Author: kaybrownsite

A little bit of a sleep in this morning, well it is Sunday.

We packed the motorhome, soaked in the views surrounding us and on the road we went.

Not long into the journey, we crossed the border into Arizona, I missed the state sign, again.

The scenery today was once again varied and beautiful. We passed traditional jewellery stalls along the road, the town of Kayenta, houses blending into the desert, ranches, horses, trains…

We passed the Navajo National Monument, this time we did not stop, got the photo of the entrance.

During parts of the drive today the landscape reminded us a lot of Northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory, red dirt, cliffs, canyons, very arid.

Today we also climbed to higher elevations.

It was soon time to turn onto the Arizona 98 West and onto Antelope Canyon to check on our tour for tomorrow. We have a Lower Antelope Canyon tour with Dixie Ellis’ Lower Antelope Canyon Tours, booked for 6.15 am tomorrow morning.  We wanted to make sure we knew exactly where we needed to be, it will be an early start for the boys.

In the end, they were able to change our tour to today AND we discovered that there was a time change when we crossed the border, we had gained an hour, bonus.

Back to the motorhome we went, made ourselves an early lunch and were ready for our tour departure of 11.45 am.

The Lower Antelope Canyon is on Navajo Land and was formed by erosion of the Navajo Sandstone, primarily due to flash flooding and wind.

The colour of the sandstone, shapes and shadows was incredible and breathtaking.  We had never seen anything like it. I got a sore neck from taking so many photos.

Onto the Glen Canyon Dam and Recreational Area and Lake Powell. The lake was gorgeous and huge. We had thought about hiring a houseboat for a couple of nights but it was a little bit too last minute for the cost. In the end, we took pictures from the beautiful scenic lookouts and had an ice-cream at the resort.

Our destination today was supposed to be at the nearby town of Page, however, as we were able to get an earlier Antelope Canyon Tour we decided to keep driving and stay a little closer to the Grand Canyon.

Plus, the only accommodation in Page we were able to confirm was at the Walmart carpark. Not normally a problem at our favourite shopping outlet, however, it was stinking hot and staying at Walmart means no power, no shade. The result, sitting in hot tin with no air-conditioning.

We were able to secure a site at the Kaibab Camper Village, very close to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

After Page, the scenery changed again. We went back into the Glen Canyon Recreational Area, Marble Canyon, crossed the Colorado River, past the Vermillion Cliffs, a stop at the Cliff Dwellers and then into the Kaibab National Forest.

A stop at Jacob Lake Inn to order take out (we were all tired from today), a look around the store (I Managed a small purchase) and then onto our campsite tonight at the Kaibab Camper Village. And we are surrounded by trees, very unexpected after today’s landscapes.

It was beautiful sitting outside in the cooler temperature, having our dinner in the shade of the gorgeous pine trees.

A great finish to a great day.

Stunning

On the winding roads again

Lower Antelope Canyon

Pre-Tour Entertainment

Road Trip Scenery

Reality…

Browns do Antelope Canyon

Our Lower Antelope Canyon Tour

Are you having fun yet?

Leaving Monument Valley

Passed traditional stalls

Walking to the entrance

Hi Pete

My neck hurts…

Lake Powell

Are you sick of us yet?

Smile!

More Ladders

More pics

Up the ladders

Glen Canyon Recreational Area

Cliff Dwellers

Glen Canyon Dam

Heart?

Those Browns Again

Scenery along the way

Beautiful Colours

Navajo Sandstone

Winding Roads

Climbing Altitude

Wes is a Brown…

Hi Wes!

Crossing the Colorado River

Our dinner table

Muscles Pete

More, more pics

Anybody home?

Vermilion Cliffs

Kaibab Camper Village

Navajo National Monument

Today’s Road Trip

A nice start to the morning with a short run, heading towards the other end of town on the main street (called Main Street) with Noah by my side on his bike.

Unfortunately, the footpath did not go very far so after doing a couple of laps and both of us a cough, cough, coughing, we crossed the road to McDonald’s and purchased breakfast for us all.  At least we did some exercise.

We left Moab driving south on Highway 191. We passed the Hole N” The Rock (a home carved out of a large rock) however, it did not open until 9 am, it was only 8.30. Got the picture of the entrance.

We also passed Wilson Arch, got the picture…

The scenery today was beautiful, amazing and very varied. We passed farms, wind farms, ranches, the Recapture Reservoir, natural bridges, small towns, ruins, steep roads, gorges, mesas, sandstone buttes, rivers…our eyes were darting from side to side.

