We set out on a road trip December 1 to visit Colorado Springs, Trinidad, and Oklahoma. It took 2 weeks. They are marked as A, B, and C on this map. The Colorado visits were for sightseeing and hiking. The OK visit was to family. We were lucky to have very good weather the entire time.
by Jim and Melanie
This is the final post about our visit to Utah. Links to: Oct6, Oct7, Oct8, Oct9. Thanks for following along. If you have been to this area before, you know how special it is. If not, we hope you will be able to visit in the future. This day was more special for us since it was also our 40th wedding anniversary.
by Jim and Melanie
For our fourth day in the Moab UT area, we decided to hike in nearby Grandstaff Canyon instead of in the national parks. This canyon has an interesting history. Here are typical views of the left and right canyon walls. We met a lot of hikers, many of them with children and dogs.
by Jim and Melanie
The weather forecast for this day was for light rain by mid-day. We arrived early at our destination in Arches NP called Park Avenue. This picture is from the viewing platform next to the parking lot. We chose to follow the trail in the center for a mile into the distance. There, you have the impression of walking along a grand avenue in a major city with tall buildings on either side.
by Jim and Melanie
Sunset in Arches NP the previous day was beautiful. We decided to enter the park at sunrise this day for a comparison. At the La Sal mountains viewpoint we watched the sunrise and the sandstone glow orange.
by Jim and Melanie
We love the mountains and scenery of the western states. Being cooped up due to COVID has prevented us from visiting those places. We decided it was time to venture out. Instead of driving from Iowa to Utah, we flew to Grand Junction CO, rented a car, and drove the rest of the way to Moab UT. We stayed five nights in Moab and made multiple visits to Arches and Canyonlands N Parks, Dead Horse Point S Park, and numerous other less advertised attractions. Hiking was our primary goal.
The Road to Moab
Part of the way from Grand Junction to Moab we drove on I-70. We got off at hwy 128 which followed the Colorado River to Moab. It was a good choice. Little traffic, smooth road, and fabulous scenery made the ride perfect.
As winter turned unevenly to spring, we headed southwest to Santa Fe. We hoped to find warmer weather, opportunities to hike, and some great museums. Well, two out of three ain’t bad!
Santa Fe and the surrounding area have notable historical sites, landmark churches, art galleries galore, and several world-class museums. Though our time in New Mexico was cut short, we had the great pleasure of visiting the Museum of International Folk Art. The broad plaza below, shared by the Folk Art museum and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, shows the foothills east of Santa Fe. Directly to the west is a lovely botanical garden.
Just before COVID-19 became headline news in the U.S. in March 2020, we rewarded ourselves with a quick trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was cut short two days when we got nervous about being away from home. Here are posts about our train ride and some sights in Santa Fe.
An hour northwest from Santa Fe is Bandelier National Monument. Bandelier is part of Frijoles Canyon, which branches from the Rio Grande River. We were blessed with a warm, sunny day for our visit. Follow this link for a satellite view of the site. Click on any photos in this post for larger views.
Frijoles Canyon
One of the first places we visited in Santa Fe was the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886. It is located near the center of town a block from the main plaza. Click to enlarge the photos.
Events during the year of 2019 prevented us from taking any trips. We missed the adventures. In February 2020, we decided it was time to plan a trip in the U.S., somewhere we could get to easily. Santa Fe, New Mexico was our choice. The change of scenery, the potential for sunny weather, local hiking, and lots of museums attracted us. Amtrak could take us from Ft. Madison, IA to Lamy, NM, and it would take less than 24 hours. It seemed like a good plan.
Google Maps Image
Our View From Iowa 