Trip Recap

Travel approximately  5.000 miles through nine states, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri  Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Nebraska.

Camped out 17 nights at 10 different sites.

Visited at three National Monuments; Navajo, Natural Bridges and Colrado.

Visited one National Recreation Area, Glen Canyon.

Did all of our cooking except 1 breakfast, two lunches and three suppers, a total of six meals out of 48 total meals.

Trip highlights, Arches N.P. and Mesa Verde. Visiting our son Alex, drive of the Mokee Dugway..:)

Trip downers, 2 trips to urgent care! :(

Home Bound......:(

Last two days spent driving across Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa. Had a slight detour west of Vail Colorado at the Vail  pass. The night before a semi drive lost control and crashed, mountain roads can be dangerous! He didn't survive the cash and in the.process started a pretty good grass fire forcing the closure of the pass that night and 4 hours next day so we detoured via Leadville Co. It was 1.5 hours out of our way.  The positive was that the fall colors were incredible! The final mountian picture is Mount Elbert the tallest point in Colorado (14,439 ft.) the end of day stayed at a very nice KOA in Grand Island, NE...Then 6 hours the next day and home by 4 p.m.

Glenwood Spring, Co

Arches National Park to Glenwood Springs was not a bad drive. Think we actually drove on an interstate which we hadn't done in some time. Made two stops on the way.  The first at the ghost town of Cisco. It didn't become one until the interstate bypassed it in the 1950's. Not much left there, although did appear to have a post office and maybe two residents. Our second stop was the Colorado National Monument. Which offered more climbing and switch backs..and a tunnel....Arrived Glenwood Springs, got checked into the Colorado Hotel and a long two hour soak in the Spring Pool.

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Post Office

Arches National Park

Spent the whole day at Arches National Park. Had to wait in a line of approximately 100 cars to get in, really busy. It was well worth the wait. Visited the visitors Center then tackled to hikes to different arches. Hikes of 2 and 3 Mikes to reach the arches

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Balanced Rock

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Landscape Arch, a 2 mile RT hike and then did some "bolder in to get to point of next two photos.

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Delicate Arch, 3 mile RT hike. First 1.5 miles had a 600 foot vertical climb all up hill. Was well worth the effort.

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Petroglyph along the way...

Lake Powell to Moab Utah

Another 5.5 hour day in the car going from Lake Powell to Moab, UT.

Very good Vistas again this trip with a lot of elevation change.

The long road ahead

Mokee Dug way expressway warning sign.Never let Missy pick the route.

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Narrow with very sharp turns.

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Ranger at Natural Bridge National Monument

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Drive to Moab, UT was stunning.

Another long day, time for bed...

Lake Powell Day 2 - We are so confused..

Very busy day today. We started the day at 7 AM or was it 8 AM, not sure could be 9AM ...so confused...lucky we made it on time for anything....found the first appt. for the day lucky for us we were an hour early as their direction were poor and the GPS is even confused...took a tour of cathedral slot canyon...it was great Just us two and a couple of guys from Japan, and of course they had cameras! Very nice guys who couldn't speak a word of english...tour was great. Besides the outstanding views throughout the canyon we also have the opportunity to see a rattlesnake and two owls in their native environment.  After the Slot Canyon tour we returned to the Lake Powell Dam and had lunch and then took a tour of the dam and the electrical Generating Station contained within the dam.  We left the visitor center shortly after completing the damn tour and drove over to the Wahweap Marina where we boarded a boat and took a tour of the Antelope Canyon area is tour lasted approximately an hour and a half.