We saw eagles and both cattle and deer alongside the road. Luckily they remained on the side of the road.

Please excuse again any bug splats on pictures taken from the motorhome, we did manage to clean them off at our fuel stop.

Our first stop was at the small town of Monticello where we filled the tank with gas and popped into the tourist information centre. The lovely lady at the desk gave us lots of places to see along our drive.

Back on the road and passed the town of Blanding, turning onto Highway 95 (Bicentennial Highway) and Scenic Byway, it was stunning.

Next, to the Butler Wash Ruins on the east side of Comb Ridge, these are cliff dwellings that were built and occupied by the Ancestral Puebloans, sometimes known as Anasazi, in about 1200 AD. Parts of the site has been stabilised and reconstructed, but most of it remains as it was found in the 1800’s. There are habitation, storage, and ceremonial structures, including four kivas.

While Noah and I were walking on the trail back to the motorhome we viewed a couple of gentleman in front of us. I don’t know who there were, random or official (they were not in any uniform) but one of them was wearing a piece (pistol) on his hip, accessorising his Harry high pants. I think he thought he was a cowboy.  It did not make me feel very comfortable. Pete suggested we could camp there… not likely.

Next onto the Natural Bridges National Park, a U.S. National Monument with three natural bridges named Kachina, Owachomo, and Sipapu. We drove the 12-mile loop and had lunch in the bus at one of the overlooks. The scenery was gorgeous.

And then we turned onto Hwy 261 where the landscape was breathtaking. The route included the Mokee Dugway, a narrow winding road carved into the face of the cliff edge of Cedar Mesa, to the floor near the Valley of the Gods. It was amazing and Pete’s diving was amazing.

We continued on Hwy 261 passed the Mexican Hat and San Juan River until we reached Monument Valley, a red sand desert region on the Utah – Arizona border with towering sandstone buttes of the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Again, the scenery was breathtaking. We had lots of photo stops, dodged cars taking the obligatory photo in the centre of the road and looked at traditional jewellery.

There have been many iconic films that have had scenes set amongst these magnificent landscapes, particularly John Wayne Western Films and even Forrest Gump, the part where he runs until he does not run anymore…

Onto our final destination for tonight Monument Valley KOA. We set up camp and then it was time to relax, right in the middle of the Monument Valley.

Wilson Arch

Town of Monticello

Today’s Tripping

Hole N” The Rock

My running Buddy

Recapture Reservoir

Butler Wash Ruins

Blanding’s Bank

Walking the trail

A little rest

Taking in it all in…

Natural Bridges National Monument

Winding Roads

Wes at the Natural Bridges

Wildflowers at the Bridges

Terry Tourists

The beginning of the Mokee Dugway

Valley of the Gods

On the Mokee Dugway

John Wayne Country

Desert Towns

Monument Valley

The Forrest Gump Pic

Beautiful Scenery

Monument Valley KOA

Our campsite tonight

San Juan River

Run, Forrest, Run

Sandstone Buttes

Park Oasis in the Desert

Today’s Road Trip

The Brown’s have been in our motorhome one month today…

We were so blown away by the landscape yesterday that we have decided to stay one more day in Moab and see another couple of National Parks and a few other spots.

Moab is a busy town with lots of outdoor activities and adventures, hiking, biking, canoeing, 4WDing. It is also a town where a lot of campers pass through after picking up their motorhomes from Denver and continuing to the Grand Canyon. Luckily the park managed to find a spot for tonight.

After cleaning up the motorhome, Noah and I went for a lovely run down the main street to the outskirts of town, Noah on his bike, me nearly coughing up a lung trying to keep up.

After returning Noah joined Wes competing maths school work.

At about 10.30 am we were all ready for more Moab exploring.

Our first stop the Moab Post Office, to send the phone we found yesterday to its owner in Denver.

Then on to the Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park where we had lunch and viewed the beautiful scenery of canyons, mesas and buttes.

Next, Sand Flats Recreation Area, a 9,000-acre recreation area including the noted Slickrock Bike Trail, jeep trails & camping.

We walked a small portion of the Slickrock Bike Trail and managed to see a few bikers ride along the rocky trail. Not for the faint hearted, some riders were even clipped into the pedals.

Back to the motorhome and back into downtown Moab for a food shop and some relaxing out of the heat at the campsite.

