip. We came across Circus Circus and since none of us gamble, decided to go into the arcade. It was pretty big and the girls had a good time.







The next morning we headed for home. This was a different road trip for us because we took a lot of back roads and small highways that we normally don't travel. It really was a lot of fun!

Did you ever take a vacation that turned out different than you expected?

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Well You Don't See THAT In Seattle

On one of our many trips to San Diego, we took a detour through Colorado and stopped to see Chuck's mom and sister. Then we continued south to see my sister in a teeny, tiny town called Walsenburg.



We followed my sister and brother-in-law in their truck because we'd never have found their property on our own. We turned off the main road and onto a dirt road.

And we drove.

And we drove.

Eventually a herd of cattle began to run along side the truck! We couldn't believe it! You know you're in Colorado when you share the road with the cattle!


You can see we aren't driving in the ruts because there were 7 people in our 7-person van and we kept hitting bottom! Not fun for the people riding in the back. After more than 20 miles, we finally arrived at their property.

Me and my sister Kathy


My sister showed us around the property, where they're planning to build their home, where they've built the well. It really is a gorgeous place and you can see forever!


  
As we walked around we could see the clouds were getting thicker so we decided to head back. Chuck is a walking GPS so we made it back okay but not before driving smack into the middle of the rainstorm.



It POURED! Then, as fast as it came, it was gone! It was crazy!


By the time we got back to civilization, our van was barely recognizable! Wow! We've driven a lot of miles over the years but it's never been that dirty before!




Welcome to Walsenburg!

Friday, September 16, 2011

14 Hours

We spent 14 hours in the car yesterday. Drove from Albuquerque, New Mexico to San Diego, Calif. Stopped for lunch at Sonic and made a few pit stops along the way. It was a very long day.

We had a great time with Chuck's mom and sister. It was kind of a miracle really because Chuck's sister had decided she didn't want to see us. No one knew why. I asked the staff at our church to pray for the Lord to soften her heart and the next day Chuck's mom said she had changed her mind and wanted to come to lunch with us. God is so good. :)



Four Generations
Mary Ann, Chuck, Sharaya, Allison



Rose, Mary Ann, Chuck



Beth, Diana, Sharaya, Ryan and Mary Ann


We visited my sister Kathy in Colorado. Her and her husband Ken bought some property in the little town of Walsenberg and are preparing it for their new home. I  knew it was off the main road but we had no idea it was 22 miles off! Their property is out in the middle of nowhere, with free range cattle and no paved roads! As we headed back to the main road, it began to pour rain! Our poor van really took a beating.



Me and Kathy on what will be their front porch



This will be the view from their front porch. It was very cloudy but Kathy says that on a clear day you can see Pikes Peak and the Rocky Mountains.




Main Street of Walsenberg, Colorado




The road to their property







Tomorrow we're going horseback riding!


Monday, September 12, 2011

Relaxing

We drove all night. Seven of us in a seven passenger van for 22 hours. There has been laughter, a little frustration (after 22 hours you have to expect a little testiness) and a lot of gratefulness.



Loading up the van at home




A gorgeous Oregon sunset




A little swimming



A little splashing




A little walk back to the room for a warm bath and footie pajamas!





We've all needed this vacation; this time to just relax, to throw schedules out the window. If we want to sleep late we can. If we want to stay up late reading, there's nothing stopping us. There's no responsibility to anyone.

We did a little swimming last night. Today went out to eat with Chuck's mom. Now we're back at the hotel. We're on the 4th floor with a great view of the Colorado horizon.

I think I'll go take a nap. :)