Category: Colorado
Five Year Nomadiversary!!

Five Year Nomadiversary!!

By |

Hey Guys!! It’s that time again…it’s our Nomadiversary!! Today marks five full years of being digital nomads and living our American Dream. You know, we started this whole journey to show our boys that not all American Dreams have to look the same. Some might include a white picket fence, some have you wearing suits and working in offices, sometimes it means you go to work outside and some dreams might look like a home-on-wheels that takes you wherever you want to go. Everyone has different goals and dreams…and that’s ok. It’s those differences that make life so interesting and our Country so great. We really believe that if you can dream it, you can do it. You just have to be willing to put in the effort to make it happen.

It’s been quite the year! We started our year in Texas eating our way though BBQ places and then we spent a couple of months in Missouri visiting family. Every time we’re in Missouri we seem to have a never ending list of projects we need to work on. We did make it to Branson with my (Jennie) parents for a long weekend of family fun. And, the boys got to have Shop Class with Grandpa. We always look forward to our time with family.

We spent almost two months in Colorado finding the wild places and visiting National Parks. Colorado is, with out a doubt, one of the most beautiful states in our country. Our favorite day in Colorado was the day we went exploring up in the mountains on old mining roads.

Utah was in a word…amazing. We did some hard hikes, found some breathtaking views, drove down some awesome dirt roads and woke up with ice on the inside of our walls a few times.

We spent several weeks in Northern Arizona. before heading to New Mexico. I always forget how cold New Mexico gets in the winter. A few of us wanted an actual winter with a white Christmas so we ended our 2019 in New Mexico. We visited some new NPs and revisited an old favorite. Even as nomads we’ve developed family traditions…ours just revolve around certain places. Is it weird we feel at home in several different states?

Arizona was home to us for most of our nomadic year. We were just starting our time there when the Corona Virus started to do its thing. Luckily, we did get a little exploring done before everything closed down. Sedona has been one of our favorite areas since our very first visit back in 2015.

Ok, let’s talk about the real reason you’re all here…the foodies. We do love our local mom and pop foodie shops. And, Guys…we found some ah-mazing places this nomadic year!!

We had big plans for 2020 with tons of National Park units on the schedule. In February and March while we were in the Sedona area, we realized things weren’t going to go as planned. Due to the Corona Virus, everything started shutting down and it became almost impossible to find things in the grocery store. State and National campgrounds closed, some private RV parks were ordered to close, and…all of the National Parks closed. All of them. It’s hard to go on a National Park tour when the parks are closed and there’s no definitive answer as to when they’ll open back up.

When our reservations in Sedona ran out we decided to go ahead and keep with our planned reservation schedule. Our next stop was back to Page, AZ and honestly, we didn’t mind that it was basically a ghost town. Mostly locals. It was so different from the last time we were there when there were people in every nook and cranny.

For now, we’re hanging out in Utah, waiting to see what happens with the National Parks and the campgrounds. We’ve been enjoying the scenic drives that are close by…and the snow topped mountains aren’t the worst thing ever. ;-P

It’s been quite the eventful year for us even with this whole corona virus mess! During our fifth year of nomadary we: explored six states, visited thirty-two National Park units, drove a total of 4,689 miles, and made countless memories.

A few of our favorites from this year are hiking Angel’s Landing, exploring the mountains of Colorado, getting to talk to some Navajo while visiting their home, and hiking the Peekaboo/Spooky slot canyons.

All in all…I’d say our fifth year of living the nomad life was a success. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

See y’all down the road!

#nomadiversary
Monuments, Dinosaurs, and Mesas…

Monuments, Dinosaurs, and Mesas…

By |

Hey Guys!! We spent two weeks in the Grand Junction area of Colorado and we enjoyed it way more than we thought we would. Sometimes we’re not sure what the area we’re heading to is like. We try to make sure there’s an actual grocery store somewhere close, but you never really know until you’re pulling into the park. We’ve had some places look great on paper and then when we pull in…the entire area was a big nope for us. I’ll be honest, I kind of expected it to be that way for Grand Junction. So, when we got to Grand Junction and saw it, we were pleasantly surprised. It’s that perfect mix of small town vibe with all of the stores we like and with more than 1.5 million acres of public lands in the area…we had more than enough places to explore to keep us occupied.

A whopping seventy-five percent of Mesa County is made up of public lands. Guys, that’s insane! To give you a size comparison…Mesa County is larger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. You’ll find areas for National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Forests, State Parks and even a few City Parks. I’m thinking we could easily spend an entire season exploring everything that the Grand Junction area has to offer.

