A Trip to Remember: Day Five

By morning, the was a cool 78° and I had to pry the kids out of bed at 9am.

 We made quick work of eating a light breakfast and packing our things once again. We stopped at the campground store as we were leaving and put eight quarters into a shower, which bought us 15 minutes of refreshing water. 

After a quick pit stop in town for coffee and ice for the cooler, we headed back east along the Arizona/Utah border. Our next destination was Four Corners Monument, which I have been wanting to visit since I was in elementary school. Imagine my disappointment when we pulled up and they were charging $5 per person just to stand in that spot! No, thank you! I didn’t think it was worth 35 bucks and I was sorely disappointed. Instead, we stood outside, along with many others and pretended as best we could. 

We headed east toward Colorado, and tried to find a campground for the night in between large areas of no cell service. Jason called several places in several different towns and they were all fully booked! We were getting a little nervous as we continued north, but then we finally found one with room for our little tribe, just a little further down the road.

After fueling up and leaving Durango, we started looking for a little spot to have a picnic lunch when we stumbled upon Bayfield Riverside Park. The temperature here was in the upper 70’s-a nice treat from the steamy heat of the last few days-and there was a little brook running through the picnic area! We were immediately in the water, looking for crawdads with some other vacationers, and balancing on the slippery rocks. We had been waiting to do this in Colorado and it was a great little break from the car!  

The kids waded through the water and munched on sandwiches and snacks. The little park had literally popped up on the side of nowhere and it was so much fun. 

We pulled into Aspen Ridge RV Park in South Fork, Colorado just before 5pm and were greeted by friendly faces and rain! It ended up being just a quick little squall and soon enough we were setting up camp. On either side of us and throughout the park were nothing but huge motor homes, mostly from Texas. They were all there for the summer and we were thankful they shared a little space for us as we passed through.  

Our tiny camper among giants.

After the kids were settled and happily hooked up to WiFi, Jason and I headed for the hills. Well, actually, a small mountain nearby. I couldn’t wait any longer to get a trail run in, and up a mountain made it even more appealing. We parked our van at a tiny trailhead and headed into the woods. 

The earlier rain had left, but the lingering clouds made the trail seem even darker, and there wasn't another soul to be seen. Less than a half mile in, the trail made a turn and went straight up. It was rocky and rooty and a little sandy, and we slowed down to a walk. A little further on, the ascent became more manageable and we ran as much as we could. We were getting higher and higher and my head was on constant swivel, scanning for bears. They were everywhere, right?  The higher we climbed, the more excited I got. What would the top loop like? Would it come to a point? Would the trail even go that far? 

A little bit further and the trees all but stopped. Here, right near the top of this little mountain was a large pasture filled with cows! I was not expecting that! How did they get up there?!  It was definitely a surprise and of course, Jason wanted to touch one. 

The trail went on just a bit further and then turned to go off in another direction down the mountain. We decided to just take in the views from the top and head back the way we had come. 

We definitely wanted to be off the mountain and back to our car before nightfall, and we flew down the mountain. It was a total blast and I was glad we had been able to sneak away for a bit to have some fun on our own. 

Once we got back to camp, I decided I needed to get some actual running in, so left the others to get dinner started and took off down the road. I only went a few miles out and back, but I got to run alongside the Rio Grande, which I thought was pretty darn cool. 

There was one big community fireplace here, but it didn’t look like the regulars used it for cooking.  There were about eight old men seated around the campfire and they looked like they'd probably been there most of the afternoon.  Retired and on vacation in Colorado for the summer in state-of-the-art campers, gathered around a campfire telling stories while the womenfolk knitted and quilted and gossiped in the clubhouse?  They were living their best life, I tell ya.  

We considered ordering pizza here, but after Jason made few calls, we realized the entire town strangely shut down at 7pm, and not even the party store around the corner was open.  With full hookups, we could take advantage of the electricity, so we pulled out the hot plate! We feasted on pancakes and bacon made by Greyson and took warm showers in their community building while the long-term campers played bingo and painted crafts at long tables. 

This was definitely a unique place! We kind of felt like guests in someone else’s home, but they seemed quite happy to have us there, even if it was only for one night. Before bed, I pulled out all of the sleeping bags and heavy blankets, as it was predicted to be in the low 50’s overnight. All of us were pretty excited that we weren't going to have to sweat ourselves to sleep for the first time on this entire trip.  We tucked ourselves in and again, were all asleep before 10pm. 

