Southwest Part 2: 55 Days in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah (page 3 of 4)

Definitely, these photos speak for themselves!!!

When’s the next chapter of your adventures 😮 ?

Yeah, when is it???!!!!!! 😏

Oh wow, yeah, you're right—I totally dropped the ball on the end of our trip! But I’ll fix that! I’m in the middle of planning another 2-month trip to the Yucatan....

Saturday, August 20: The day of the Shafer Trail + Potash Road....

7:30 AM... Rise and shine, a beautiful day awaits us!!! We leave at 8 AM for Canyonlands in the Island in the Sky district—it's sunny! 😎 We arrive at the Visitor Center around 9 AM, pick up the Junior Ranger booklets, and head to the far end of the park for a hike along the left rim for 1 hour... then the right rim for another hour... 6.5 km of hiking in total with breathtaking landscapes!



Fantastic...



The dinosaur that made those tracks must've been huge!!! 😏

A little break in the shade of a mushroom...



Then it's the right bank...





We find a promontory to have a picnic with an insane view!







Alright, one last photo for the road—we absolutely fell in love with these panoramas!!!



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........................ Back at the visitor center to validate the booklets, we ask if we can take the Shafer Trail and then Potash Road to head straight to Moab... The verdict is yes, on the condition that we have a 4x4 with high ground clearance due to the recent storms... Deal, I’m starting to get the hang of our GMC Yukon, aka Buddy, so we go for it!!!



Okay, not too fast because the descent is dizzying—sensitive souls should abstain, it’s way scarier than the Switchbacks on the Burr Trail, especially when you cross paths with other cars coming up!

It’s stunning—we must’ve passed only 3 cars, a few tricky spots, but the landscapes are still breathtaking along the Colorado River’s meanders or the cliffs of Canyonlands...









Potash Road is demanding with lots of rocks, so we don’t go faster than 15 mph... Stop at Thelma & Louise Point...



Then we continue on Potash Road, dusty—Buddy’s still clean!



The end of the trail is pretty long, with not much to see except the potash ponds, which are a beautiful blue but fenced off, so no decent photos... We finally reach the ROAD near Moab, then head into town to fill up on gas, but the main road is... muddy!!! And there, everyone’s got shovels and brooms near the motel—piles of branches, dried mud here and there... what happened????? We remember yesterday’s storm that really echoed through Castle Valley, and it must’ve caused damage here too... When we get home, we check the news, and sure enough, there was a major flash flood last night in Moab’s streets, with people wading through knee-deep water!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbiaYy4zSVU

Well, we made the right call staying home quietly.

We end this beautiful day with a little barbecue and bedtime, because tomorrow holds another amazing hike for us...

Good night and see you tomorrow!!!

Finally 🙂! And what a beautiful suite! It would’ve been a real shame not to take advantage—Yucatán can wait a bit 😉

Sunday, August 21: The second day at Arches NP:

Last day in Moab and the best saved for last, in my opinion... Early start because we need to enter the park between 7 and 8 AM... It's gorgeous, like a dream because this morning's plan is the full Devil's Garden hike with a return via the Primitive Trail—12 km of pure bliss. Amazing!!!!



We start at 8 AM in the cool air, not many people around, and plenty of parking space... Get ready for lots of photos—this hike was a favorite for everyone! The park's name isn’t exaggerated; the number of arches along the trail is impressive...

It starts off easy with soft morning light...



and pretty quickly, we come across this stunning arch that should be called Delicate Arch instead of Landscape Arch...





A lot of people stop here and turn back🤪

We keep going, of course...



and it starts to get pretty steep on the slickrock—calves are burning...



but the view from the top is pretty nice





Then up there, it’s a succession of stunning arches and breathtaking landscapes...



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We run into some regulars from the area...







Navajo Arch



A little exercise—they never get tired!





Then we reach Double O Arch, where we settle in for a snack, and surprisingly, there aren’t many people around!!!



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................ The view isn’t bad for this good half-hour break...



And we’re off again!







Not many people on the full loop, so we often run into the same folks. We hit it off with a German family we keep seeing at different arches.





The return via Primitive Trail is pretty tough, with some steep descents and a few detours around nice-sized water pools, but we’re making good progress!





After 4 hours of hiking, including breaks, we get near Delicate Arch, take a little detour to see Pine Tree Arch,



and then head back up the human tide from the start of the trail, the one leading to Landscape Arch... It’s like a highway—most people are in flip-flops with a tiny water bottle in hand, looking fresh and perky, while we’re lugging our backpacks and, after 4 hours of hiking, we’re not exactly fresh anymore!!!! 😎 But what a shame to stop at that first arch and miss EVERYTHING else!!!!