The main reason we were staying in Grand Junction was to visit Colorado National Monument. We headed in to explore the plateau and canyon that make up the Colorado Monument on a few different afternoons. You can pretty much see all of the highlights if you do the 23 mile Rim Rock Drive, stopping at all of the well thought out scenic view points. Some will have short hikes to get to the view…most will not. We thought the Rim Drive was fantastic, but we like to get into the park and hike. We feel like you get a better feel for the landscape and the story the park is trying to tell/preserve.

Ten minutes down the road was the little Dinosaur Journey Museum. It was inexpensive to get in (even with five people) and it was stuffed with information on the dinosaurs that used to roam the Mesa County area. I’ve had songs from the animated show Land Before Time stuck in my head ever since. The animatronic dinosaurs seemed to all be characters from the show. Ha! We learned a lot in the museum even with me trying to get the boys to sing along to the songs of their early childhood.

The day after we visited the Dinosaur Journey Museum, we drove part of the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway up to the Dinosaur National Monument. There are actually two parts to this National Monument. There’s the Colorado side, which has all of the grand vistas and geology information. This is the side we started on. We did a couple of hikes here, but since we were trying to get the entire park into just one day…we were kind of hoofing it. The views were absolutely amazing on this side of the National Park. We could have easily spent the entire day hiking and ogling the views here.

The Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument is all bout the dinosaurs and the petroglyphs. The first thing you’ll want to do is take the tram to the Quarry Exhibit Hall where you’ll come face to face with a huge wall of dinosaur bones. And Guys, these are the real deal…these aren’t the casts that you’ll so often see in museums. It’s hard to capture how big this bone wall is…it holds over 1,500 fossils that have been embedded within the rock. The scientist working the quarry that this rock wall is part of found over 500 different kinds of dinosaur remains along with some other animals who were alive during the Morrison time period. For the most part, you’re not allowed to touch the wall or the bones, but there are a few bones that the National Monument has set up so you can actually touch 149 million year old dinosaur bones. When we were done soaking up all of the dinosaur awesomeness…we headed back out to the park to find some petroglyphs and check out a cabin leftover from an early settler to the area. We saw quite a few lizards during our visit and if the petroglyphs are any indication…the lizards have been around for quite a while. There was a section of petroglyphs that had tons of giant lizards. I’m glad the lizards we saw were the little bitty variety and not the six foot beasts on the canyon walls.

The cabin used to belong to Josie Bassett Morris back in the early 1900s. She moved to Cub Creek when she was forty to establish a homestead. Most of the time she was there alone, but her family and friends from a nearby town visited as often as they could to check up on her. One day when she was out checking the cattle she fell off of her horse and ended up breaking her hip. Josie drug herself the entire way back to her cabin to heal. She lived at her homestead in Cub Creek for fifty years before passing away in the cabin. The cabin is still there. Open for anyone to walk through. You can see the remnants of the wall paper she had up…the nails are still there where she hung pictures of her family. The fire place has a couple of logs in it. If you close your eyes you can imagine the braided rugs on the floor and the handmade quilts on the bed. I enjoyed looking though the rooms and thinking about Josie’s life there. She was definitely a strong and independent woman.

We took an entire day to do the Grand Mesa National Scenic Byway where we explored the world’s largest flat-top mountain. So, what the heck is a Mesa? I know you’re wondering. A mesa is a wide mountain with steep sides and a flat top. Mesa is the Spanish word for table. Grand Mesa’s flattop is due to the cap of volcanic basalt it acquired around nine million years ago when lava pushed up through cracks in the earth covering a valley floor with basalt lava. Eventually, the soft rock around the hardened basalt lava eroded away and Grand Mesa was born. Around 14,000 years ago ice caps went through the area rearranging the tabletop and forming more than three hundred lakes and reservoirs.

Can we take a minute to appreciate all of the pretties I found in the Grand Junction area?! I mean…Guys…I think I took just as many pictures of flowers as I did all of the other awesomeness in the area!! And…I found one of my absolute favorites…fireweed!

We had two pretty good weeks in Grand Junction! We didn’t even scratch the surface of what there is to do. I think we’ll for sure have to go back and spend more time in Mesa County, Colorado.

This was our last stop in Colorado before heading on to Utah.

See Y’all down the road!!

#NationalParkTour
Alpine Lakes and Mountain Passes

Alpine Lakes and Mountain Passes

By |

Hey Guys! Welcome to part two of our time in the Montrose, CO area! We did sooo much in the two weeks we had in the area that I felt like it made the post too long. So, I split the post up. And…I’m not going to lie…I’ve left the best for last.

