Road Trip to Colorado

Over Memorial Day weekend Rick and I went on a road trip.  He purchased a new truck a few weeks ago and we thought we would take her for a spin over the state line into Colorado.  We left on Thursday evening and got as far as Moab.  We stayed in an old motel called the Apache Inn.  I looked on trip advisor and it was voted 33 out of 34 motels!  I figured, what the heck....it's inexpensive and we are getting there late and leaving early.  It actually wasn't a bad night's rest.  I've stayed in worse:)

The next morning we had a nice breakfast and then headed over to Arches NP.  There was a long line of cars waiting to get into the gate and by the time we got there they waved us through since the line of cars was backed up to the highway.  We were pleased as punch to not have to pay the $25 fee to get into the park.  

Arches is BEAUTIFUL!!  It was so fun seeing all of the rock formations.  We had already hiked to Delicate Arch a few years ago with our kids so we were looking for something a little different.  We hiked up to the North and South Windows and Turret Arch.  They were right close together.  Then we made our way over to double arch.  They were just amazing!!  Being Memorial Day weekend there were lots of people but we just enjoyed being together and seeing the sights.  Before we left the park we stopped at an overlook for Delicate Arch.  We saw it's glorious self standing in the distance. 

 Loved Arches!!  

North Window

                                     South Window

Beautiful terrain

                                       Turret Arch

North and South Windows

Double Arch

After a few hours of seeing the park we started on our drive to Glenwood Springs, CO.  Superior Asphalt had done some work there in the past and Rick told me of what a beautiful place it was.  I have not spent much time in Colorado (only the Denver airport where we have had many layovers) and so we decided that Glenwood Springs would be our destination.  We stayed in the Fairfield Inn and it was a very nice place for us.  Our room had a separate bedroom and a small kitchen.  After we arrived we got settled into our room and then went over to the natural hot springs.  The pool is TWO FULL CITY BLOCKS LONG!!  The cooler pool is heated to 94 degrees while the hot pool is 104 degrees.  We had an enjoyable time relaxing in the warm waters.

After the pools we ate at an Asian bistro and the food was super delicious!!  We enjoyed the rest of the night watching..... THE FOOD CHANNEL!!  Two full episode of Chopped.  I was in heaven!  Haha!  That sounds funny but I don't have satellite TV and the only time I get to watch the Food Channel or HGTV is when we are on vacation.

The next morning we played the Glenwood Springs Course in some beautiful weather and then enjoyed lunch at.....

                        .....this place.

You buy the pizza by the slice and it was some of the best pizza I've had.  So yummy!

The slices were huge and we enjoyed every single bite! 

 Of course, we topped it off with an ice cream cone:)

That evening we went up the mountain to Glenwood Springs Adventure Park.

We rode the tram up the mountain to the park.  We did not ride any of the rides but kind of regretted not going down the Alpine Coaster.  That looked really fun.  We did go into the King's Row Cavern and were awed by the beauty of the formations in the cave.

Coming down the mountain in the tram.......

We enjoyed dinner at Rosi's Little Bavarian restaurant.  We both got the schnitzel and loved it!  I was tempted to get the goulash cause I love goulash but the schnitzel won out and we were not disappointed.

The next morning we stopped at the Glenwood Springs Museum.  

We learned a little about the wild west and Doc Holiday who was a notorious outlaw.  These parts were filled with outlaws like Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid, and Kid Curry.
The old west.....fascinating!

                                       Dress up time:)

One of my favorite spots in the house.    Look at those vintage hats!!

 Some old relics......

After visiting the museum we drove one hour to the east to Vail.  We drove along the Colorado River amongst beautiful mountains and other rivers joining the "mighty Colorado".

I'll be honest.  Vail was not my favorite.  I felt like it was out of my league.  Very expensive shops and ritziness.  It was an absolutely beautiful area, though.  We loved the surrounding mountains.  We were there on a cold, rainy day.  I was so happy to have my rain jacket!

The next day was Sunday.  We enjoyed our church block in the Glenwood Springs Ward and then drove 4 1/2 hours to Richfield where we overnighted.  I wanted to be close to Cove Fort which would be our last stop on our trip.  I have never been there and we pass by it all of the time when we travel to St. George.  It was really interesting and spent close to two hours there.  Would you believe they have nineteen sets of missionaries there??  Nineteen!!  Who knew??  It was very quiet when we got there with just one other couple.  After we started the tour more people started coming.  There were actually quite a few people by the time we ended and the parking lot was full.  Our missionary guide told us they were expecting four bus loads that afternoon!  What??  I did not know this place was so popular!  We sure did enjoy our little stop over there.

We got home in time to unpack and prepare for a potluck dinner with family.  Around 7:30 we jumped in the convertible and drove over to the cemetery.  It was so beautiful.  I love going to the Grantsville Cemetery over Memorial Weekend.  Such love is seen in the grave sights with all of the decorations!  We gathered around Fern's grave and shared a memory and watered her plants. We also got a chance to visit with friends who were visiting their family's grave sights.  

 It was a wonderful way to end our extended weekend!