Anyway, back to the car in the shade—it’s starting to get hot. We take one last look at the wonders of this park from our Buddy and stop by the visitor center to validate the booklets... The ranger warmly congratulates the boys on today’s hike and gives them their Junior Ranger badges 😏

We leave to have a picnic by the Colorado River around 1:30 PM, stop in Moab to wash Buddy, then head home to unpack, do the laundry, and clean the house at the end of the day. We grill one last barbecue at our dream house, enjoy a cold beer on the terrace, and even witness a lizard vs. scorpion battle!!!! 😮 Didn’t have the sense to take a photo 🤪 Maybe it was the exhaustion.

Last meal and last night here!

Good night and see you tomorrow!!!

Monday, August 22: the day we discover Colorado NM in a flash...

Up early enough to finish packing and cleaning the floors of the house, and we take off around 10 a.m. to head back toward Colorado and Fruita. But first, we check the weather and—darn it...🏴‍☠️ Storms and rain forecasted with an 80% chance 🤪 We were supposed to camp in Fruita tonight 😠 and do a super nice hike on paper: Rattlesnake Canyon... Well, what do we do????? Family meeting... The decision is made: no hike and no camping. We look at motels and figure we could make some progress on the route in this weather, so Montrose it is!

We pass through Fruita in the late morning, the sky is overcast but it’s not raining yet, so we take the scenic route through Colorado NM, stopping at the different overlooks...









In the photos, the sky looks clear in that direction, but I remember those big dark clouds rolling in from the other side... Sure enough, we got hit with a huge downpour on the way until we arrived in Montrose. Too bad—when we got to the hotel, there was a little pool, but it was pouring buckets!!! We take a shower and go grab a good pizza at a brewery, complete with a nice beer to end the day. Back at the hotel, the parking lot is a total swimming pool! And off to bed.

Have a great evening, and see you tomorrow!!!

Tuesday, August 23: The day of the Black Canyon...

A pretty frugal breakfast offered by the hotel: a few plastic-wrapped muffins and 2-3 bananas... We'll make do, right! Because we're heading to the South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I don't know why, but we weren't expecting much... Well, we got quite a surprise at some viewpoints—it's breathtaking, impressive, and... dark! 😏







At the Visitor Center, the story of the exploration of this canyon is fascinating because this canyon didn’t just let itself be visited like that!!! We move between the different viewpoints along the Rim, and it’s really nice because there aren’t too many people...





We even end up at the end of the scenic road with a short hike of barely an hour and a great view.



It’s 11:30 AM, we head back toward Montrose, and along the way, we spot a few old houses and a small "museum" sign by the roadside... We’ve got time, so we give in to the temptation of this little visit. Turns out it’s a family-run site, and all the objects on display were collected first by the grandfather, then the father, and now the son, who looks to be easily 80 years old and is there to tell us the whole history—it’s really nice. They’ve arranged everything in different buildings: a saloon, dentist’s office, grocery store, school, house... It’s pretty well done, and the kids are thrilled to discover what life was like back in the Old West!





We leave around 1:45 PM, and our stomachs are growling, so we stop for a good burger in Montrose before heading to Telluride, where we’ll just pass through: some beautiful houses in this upscale resort, stunning waterfalls in the distance, and then we hit the road toward Cortez at the Holiday Inn, where the kids will claim the pool for the rest of the day! We all have fun together in the water—we’re the only ones there, and it feels great! We don’t stress about dinner; it’ll be at the restaurant next to the hotel. It’s not amazing, but it’ll do! And off to bed!

Have a great evening, and see you tomorrow!!!

Well, it’s been almost a year since you abandoned your West Coast story 😮 and nearly 20 days are missing!!!!🤪 I guess other trips took priority—totally normal—but for those of us looking for info, it’s a bummer! Without recapping the missing days, what sites did you visit during those 20 days? I couldn’t find the full itinerary for your 2022 trip. I sent you a private message on FB, just in case.. see you soon!!

Hi Aurélie, I’ll admit I got swept up in planning our two months in the Yucatán and didn’t finish my travel journal! But I *will* get it done.... So there’s not even 20 days left!

See you soon!