The last National Park Unit we did in the area was Curecanti National Recreation Area. Curecanti NRA is made up of three reservoirs along the Gunnison River. Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal Reservoir are all popular for boating and fishing, but there are some hiking opportunities as well. We did a short hike along Crystal Reservoir where the trail literally sparkled! I’m not sure what kind of rock it was, but there were tons of this flakey, sparkly rock all over the trail. Engine 278 had a new display after seven years of restoration. This engine used to pull trains up and down the Black Canyon for the Denver and the Rio Grande railroads.

Y’all know we love our National Parks. I mean, we’re on a National Park Tour! But, my favorite memories from our time in the Montrose area were the old mining roads we drove up to see the wild areas and the mountains. The Million Dollar Highway was built in the late 1880s. Technically, it’s only twenty five miles long, but this road is packed with some seriously winding mountain roads that are littered with the skeletons of Colorado’s mining days. We found this little alpine lake down one of the old mining roads that snaked off the highway and Guys…I think we found the best place in Colorado. This little alpine lake was amazingly gorgeous. We had the whole place to ourselves…

except for the chipmunks, marmots, and picas that call the area home. They were all too busy preparing for winter to bother with us though.

The main reason (besides the views) we headed down the Million Dollar Highway was to get to the Alpine Loop, a seventy five mile loop that follows routes first traveled by Native Americans. Later, these routes became roads as Colorado moved into it’s mining boom.

Last winter Colorado had a record number of avalanches. We saw the destruction they left behind and even drove through the remnants of one.

Y’all know we love driving down those dirt roads…but we’re not into technical 4×4 trails. The section of the Alpine Loop we drove is about as technical as we like it…in fact, it was pushing the limit of what we’re comfortable with. We started in Silverton and made our way up to Engineer Pass. On the last curve to the pass, Jerl got out of the car just to make sure we could actually make the turn. The road was…tight…and the drop off on one side was…steep. We were so relieved to reach the pass! And y’all, when we got to the pass, there was a mini-van!!! We were like…what-the-what?!?! Who in their right mind would drive a mini-van on those roads? Turns out it was a rental. They headed down the pass before us and we never saw them on the way back down. We still wonder how they did. Can we take a minute to admire that view though?

We didn’t do the whole loop. We made it to Engineer Pass (12,800 feet) then headed toward our home-on-wheels by taking a different route. We stayed on the dirt roads and ended up going over two more passes. California Pass (12,960 feet) and Hurricane Pass (12,730 feet). The views were stunning but we were all ready for that paved road by the time we found it again.

Horsefly Brewing Company in Montrose, CO was one of our go to spots while we were in the area. They had the best nachos I’ve ever found at a restaurant. Seriously. They also had awesome burgers! If y’all ever find yourself in Montrose, head over to Horsefly Brewing for a meal. You won’t be disappointed.

That winds up our time in Montrose. We had an excellent adventure and will most definitely be back.

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Canyons and Cliff Dwellings in Colorado

Canyons and Cliff Dwellings in Colorado

By |

Hey Guys! After two weeks fighting yellow jackets in Colorado Springs we were ready to move on. While we loved Cheyenne Mountain State Park…we got really tired of fighting for our food and running from the yellow jackets. It took us two days to drive to Montrose. The plan was to hit a state park during our overnight to get in a hike to a waterfall, but we got there later than we’d anticipated so we missed the hike. We weren’t too upset…it would have been another hour drive and we were all pretty done driving/riding for the day.

Our spot in Montrose was fantastic! We had shade pretty much throughout the entire day…which was welcomed with the 90° plus temps we were getting. I’ve started making notes on each of our spots. We stay at so many places they can get jumbled up in our memories. Did that place have good cell service? What were the sites like? Did we have a spot we wanted to get next time?

The main reason we stayed in Montrose was to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It’s called the Black Canyon because the walls are usually in shadows (there are parts of the canyon walls that only get about thirty minutes of sunlight a day) making the canyon look black. This canyon started forming millions of years ago as the Gunnison River cut it’s way through rock eventually making one of the steepest cliffs in North America. Even with the dizzying height of the canyon, you can still hear the Gunnison River at the bottom as it continues to carve away the Black Canyon. At somewhere around 2,000 feet high and only about 1,000 feet wide the Black Canyon may not be the deepest or biggest canyon in the US, but it definitely has a beauty all it’s own. Plus, it’s one of the least visited NPS units which means fewer people. We had most viewpoints to ourselves. We did a few hikes, made our way down the dirt road to see the Gunnison River at the bottom of the canyon and went to an astronomy program one evening. The park never felt crowded.