An early dinner back at the Moab Brewery so Pete and I could have the delicious ribs and then back to the motorhome ready for another day filled with Utah adventure.

Morning Run

Leaving Moab to explore

Adding Rocks

Canyonlands National Park

Dead Horse Point State Park

Driving to the National Park

Hurry up Mum!

We don’t want to get out…

Brothers

Wow, Dead Horse Point State Park, beautiful!

More Brothers

They like each other today

Stunning Scnery

Our Wessy

Tourists

Moab Giants Dinosaur Museum

Driving the Utah Roads

Driving to another National Park

Bikers ready to go…

Walking the trail

It’s hot out here, need a rest

Sand flats Recreation Area

Slickrock Bike Trail

Down they go…

4WDing

Pete was up working during the night and ended up going back to sleep…which meant….we all got a sleep in!

The boys and I kept as quiet as we could in order to spend as much time possible relaxing and chatting in bed.

Soon our tour guide was up and raring to go. Motorhome packed up, propane filled and on the road, all by the mid-morning time of 10.30 am.

When we arrived into Grand Junction we thought it was very odd that some of (a lot of)  the street names were numbers, with fractions. For example 28 1/2 Street, 24 1/4 Street, 26 1/4 Street etc. Our sweet Uber drive from last night informed us that the number correlates to the distance (amount of miles) from the Utah state line. There are also letter name streets that correspond with east-west lines.  Apparently, it had to do with farming rights in older times, a-ha…

Out of Colorado we go today and into a new state Utah. Oops, I missed the border crossing photo.

We had been told the scenery in Utah is amazing and from what we have seen so far I don’t think it is going to disappoint.

We spent the first part of the journey driving along the Interstate 70 and then we took a side ride to visit the deserted, ghost town of Cisco (from the 1880’s). Apparently, it had been featured in a few movies such as Thelma & Louise. We didn’t get out of the bus, it looked very creepy. I guess that is what a ghost town is supposed to do. It did look like there may be a few residents still residing there…

After Cisco, we took the Scenic Byway of Highway 128 and boy, it did not disappoint. The views were breathtaking everywhere we looked. We followed the Colorado River and had lunch in the motorhome at one of the rest spots. We had lots and lots of photo stops along the way, marvelling at the magnificent scenery. It really blew us away. The windy road also nearly blew the motorhome away.

Our drive on the scenic highway was also filled seeing small desert animals, eagles, bike riders, canoeists paddling down Colorado River, taking selfies and finding lost mobile phones along the side of the road (we did find the owner).

Just before we got to our destination for the night Moab, we explored the Arches National Park, which has more than 2000 natural sandstone arches and other geological formations. Again, it was breathtaking and we had lots of photo stops, taking in the amazing views.

It was soon time to leave the park and drive to our campsite for the night, Canyonlands RV Resort & Campground.

We set up the motorhome, found our lost internet device that had slid under the slide-out after a short breaking incident and the boys had a play in the playground.

Up and across the street to the Moab Brewery for dinner.

It was a day packed with adventure and beauty and unbelievable landscapes.

Our Lunch Spot

Arriving in Cisco

Beautiful Utah

Cisco Post Office

Eerie, safer to stay in the van…

HWY 128

Turing onto HWY 128

Today’s Drive

PB

The Bus

Road Tripping!

Colorado River

Stunning Landscapes

Canoeists

Today’s Road Trip

Tourist PB

Boys in the campground playground

Moab Brewery

Photos Stops!

Moab is Adventure

Our Boys

Arches National Park

Yes, just one more pic!

Another Photo…

Bike Riders

Noah and Wes

Time to go…

Selfies

As our intended visit to the Colorado National Monument did not happen last night we set out early this morning to avoid the heat and the crowds.

We jumped into our Toyota Camry car rental and up the mountains, we went.  Pete said it was nice to drive a car for a change. I have yet to participate in the driving schedule.  Mountains are probably not a good start.

The sheer-walled canyons were spectacular.  I got lots of photo stops along the way.

The boys joined the junior ranger programme and were keen to fill out their activity books and gain their first ranger badge.

At one of the viewpoints, there was a park ranger who gave us some information about the area. One of the rocks that we were able to hold was two billion years old, two billion years old… It really was incredible to hold something so old.

After taking enough photos to almost drain my phone of juice we drove back to downtown Grand Junction for lunch and another look around town. Lots of street art, lots of great places to eat, lots of lovely shops and lots of beautiful buildings.  Probably one of the cutest towns we have seen.