Oh, that’s great then!! How much time is left? I thought it was 55 days and you’ve done 37—I must’ve miscounted? Or totally misunderstood? That’s entirely possible!!!

Thanks for sharing these monumental experiences with us—the "Far West" is truly an ineffable gem that stirs the heart with its majestic dunes and cliffs. Its desert landscapes, made up of national parks, form a colossal masterpiece.

Wednesday, August 24: the day we head to Durango before falling in love with Silverton...

We wake up not too early but not too late either to take a quick dip in the pool before enjoying a nice little breakfast at the Holiday Inn buffet: always a treat, everyone enjoys themselves, pancakes and fruit for some, scrambled eggs and sausages for others, or the full works for a few!!!!😛

Refreshed like bison, we hit the road to Durango, which we reach pretty quickly. We park a bit outside the historic center in a street with no shops, so parking is free 😉

On our way to the center, we stop at a house with a sign that says "librarian, free entry..."—of course we go in! We find ourselves in different rooms packed with books from floor to ceiling, and we can’t even tell where the walls are!!!! A book labyrinth! We buy a few comics and some license plates for $4!!!

We wander the streets without a specific goal, admiring the buildings and some details, then have a picnic in a food court in the center...









A little toy store....



We meet two cowboys....





Before heading back to the car, we stop at the train station where the steam train to Silverton departs (apparently it’s nice...). We visit the small station museum with an old car, old locomotive, and lots of... old objects... Nice, but nothing more. Actually, Durango didn’t leave us with an unforgettable memory!

Back to the car and off to Silverton. We settle into a super cute retro motel we found on Airbnb...



The room is really nice, but the toilet is clogged!!! No one at the front desk—it’s 6:30 PM, and check-in is done by code... Well, it must be a paper blockage. We walk around the motel with Tom to find a thin, flexible, and sturdy stick... Bingo, it’s unclogged in 5 minutes, phew!

We head out to explore Silverton and... it’s love at first sight!!! Only Main Street is paved—the perpendicular streets are dirt roads!! It’s so authentic, quiet, not many people around, the storefronts are colorful, and the people are friendly! We love it!!!



The sky darkens, and we get a few raindrops, so we head back to the hotel, stopping just before at a convenience store to grab stuff for a feast in the room! Except we run out of gas, but we managed to cook the pasta al dente! Phew! The storm breaks outside, and it’s pouring rain! Time for bed!

Good night and see you tomorrow!!!

Thursday, August 25: the day we head to Ouray before finishing in Gunnison...

A chill wake-up—it feels like the end of the trip, our bodies are a little tired... but no way! We're in the States, folks, come on, let's get up and go! Go Go Go 😎

I even consider taking the Hardrock 100 route, a legendary 100-mile race with 10,000 meters of elevation gain... Nah, no time, bummer...😏 We finish off the last bits of food from our cooler for a quick breakfast and decide to leave the cooler and gas stove for the housekeeper with a little note since we won’t need them anymore...

A short stroll through Silverton after that—we’re still under its spell. We hit a few shops to grab some souvenirs, including a sweatshirt I’ve been wearing regularly ever since!

Then we head to Ouray via a road that’s half-paved, half-dirt... It’s closed for a good part of the year because of snow. The place must be pretty isolated in winter...😄

We arrive in Ouray around 11 AM.



We check out Box Canyon—meh, it’s a paid entry to see... not much besides the roar of the waterfall. It’s green and mountainous, so it’s still really pretty...



We grab a good burger in town at a spot with tables right on the street, soaking up the vibe. 😮 You can even write a little message on the restaurant’s walls!





At the table, we plan our next moves and check the weather: more storms coming in... 2 hours. 🏴‍☠️ We’d wanted to hit the hot springs in Ouray... Luckily, we hadn’t told the guys about it yet... Oh well, no use getting down! We adapt and see if we can find somewhere to swim instead. We spot a complex in Gunnison with a climbing wall, pool, gym, and fitness room... Jackpot 😎 The guys are gonna love it—no doubt! We were supposed to camp in Crested Butte, but given the weather, it’s motel in Gunnison!

We arrive at the complex around 3 PM—great call, because it starts pouring rain!!!! With the entry fee ($8 for us, $5 for the kids—super cheap for what it offers), we get access to the climbing wall with an auto-belay system...😉



a gym where Tom and Oscar can do their flips!



a US-style gymnasium with a wooden floor and basketballs available... plus a pool with a diving board... The guys are jumping around, over the moon, so happy—and that makes us happy too!!!! 😉

I’ll admit we’ve been kind of winging it since this morning, and it feels good! The end of the trip is approaching fast, and it’s a mix of emotions: the early nostalgia for this amazing family adventure, the HUGE relief that everything went off without injuries, illnesses, or accidents, the slight disappointment that we couldn’t do some of the things we’d really wanted to—but the weather got the best of us a few times, and honestly, it’s better that not everything was set in stone!