A Trip to Remember: Day Four

I awoke at 5am to a beautiful Arizona sunrise. The campground was so still and quiet and it had cooled off quite nicely overnight. 

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is "The Sign."  My aunt and uncle, The Lambs, moved to Colorado last fall, and that's where we were headed.  They had requested that Jason make them a custom Colorado sign to hang above their outdoor fireplace.  Well, that thing was heavy.  It would have cost a fortune to ship, so we decided to deliver it in person.  The only hitch was, every night, The Sign had to be carefully unpacked, and every morning, The Sign had to be re-packed, laying flat in the camper has we closed it up.  It became a part of our routine to set The Sign out.

One by one the kids rolled out of bed and by 8am we had all showered, broken down the camp and were headed west. 

Our first stop on Monday was Winslow, Arizona, and of course I had to stop for a little photo shoot! I wonder if the locals get sick of hearing “Take It Easy” as it was on repeat in the square. 

We headed toward Flagstaff, and even from 50 miles away smoke was visible in the sky from a forest fire in the mountains there. As we approached the city, the sky was filled with gray smoke billowing from behind the tall peaks. We spoke to a woman in town who said over 1000 acres have burned in the last 24 hours and 150 firemen cannot contain it. It was started by campers in the forest. 

 Late for the Train Coffee Shop on the outskirts of Flagstaff had amazing coffee, and I had a gluten free salted peanut butter brownie that was to die for!  We loved this city, and were kind of sad we didn't have time to stay and explore all it had to offer, but we had somewhere to be!

The road to the Grand Canyon wound through national forests and the kids were full of excitement that we were finally seeing trees again! We weren’t expecting the big back up at the entrance to the Grand Canyon, but it wasn’t too long before we were making our way toward the South Rim. The kids were amazed to see just how big it is! It was a pretty surreal experience to be standing at the edge of THE Grand Canyon! 

Every step gave a slightly different view of the canyon and it was simply amazing. 

It was also pretty cool to see people from all walks of life and from around the world! We were surrounded by so many different languages and cultures. We are pretty privileged here in the USA to be able to call this wondrous landmark ours!

Temperatures at the top of the Grand Canyon were 105 degrees, and travel down into the canyon was not advised, as the temps down there were in excess of 120 degrees!  Even without humidity, the full sun made the day sweltering hot.

As we made our way to northern Arizona, the road followed the edge of the canyon and we had several more chances to see its beauty. We also saw a bull elk and two smaller elk, one of which almost jumped in front of our car!

We grabbed some quick lunch in a small town, where it was 103° degrees and it felt SMOKIN’.  Jason and I opted to split a Navajo Taco. We just had to try one of these things. A taco for $13? We didn’t know what to expect. Well, two pounds of food loaded onto fry bread was what we got. The two of us couldn’t even finish the whole thing. I’m glad we didn’t order two of them!

We opted for the less traveled route leading to Glen Canyon National Park, and in addition to seeing some pretty awesome landscape, we also got to see a man with a sign saying “Riding across the country!” Man, at 105° he had to be feeling the miles at that point. The landscape was beautiful, though, and we loved seeing all the horses, seemingly miles from civilization.

Glen Canyon National Park wasn't exactly on our way to Colorado, but we had found this place online, and it sounded like a place we definitely wanted to experience.  

We finally arrived to our campsite and set up quickly. Again, camping in the dessert was quite the experience, with no shade or grass to speak of.  At 103°, we were dying to go swimming in Lake Powell. By the time we walked the near mile and a half to the beach, we pretty much dropped our stuff and hit the water.

What an awesome thing to be able to swim in bright blue waters surrounded by mountains and desert mesas! 

We swam for a long time, not wanting to go back to the heat of the dry camping area. It was nice to have some extra time here to sit in the sand and relax, and we stayed as long as possible down there on the beach, just taking it all in.

Tonight’s dinner was brats, burgers and potatoes and we had some little pies for dessert, and we had fun just hanging out.

Shortly after 10pm, we were all so tired that we couldn’t keep our eyes open. Although the campground was very full, it was nearly silent along with us. 