We ended up having lunch at the Main Street Cafe, an American 1950’s-style nostalgia packed Diner.  I had seen it yesterday and had taken lots of pics, today we got to eat in the Marilyn Monroe room, perfect!

Back to the RV Park after lunch, a load of washing, school work, catch up and a play in the games room for the boys.

At about 5.15 pm it was time to take the car rental to refuel (with gas) and return it to the depot. Down to Main Street for some delicious Japanese from Suehiro Japanese Restaurant and then in an Uber with the cutest 80+-year-old Uber driver.

A lovely end to a lovely day.

Love a catus

How cute are these Junior Ranger Uniforms

Wessy at the National Park

Colorado National Monument

Spectacular

Wildflowers

Completing the tasks

Boys and their Ranger

Junior Ranger Pledge

Stunning Views

Two Billion Year Old Rock

Photo Stops…

Dinosaurs were here a plenty

Not too close Noah

My Boys

Stop Photo Op…

Driving, driving

Street Art

Sing us a song your the piano boys…

Noah and Marilyn

Marilyn Room

1950’s Diner

So Retro!

Just like ‘Happy Days’ 🙂

Wessy and his art

Waiting for Pete and Verison Payphone…

Gold for Cash

Dinner, Japanese

Beautiful

Beautiful, beautiful…

Houses on the cliffs

Out of the tunnel

Through the mountain

Winding, winding roads

Cheeese!

Up early and a wonderful morning run along the cycle path with Noah riding next to me on his new bike.

We saw cows, took a few pictures of the mountains and had some lovely Mother and Son chats.

Back to the motorhome and Wes was very keen to have a ride on the bike, without training wheels…

We jumped on his confidence and took him down to the cycle path and he did it, he had a small ride without the training wheels.  A little bit more practice and he will be raring to go, very proud of you Wes 🙂

With the motorhome all packed up, we were ready to get on our way.  The first stop, Glenwood Springs, and the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.

We parked the motorhome at a recreation area across the bridge, collected our tickets and boarded the gondola to ride up Iron Mountain.

We had a small look at the adventure park before our cave tour began at 10 am.

The cave tour itself was very interesting, the adventure park, a western cheesy adventure park, fun if you like that type of experience.

Our Cave Tour Guide was lovely, but she was on the border of going from enthusiastic to annoying. Pete thought she had hurdled the border and kept running…

The view from the top of Iron Mountain of Glenwood Springs, the Roaring Fork Valley, and surrounding mountains was breathtaking.

To the east of Glenwood Springs, we could see the nearby town of No Name with No Name Creek, No Name Canyon and No Name Tunnel nearby. Gee, the person who named those places really did have a case of the hangover blues that day at work.

Down the gondola we went, lunch in the motorhome, a play in the park for the boys and then back on the Peter Brown Express.  We are never sure what will happen next.

Back on Interstate 70 East. We drove through the rugged mountains following the Colorado River until we reached our destination for tonight, Grand Junction.

Before we arrived at the campsite we had a quick stop at Walmart, to pick up a new little and cheap ($64, and America wonders why China is taking over their industries) bike for Wes. He was thrilled.

Next, to the Grand Junction KOA Holiday Park. Time to set up camp, a play on the mini golf for Noah and Wes, a load of washing and a little time to relax before going back out to do some more exploring.

We had decided that it would be easier to see the main sights around Grand Junction in a car rather than the motorhome. After our arrival at the campground Peter had arranged a day’s car rental and they were going to collect us at 5 pm from the RV Park and take us to the depot.

We thought we might try and see the Colorado Monument in the late afternoon / early evening.

At 5 pm we were waiting, and then we were waiting, waiting.  At 5.30 pm Pete decided to contact the company.  After a few frustrating phone calls, we discovered that the local office had no record of our collection.

We did get picked up, by a lady so lovely she made it very difficult to stay angry. She told us a few of the reasons why we did not get collected, (outdated reservation system, average communication within the company etc. etc.) At one stage I felt like I was in an episode of Undercover Boss.

As this was the second time this scenario had happened with the same rental company I doubt that we will use them again. Particularly as a couple of their company’s mottos are keeping the customer happy and collecting you if you need a car rental.

Unfortunately, by the time we were collected the boys were getting hungry, Pete was frustrated and it was not a good time to explore the Monument.