We hadn’t planned on going to Mesa Verde National Park from Montrose, but we realized if we waited until we were closer later on in our loop, all of the tours would be closed. We’ve always enjoyed the National Park Units that protect and tell the history of the Ancestral Pueblo people so we had high hopes for this park. Mesa Verde National Park protects around 5,000 different archaeological sites which include almost 600 cliff dwellings. The Ancestral Pueblo people made this area their home for 700 years. We saw so many cliff dwellings all along the walls of the cliffs that make up this park. Now, the most important thing you need to know about visiting Mesa Verde NP is that you have to take a Ranger guided tour to actually get down into one of the dwellings. We did the Cliff Palace tour and we definitely weren’t the only ones there. The tour was packed. Our Ranger talked so much that we didn’t get to do much looking. When we tried to lag behind to snag some pictures or look he would hurry us along. The tour was pretty disappointing. The NPS needs to either give more time between tours or make the tour groups smaller.

One of the cooler things we learned was that the Ancestral Pueblo people would use corn-on-the-cobs to chink in the spaces in the walls. We saw a 700 year old corn cob. We think we know quite a bit about the Anasazi people. We know they use to farm on the tops of the mesa’s that their cliff homes were built on. We know they made baskets and later on pottery. We know they lived in communities. We know they hunted. We even know how they collected water. What we don’t know is why they suddenly abandoned the Mesa Verde region.

Going on a tour of one of the cliff dwellings is a workout. You go down stairs, up ladders, and on some tours you crawl through tunnels. The Ancestral Pueblo people didn’t have the luxury of stairs and ladders. They used hand and foot holds to make their way down or up the cliff faces. We were told by a visiting archaeologist that each trail had a story that went with it so they could remember what hand or foot hold to use next. It was also a type of security…if you didn’t know the story, you’d have a harder time finding your way. I’m not sure how they could know that…but, I’m not an archaeologist.

Let’s talk foodies. We found a few places we liked. One was a Mexican place called Mi Mexico. Guys, we were really surprised by this place. We went into it not expecting anything spectacular, but we liked it so much we ate there three times in the two weeks we were in the area. Another of our favorites was a little place called Crash Burger where we got some very tasty burgers and fries.

There were flowers everywhere! They were so gorgeous!! I might have taken a few dozen pictures of various flowers/weeds that I found. Y’all know how I like my pretties.

Well, Guys, I’m going to save the rest of our Montrose area meanderings for the next post. Stay tuned for an epic mountain drive, ghost towns, and another National Park Service unit!

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Yellow Jackets, Ghost Towns, and Wildflowers.

Yellow Jackets, Ghost Towns, and Wildflowers.

By |

Our first visit to Colorado Springs left us wanting more time in the area so when I set out to plan this loop I made sure to schedule two weeks at the Cheyenne Mountain State Park.

We like state parks for several reasons. The views are better, there’s almost always a fire ring so we can have evening campfires, we see more wildlife, and the price per night is usually cheaper. Usually. We actually ended up paying more per night at this Colorado State Park than if we’d stayed at the KOA down the road. I can’t deny the views and the wildlife sightings were way better at the state park. The deer in the pics above were right outside our home-on-wheels. Our cats were loving all of the stalking opportunities.

Speaking of wildlife and stalking…we were stalked and bullied the entire two weeks by the resident yellow jackets. It was so bad that the park rangers let us put up some traps. Did you know that yellow jackets are carnivores? Yup. They’re attracted to meat and sugar…and purple shirts. They also sting just because you looked at them. They’re total jerks. The rangers tried to figure out where the nest was. Several of them worked on it and looked in on us to see how it was going. At one point they offered to move us to a different spot…but our spot had such an amazing view so we just put up with the little flying jerks. It was kind of amazing watching the traps fill up. We ended up with three traps at our site.

We took a day trip and explored up in the surrounding mountains. I had several goals planned for that day. The first one was the ghost town of St. Elmo. While it is considered a ghost town, there are still a few residents. The town was originally settled in 1878 as a gold mining camp and grew to a town with a population of around 2,000 before it died out as the surrounding mines were depleted. It might have started as a gold mining camp, but the area was also rich in copper, silver and ore. In 1881 a railroad through St. Elmo was established and a station was built in town making the town of St. Elmo a main source of supplies for the entire area. The train would bring in supplies and people on it’s way to the mines and then it would bring iron ore back through town on it’s way out. In 1890, at it’s peak, there was a fire that destroyed most of the business section of St. Elmo. Most of the businesses were never rebuilt and the town started its slow decline. By 1922, when the last train went through St. Elmo, it’s said that all of the residents who were left in the dying town rode out on the train never to return. A few families stayed. They tried to bring the town back, but it never recovered. Today you can drive up one of the old mining roads and check out what’s left of the gold mining camp. We enjoyed walking around the buildings and reading the stories. The general store is still open during the summer. We bought some souvenirs and chatted with the owners. The best way to get to know a place is to talk to the residents.