The night was HOT. With a predicted low of 80°, and temps still in the 90’s at midnight, we pretty much slept mostly naked in pools of our own sweat. Remarkably, no one complained about the heat and all of the kids said this was their favorite campsite so far. 

A Trip to Remember: Day Three

After tossing and turning all night, I awoke at 7am, removed my sleep mask, and turned to look at Alayna.  The seat next to me was empty. What?  The doors to the van were still locked, and the path to the back of the van was mounded with suitcases and towels and shoes and extra blankets and all the gear we hadn't needed the night before.  Where was she?  I turned myself completely around and stretched to look in the very back seat, and I could juuuuust see her toes sticking out from the bottom of the blanket.  She must've traversed the mountain of stuff sometime in the night to curl up with her thick blanket that was waiting for her in the back of the van.  How had I not heard her?!  I guess I must've slept a little!

As I sat there in the early morning light, I took in the view around me.  The tent behind us had been abandoned in the night and was completely flat.  It looked as though its owners had slept in their tiny car-all four of them, plus a rather large dog!  Directly ahead of me, campers had arrived after dark, and I hadn't heard much from them.  In the light of day, I saw that there were three of them-a guy, sleeping in the car, and another guy and a girl on the bare ground, each in a sleeping bag, right out in the open about five feet from the edge of the cliff!  HOW they slept like that, I'll never know.  I'm thinking wind and fog and spiders and bugs and coyotes, not to mention the drop-off to death just steps away!  I watched as the girl rolled around in her sleeping bag, trying to get comfortable.  Her bag wasn't zipped and I could clearly see that she was completely naked.  Camping.  On the ground.  Under the stars.  In a storm.  On the edge of a cliff.  Naked. Welcome to Texas!

The crazy naked people!

That morning at Lake Meredith, there was only a slight breeze in the air, looking down from an  elevation of 3000 feet, the lake was calm and beautiful with just the faint remains of the clouds that had arrived through the night.  Jason, Owen and Nash headed down to the lake for a morning swim, and I headed off to shower.  Who knew when I'd get that luxury again!  This National Park was our first experience visiting them, and the facilities were great!  As we all arrived back at our campsite, a park ranger stopped by and congratulated us on weathering the storm overnight.  She told us that almost everyone who had been tent camping around the entire lake had ended up in their cars overnight!  Her name was Gigi, and she was full of all sorts of tidbits of information about this park.  She talked of flowers and wildlife and of the storms that came seemingly from nowhere at the night. As she talked, she drifted further and further from us, and eventually she moved on down the line, greeting campers as she went on her merry way.  I have to say, she was the epitome of what I had thought a park ranger would be and I loved meeting her.  

With the burn ban still on, our breakfast was a simple one-muffins and Powerade.  We'd have to find coffee at some point, but we were content to sit in our chairs and dine on this simple meal as we looked out over the gorgeous Lake Meredith for just a few more moments.

It was a team effort repacking our gear after what had been a tumultuous night, but we were ready to head west. We drove through Amarillo, grabbing coffee and gas in a hurry, and came through thousands of acres of open fields with wind farms.  It was so amazing and futuristic to see and I found myself wondering what farmers 100 years ago would think of all of this!  Just before the New Mexico border, we passed firemen putting out an active brush fire along the freeway.  It was scary to see how quickly a tiny spark could turn into a huge fire so quickly.  The weather had been so hot and dry since we had gotten to the south, and every county we had passed through had burn ban warnings posted.

Across the state line and into New Mexico, the land was filled with open fields and mesas. Mesas!  Just like we read about in 3rd grade geography!  The landscape was so different from the green forests and farmland of Michigan and I just stared in wonder for hours.  We stopped in Santa Rosa for tacos from the Silver Moon Cafe, (Jason loves to find little hole-in-the-wall local places whenever possible) while the kids chose to eat taquitos from the gas station!  