Instead, we picked up the car, parked it downtown, had a stroll around the gorgeous town and then had a casual dinner at Pablo’s Pizza.

Cows, Moo

Noah and his bike

Photographer, Noah Brown

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

Gondola Ride

Welcome to Glenwood Springs

The Adventure Park

Ready for the caves

View to, No Name

View to, Glenwood Springs

Waiting for the tour

Cave Tour

Listening to the Guide

Beautiful Scenery

Hang on…

On the road…

More mountains to climb

Rugged Countryside

Not as scary in the car

Views, views, views

Pete the driving superstar

Into the tunnel

Mini Golf

Music Boy

Brown’s Cycle

Walking Downtown

Street Art

Street Art

Street Art

More Street Art

Marilyn Monroe Room

Main Street Cafe

Street Art Again

Exploring the Adventure Park

Wessy

Our Boys

Yep, Street Art

Pablo’s Pizza

More, more street art

Again…

Wes’s favourite aniamal

Street Art Obsessed

If there was one place or two places I wished to see in Colorado it was Aspen and Vail.

I had heard many wonderful things about them over the years and although they would have been perfect to see in the winter, I will settle for the end of spring. AND, if we can fit in only one, great, I will take seeing one then nothing at all.

Today is the day we are off to Aspen. We had been advised by the campsite that it would be difficult to park the van on the mountain, therefore, we decided to park and ride at Carbondale and catch the local bus.

This would also be a bit more relaxing for Pete.

We arrived at the bus depot with 5 minutes to spare and after a 45-minute bus ride up the mountain, we reached Aspen.

AND it was beautiful, exactly as I had imagined the ski town to be. Gorgeous cabins both big and small and EXTRA LARGE (we are talking millions and millions of $$$), a lovely downtown surrounded by green and even in some spots, snow-capped mountains. It was stunning and had a very good feel.

We walked around the town, had a hot chocolate and muffin, went up the mountain on the gondola (where the views were amazing), played in the snow and then did some more exploring of the town.

After popping into a sports shop to look at mountain bikes we got talking to a lovely member of staff who gave us lots of tips on places to see. One of those was Maroon Bells, one of the most photographed spots in North America and only a few miles down the road.

Rather than go with our first thought of taking the 45-minute bus to Carbondale, grabbing the motorhome and driving all the way back we decided to jump in an Uber for $15 and go straight there.

We love Uber, but unfortunately you can’t pick your Uber driver. The lady was lovely, however a little different…

After arriving at Maroon Bells we walked down to the lake, took a few pictures and then got our driver to drop us back in downtown Aspen. The views were spectacular and worth the visit. We passed on the personal Uber guided tour of Aspen and its surroundings.

By this time it was about 2.30 pm and we were all getting hangry, what, we had missed lunch!

Our Uber driver dropped us at a popular eating area which we walked around looking for something that would not send us bankrupt. Eventually, we found a casual spot but the service was so slow we decided to get the bus back to Carbondale and have a feed there, probably at a more reasonable price.

Plus, Noah has spied a second had bike yesterday in town and I think he had been dreaming about it all day.

We arrived in Carbondale and the second-hand shop, again with 5 minutes to spare and Noah got his ‘dream bike’. Now he can ride around the RV Parks. We had a delicious meal at the White House Pizza sitting outside and taking in the country ambience.

Back in the motorhome and back to Carbondale / Crystal Springs RV Park. Tonight we have a spot right on the Crystal River.

I am so glad Aspen was everything I had dreamed it to be.

Welcome to Aspen

Beautiful Aspen

Watch out!

Born in Aspen, lucky duck

Quaint Houses

River Villas

Cabins

Cute Cottages

Big, Big Houses

Don’t look down…

Breathtaking

Summer Aspen

Our Boys

Random cute dog

Hi Wes

Hi Noah

Having fun

There’s still snow!

Amazing Scenery

Driving the snowmobile

Hi Boys!

Getting Warm on the mountain

Gondola

Must come back in the winter…

More Mountains

Maroon Bells

Lovely Squares

Gorgeous Buildings

Noah’s new bike

Our Campsite tonight

Crystal River, our backyard

Summer Ski Village

The Browns do Aspen

An early start to the day and all aboard the Peter Brown sightseeing express to avoid the Memorial Day crowds.

Our first stop, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It surrounds part of a deep, steep-walled gorge carved through Precambrian rock by the Gunnison River.

