Cross-Country Vacation 2023

Today we will follow mostly interstate, driving 424 miles in 6 hours and 45 minutes, with three planned stops, a state park, a museum and a stagecoach station. (Click on any photo to enlarge) We left our tiny home AirBnb and  went back to Big Springs to take a look around. Then, took a side trip to Julesburg, CO. Julie's nickname is Jules and it was fun to get a photo of her with the sign.  Julesburg was a neat little town with an historic train station and the Pony Express used to go through. We found a nice place D & J Cafe to have breakfast. On the road again, we headed on our next two hour journey to Crystal Lake Reservoir in Curt Gowdy State Park near Granite, WY. We ran in to snow and sleet and there were still plenty of snow drifts around. We canceled the hike and continued on, crossing the Continental Divide and the highest point on I-80 at 8640 feet above sea level. A Lincoln monument was there. We spent some TIME at the Old Wyoming Penitentiary in Rawlins, WY. ...

Day 46 - Today's plan is to drive 200 miles in 5.5 hours. Julie is excited because we are going to visit one of her dream destinations, Mesa Verde. (Click on any photo to enlarge) Bluff, Utah is a very small town. Tripadvisor recommended nearby Twin Rocks Café as a restaurant, but I do not recall another choice. It's okay because the food was delicious! I ordered the Navajo Blue Corn Pancakes and Julie had the homemade granola. From here we headed to Four Corner Monument/Navajo Nation Park  on US 162 E following the Montezuma Creek for about an hour. There was a short line to take photos, the person behind us took ours and we took theirs. There were several Navajo vendors there, we bought t-shirts to remember this stop. It was another 1 hour drive from here to Mesa Verde National Park . Because I am a veteran and had the free America the Beautiful Military Pass  we were able to enter this park for free. We started at the visitors center, then took the...

  Day 47 -  Today's plan is to drive 292 miles in 5.5 hours. We started our day with a continental breakfast at La Quinta Inn, then continued on US 160 for 1.5 hours to Treasure Falls Observation Site . This was a great place to stop and stretch. A short drive further is the Wolf Creek Valley Overlook. We continued on to Wolf Creek Pass reaching an elevation of 10,857 feet above sea level before heading down the east side to Monte Vista, CO where we ate lunch at the Sunflour Café  . The place was full and we shared a table with three people from a nearby town. We had interesting conversations and the food was delicious. Our next stop was the Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center . This museum not only presented the history of pioneers in the west, but also history of the Buffalo Soldier and the indigenous Ute Indians . This was another special place and I created a separate page . To learn more go to  https://travelingvtjs.blogspot.com/p/fort-garland-museum-cu...

  Day 48 - Today's plan is to drive 220 miles in 4 hours. We started the day with a continental breakfast at the Hampton Inn. Finally! After 48 days of traveling I finally used the filters in Google Maps to avoid Interstates and Toll Roads. (Click on any photo to enlarge) After 1.5 hours of driving we stopped at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site  in EAD, Colorado. Unfortunately, it was closed so we continued on.  Another 1.75 hours and we were at Fort Wallace.  This unassuming place was a BIG surprise for us! From the outside it doesn't look like much, but we spent 1.5 hours looking through the museum and walking the grounds. There was no entrance fee, though they do ask for a donation. The amount of history, antiques, and artifacts was unmatched compared to other places we visited. Julie and I highly recommend stopping here. This was another special place that deserves a separate page . Go to  https://travelingvtjs.blogspot.com/p/fort-wallace-muse...