As Jason was driving most of the time, I took advantage of the patches of internet service we'd hit, googling each little dot on the map before we drove through it, reading aloud the population and history of these little towns.  We saw a few signs for a place called "Blue Hole", so I looked it up.  It is a natural water source, just 80 feet wide, 79 feet deep, with a year round temperature of 62 degrees.  Brrr!  With an outside temperature in New Mexico hovering right around 100 degrees, the idea of jumping into a frigid body of water sounded quite nice.  Located on the outskirts of Santa Rosa, Blue Hole was tucked in behind a big, old building, out of sight.  We paid our $5 entry fee and went through the gate.  We stripped down to our bathing suits, grabbed out towels and followed the trail of people headed behind the building. And there it was.  A large, circular, blue hole, with multi-leveled boulders at the back, and a wide staircase leading out of the water at the front.  There were people of all ages jumping from the cliffs-some from the lowest points, and some launching from as high as they could get.  It was a sight to see!  Deep down under the water, groups of scuba divers practiced their techniques, with little flags marking their locations on the surface.  

Of course, Jason, Owen and Greyson headed to the highest point on the rocks and plunged into the icy water below.  Then, my little Alayna took her turn, jumping off all by herself and swimming through the coldness across to the steps.  

I'd like to take a minute here to talk about how much I do not like swimming.  Not in lakes, or rivers, or pools, or oceans, or even hot tubs..  I do not like it.  But I told myself I'd never be here, in this moment, again.  I think the kids (and Jason) were all surprised when I headed to the cliff with Owen and Emerson in tow.  Almost as soon as I stepped to the edge, I jumped.  I knew if I stood there and looked down, I'd panic and head back in the other direction.  Owen and Emerson jumped with me and it felt like slow motion as I went down, down, down towards the icy water.  As I was falling, I thought to myself, "This is the scariest thing I have ever done."  I know it doesn't LOOK like that far of a drop, but let me tell you, IT WAS!  So far. Endless.  A lifetime of falling.  OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a little.  But only a tiny bit.  

And then I hit and went under.  Way under.  It took until I was almost back to the surface for my body to register just how cold the water was.  It took my breath away.  I literally could not breathe. 

I think my face says it all!

 I immediately started swimming across the hole to the steps.  I was physically shaking from the coldness and just wanted to get out into the warmth of the New Mexico sun.  After I made it out of the water and joined the others, we all agreed that it was the strangest feeling to have your body be hot on the inside but your skin freezing cold.  The big boys jumped in again and then we persuaded Nash to jump in off the low platform and he did it!

Look at that pure shock from the coldness!

After we all decided that we were sufficiently cooled off, Jason found a little stream running nearby.  Of course, we were all in the water immediately. It was still cold, but not "Blue Hole" cold, and the the bottom was covered with smooth, round stones. 

At the end of the little stream, there was a waterfall, and all of the kids wanted a chance to stand in it.  I think these are my favorite pictures of them from the entire trip, because they are all genuinely happy and having fun!

This was such a cool spot on a hot day and we were all glad we took the time to experience it.  If you ever find yourself on that lonely stretch of Route 66 in the middle of New Mexico, I recommend you look this place up!

As we headed toward Albuquerque, we had the pleasure of driving into and through a rainstorm!  It was a pleasant surprise after the relentless heat of the last few days.

After a slightly major traffic delay due to construction west of Albuquerque, the mountains got a little bigger, and the road a little more rolling.  We saw signs for things like Indian Tacos, and Fry Bread, and even a Green Chili Double Cheeseburger from McDonald's. You know you're in the southwest when...

The rest of us napped as Jason drove us straight across New Mexico.  The landscape was so desolate and sparse.  The tiny towns looked all but abandoned and it was hard to imagine them in their heyday.  We were getting anxious to get to our campsite before nightfall, but when we crossed the Arizona State Line, we realized that we had gained an hour and we had a little more time to set up camp before the sun set.  

We arrived at Homolovi State Park, which I think Jason chose solely based on the name, and there were several available campsites.  We opted for one near the bathrooms, and I think everyone had the same idea because within the hour, several more campers had arrived and filled up all of the other sites near us.  Campgrounds were so different here, with no grass, and no shade trees-just a few small bushes to separate the sites.  

We set up our camp chairs around the fire pit, where we were finally able to have a small fire!  There was a feast of hamburgers on the grill, and seasoned potatoes cooked in foil packets in the coals.  

Then it was time for s'mores, and Emerson even cooked some popcorn over the fire!  It sure was quiet out there, even with all of our neighbors so close by.  The sky was nearly dark by 8pm, and we were all ready for bed before 10pm!  We had started the day in Texas, driven all the way through New Mexico with one fun stop at Blue Hole, and were laying our heads on our pillows in Arizona.  What a day!