Our photos stops were kept to the minimum and no souvenir stops on this tour.

We managed to see 3 of the 7 designated viewing spots before driving back down the Mountain towards Montrose.

We did get to see a gorgeous little deer and speak to an Aussie couple who were doing a six-week road trip around the USA. It was lovely to hear the familiar Australian accent.

Yesterday we were going to visit the Museum of the Mountain West (historic western memorabilia and buildings) but our enthusiasm was a little lack. Today we passed it going to the national park, got the photo, saved a buck.

Our destination today is not far from Aspen but we have a few miles to drive before we get there.

We also have to find accommodation. Originally we had pre-booked the next two nights campsites at Grand Junction due to the Memorial Weekend, however, my begging to see Aspen or Vail has changed our plans.

We will stay in Grand Junction in a few days time.

We passed the small town of Delta where we stopped for fuel, Safeway food shop and a removal of the poor bugs on the windshield.

Hopefully the photos today will not have big black splats on them…

We passed gorgeous farms and ranches with cattle and horses, the mountains looming on the horizon.

Through the small town of North Fork and then onto Colorado 133 North for 90 miles or so.

Up the mountains, we went. All I could say was “it’s bloody beautiful everywhere you look!”.

Note: I am not sure if I will get many stops at ‘points of interest’ today.

Past the town of Paonia and then the landscape was filled with stunning farms and orchards filling the valley of the mountains.

We followed the North Fork Gunnison River and Railway into Somerset, a small coal-mining town.

Up the mountains again and passed the spectacular Paonia Reservoir, more winding around the mountain roads, over the McClure Pass into the Gunnison National Forest, the White River National Forest and then following the beautiful Crystal River.

We stopped at the Hays Creek Falls, passed the small river town of Redstone and then we finally arrived at tonight’s destination Carbondale/Crystal River KOA.

Carbondale is a small town nestled in the Elk Mountain Range of the Rocky Mountains, our campsite runs along the Crystal River about 5 miles out of the town.

Once we had set up camp we decided to get the bikes out and ride along the cycle path into Carbondale.  The weather was fairly warm but there was a gentle cool breeze. The cycle path followed the Crystal River into Carbondale and it was wonderful to be out on the bikes again. The scenery was also wonderful riding along the river, between farmland with cows grazing, the cute log cabins, and farmhouses.

Carbondale is a sweet little town with pretty houses, a small downtown, and great feel.  We rode our bikes around the quiet street, had a quick photo stop and then jumped back on our bikes to return to the campsite.

Tacos in the motorhome for dinner and then time to relax amongst the beautiful mountains.

Stunning Scenery

Black Canyon National Park

Gorges and Rivers

Spotto Deer

More Ranches

Museum of the Mountain West

‘UTE’ Indian Land

Wessy

Driving, Driving, Driving…

Another bend…

Farms and Snow Caps

Delta

Beautiful Farmland

Orchards

Mountain Towns

Wilderness

Amazing Scenery

Somerset

More Mountains

Winding Roads

Hays Creek Falls

Redstone

Crystal River

Great Riding Streets

Welcome to Carbondale

Street Art

Gardens

Gorgeous Cottages

Historic Houses

Paonia Reservoir

The last few days have been so busy that we needed a day to catch our breath.

It is Memorial Weekend here in the US (Federal Holiday to remember the people who died while serving in the country’s armed forces) so we decided to pre-book four nights accommodation, we had been told everything fills up and gets very busy.  Our first two nights will be here in Montrose, Colorado.

The morning and early afternoon was spent sleeping in, school work, computer catch up, washing, motorhome tidy up, card playing, iPad and relaxing.

The afternoon did not get any busier, more washing, more relaxing.

We have not seen much of Montrose. Although the campsite appears full it is very quiet, there are not even any kids for the boys to play with. Everybody must be out exploring or sleeping…

With this easy day, we will all be ready to get back on the Road Trip tomorrow.

At about 5 pm we decided to take an Uber to the local Japanese restaurant, Hiro Japanese Steak House.

The meal was delicious and the service impeccable.

After dinner, we decided to meander our way back to the campsite, looking at the beautiful buildings, street artwork and taking photos of our family memories, all in the cool of the evening.

Montrose KOA

A Clean Motorhome

Chop Sticks

Hi Noah!

Street Art

Privacy Please!