Anyway, we spend a solid three hours at the complex. It’s still raining when we leave, so we head to our Travelodge motel near the university—a great choice, simple and affordable but clean!

We grab a big pizza to share in the room, catch some baseball on TV, then switch to American football—we’re in the US, baby!—and then it’s bedtime.

Good night, and see you tomorrow for one last nice surprise for the kids... and for us too! 😎

Friday, August 26: The day of Kebler Pass and arriving at the hot springs...

A nice little breakfast with the waffle maker😛 and then we hit the road to Glenwood Springs via Kebler Pass (a route you can only take in the summer...)

Before that, we pass through the small town of Crested Butte, which looks like a charming little place to live—at least in the summer! But we don’t linger because what’s waiting for us in Glenwood Springs... can’t wait!!!!

Off we go on Kebler Pass—we’re pretty much alone in the world except for a few critters...



The road is *very* muddy... Buddy remembers that well!!!



The scenery looks nice, but we can only guess because of all the fog!

We arrive in Glenwood Springs around noon, stop at a car wash to give Buddy a good scrub, grab a bite at a nearby Subway, and then check out our hotel for the night—check-in starts at 1 PM, and it’s *exactly* 1:00:00... We’re a little pressed for time because what’s waiting for us is this...









Woooooooowwwww, the guys are still bouncing off the walls!!! Huge hot springs pool, the water’s at 30°C, a diving board for Tom and his acrobatics, river tubing done a bunch of times with Oscar, and a pool with water at 40°C............. We spend the whole afternoon there, obviously, until closing, then grab a quick snack in the room and crash!!!!

Have a great evening, and see you tomorrow!

Saturday, August 27: the day of the hot springs II and then the drive to Denver...

We were supposed to do the Hanging Lake Trail this morning, but this year, several events caused major damage to the trail, and it’s closed for the season...😕 Oh well, we’ll console ourselves by enjoying the pools until noon 😎

The breakfast included in our room reservation (930 € per night—ouch, but it was to end on a high note!) at the Glenwood Hot Springs Hotel is amazing. We stuff ourselves for a good part of the day with eggs, sausages, bacon, waffles, pancakes, fruit, and more......... 😛

We’ll then soak until noon, really taking the time to relax and enjoy it—everyone’s thrilled. A shower, we pack up our suitcases, and then hit the road to our last hotel.

We pass through Aspen, which isn’t visually interesting, and the Independence Pass with some pretty landscapes, but we didn’t even take any photos...🤪 The end of the trip is making us sad, of course, and the guys are tired—so are we, since we’re all letting our guard down mentally... We arrive in Dillon, about an hour from Denver, where we have a room at the Best Western near a pond. There are a lot of people because there’s a concert tonight!!! We still manage to find a spot at a restaurant for one last good burger, and then it’s bedtime!

Tomorrow, it’s packing up the suitcases and heading to the airport to go home 🏴‍☠️

I’ll do a wrap-up in the next post to close out this amazing journey...

Sunday, August 28: the day of the last day....

Woke up around 8:00 AM, nice little breakfast, last American breakfast 😕, last packing of the suitcases 🏴‍☠️ (no, that’s actually cool 😉), and we load up the car... We’d already given the cooler and the gas stove to a housekeeper, and we still have two big sleeping bags we can’t fit in the suitcases, so we look for homeless people to give them to... but not a single one between Dillon and the airport!!!!!!! We did stick to the main roads to head straight to the airport....

When we arrive at Hertz, we tell the guy directing the cars to park properly to help himself to anything in the car... 😏

At Hertz, we go to the counter to hand in our receipts (oil change, 2 tires changed, and a tire repair!!!). They make a photocopy and tell us no problem, we’ll be reimbursed within a month... "Fully?" I ask... "Normally, yes...." they reply.... (We waited a bit nervously after returning, but they fully reimbursed us two weeks after we got back!)

Shuttle to the airport, last American snacking, and waiting for the plane while sorting through photos, letting family know everything’s fine—we’re happy and sad at the same time!!!

See you soon for the wrap-up!