Dinner

Brothers

More Street Art

Hiro Japanese Steak House

Where we spent a lot of the day

Playing Cards (Go Fish)

Another KOA

Finishing Lunch

Gorgeous Houses

Little Rivers

Local Movie Theatre

My Little Model

Evening Sky

City Hall

Walking Home

And another…

Where’s the M?

Waiting for the Uber

Dancing is good!

It was 4 degrees outside this morning, no running for this fair weather slow runner/jogger/wimp.

Back on the Peter Brown sightseeing tour of Colorado and we are giving him the thumbs up.  The drive today was unbelievable.  The landscape changed so many times that just as we thought it couldn’t get any better we would turn a corner, descend a mountain, climb a mountain and there it was, more beautiful scenery.

I am not sure if my iPhone will hold 4 months of this beauty.

And, can we note that Pete’s driving today was amazing on a very challenging drive up and down, twists and turns, winding around and around the many mountains, the Rocky Mountains.

I also got, lots and lots of photos stops today.

Another note, please excuse the large bug splat in the pictures taken from the motorhome, it chose to kamikaze in a very unfortunate spot.

We started today leaving South Fork through the Rio Grande National Forest, winding around the mountain roads, passing through small alpine towns.

Our first stop is the gorgeous town of Creede. This was a recommendation from our RV hosts last night. Creede was an old silver mining town but now it comes alive during the summer season for vacationers wanting to fish and hike. We met a man named Terre Jones while having a coffee and hot chocolate, who had done his own sole, 4-month tour of the country, taking in 19,000 miles and creating a photography book by the finish.

Back climbing the Rocky Mountains and the alpine landscape was stunning. We passed lots of Ranches, small towns, into the Gunnison National Forest we went, across the Continental Divide of the Americas (Great Divide), onto the  Slumgullion Pass (one of the highest mountain roads in Colorado, 11530 ft), through the San Juan Mountains and then down to the small old town of Lake City, in Hinsdale County.

We parked the motorhome, had some lunch and then a lovely walk around the old town which has the largest collection of preserved buildings from the 1870’s.

On the road again and through the winding mountains, following the Gunnison River. After Lake City, the landscape became a lot more rugged but the Ranches were still nestled in between the San Juan Mountains, snow capped in the distance.

A wow, wow photo stop at Lake San Cristobal.

More photo ops at a marker honouring the People of the Shining Mountains (Native Ute), at one time this was their land, before gold was discovered in the San Juan Mountains.

As we passed through the mountain Ranches we thought that it was strange that a lot of them had boats, even sailboats in their yards, what would they need them for in the middle of the mountains?

After making the long descent we hit the Lake City Bridge and the Iola Basin of the Blue Mesa Reservoir. It is the largest artificial lake located entirely within the state and was created by the construction of the Blue Mesa Dam. Another wow moment and an a-ha moment, the boats at the Ranches completely make sense now.

Just as we thought we couldn’t be wowed anymore we looked to the right and there were the Dillon Pinnacles in full view.  Stop the bus, both Pete and I wanted to get out and have a look AND take some photos.

We followed the huge Blue Mesa Reservoir and Curecanti National Recreation Area until we turned off and then passed the small town of Sapinero, Cimarron Campgrounds and river, towards tonight’s final destination Montrose and our campsite Montrose/Black Canyon National Park KOA.

Out for dinner down the road at a local family Mexican Restaurant and then back to the motorhome.

The Peter Brown Road Trip of the Rocky Mountains and Colorado was an A+, Brilliant!

Down this winding road

A photo stop…

Small Towns in the Valley

Picturesque

Old Town Creede

Climbing the Rocky Mountains

Passing small towns

Snow!

Welcome to Creede

Leaving South Fork

Beautiful Scenery

Ranches

Creede, old silver mining town

Lake San Cristobal

Snow Capped Mountains

Gorgeous Houses – Lake City

San Juan Mountains

Gunnison River

Old Town Lake City

Slumgullion Pass 11,530 ft

Wow, Blue Mesa Reservoir

Hilltop houses

Taking in the Serenity

Lake City

Noah and Wes

Native Ute Land

Town Art – Lake City

Driving along the lake

Lots of Different Ranches

Beautiful Native Ute Land

Bug Splat

Blue Mesa Reservoir

Brothers

Farmland

Dillon Pinnacles

More old buildings – Lake City

More Mountains to climb

It goes on forever…

Driving, Driving, Driving

Tourists!

Today’s Road Trip