After we left St. Elmo we headed to Cottonwood Pass. We’d heard that the views were spectacular and Guys, they did not disappoint! At a height of 12,127 feet Cottonwood Pass is the second highest mountain pass in the state of Colorado. Surrounded by San Isabel National Forest and Gunnison National Forest the views are of wild and open spaces mostly untouched by human hands. Cottonwood Pass is the highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide in the United States. The day we went it was around 40° and super windy! It was also the first day the pass was reopened after some major road work. We didn’t know that until we got there and talked to some locals who were camping not far from there.

I don’t remember where I first came across the cool Thomas Dambo Trolls, but when I heard there was one in the Breckenridge area…it immediately went on my list of things to see. Meet Isak Heartstone a mountain troll that sits at fifteen feet tall and greets visitors with a shy smile. After doing some digging I found out that the Denmark artist, Thomas Dambo, has made not one but sixteen different trolls in the US! I think I might have a new list of things to see and places to go. If you’re interested in learning more about Thomas Dambo and his many art installments check out his webpage.

Lets talk foodies! Colorado Springs is a huge foodie town and has some of the coolest joints we’ve found. Some of our favorites from this visit are The Omelet Parlor (where I had the best green chili omelet ever), Edelweiss (some amazing German food), and Fat Sully’s for some super tasty amazingly big pizza! Our friends, the Lowe Family, introduced us to Fat Sully’s and Guys…it was awesome! One of the best things about the Colorado Springs area is visiting with the Lowe Family.

Y’all know I love the pretties so I thought I’d end the post telling you about the Ranger Walk we did where we learned about the wildflowers in the area. It was kind of a gross morning with cool weather and on and off drizzle, but we had a great time! We learned a lot and we got to hike around a very cool archery range.

And just like that our two weeks in the Colorado Springs area is over. I didn’t get much video of our time…I’m out of practice…but here is a short little video of some Colorado Springs moments mainly of our spot in Cheyenne Mountain State Park.

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Sand For Days

Sand For Days

By |

Guys!! We’re officially back on the road and it feels good to get some miles under our tires! Now that we’re done with our State Tour where we visited all of the states we could drive to, we have officially started our National Park Tour.

It took us two long days to get to Alamosa, CO and when we did…there wasn’t too much there. It was sandy and hot…but the views of the mountains from our “yard” were welcome.

I’ve always been curious about Great Sand Dunes National Park. It sounds odd to say that the highest sand dunes in North America are in Colorado…but, they are. Driving to the park, all you see is the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. You’d never know you were driving toward sand dunes until you turn a corner and then there they are stretching out under the mountains. Looking deceptively small.

The highest dune is close to 750 feet tall and called Star Dune. To get to the dunes you have to cross the Medano Creek first. The creek wasn’t very deep when we went, but it can have waves up to a foot deep depending on the time of year. We rented some sand sleds from a nearby store and the boys had a good time sledding down the dunes a few times. The sand at Sand Dunes is very different than the sand at White Sand National Monument. The sand at Dunes sticks to everything…including the boards whereas the sand at White Sands seems to slide right off of everything.

It’s hard walking in sand. You take a step forward and slide back almost as far as you stepped. It makes walking up sand dunes more taxing than you’d think. Add that to the fact that we’d just spent nine months at near sea level…and well, we definitely got a workout. I made it up to this point and decided my view was pretty darn good. Jerl, Charles, and Alex decided to try and go farther up.

Nicholas and I walked at a more leisurely pace until we got to a very steep section. We decided we’d just sit in the sand and have a snack…and people watch. The view from our snack spot was pretty amazing. It wasn’t the worst place to have a snack.

I sent my camera with Jerl up to the top. He got some great shots! When you visit the dunes, you’re really only seeing a small portion of the thirty square miles of sand dunes. In fact, the park itself encompasses woodlands, grasslands, 13,000 foot mountains, and alpine tundras.

It’s hard to convey the size of the dunes. Here’s a picture that will help give you and idea of the scale. Those little dots are people on the dunes. We’d been warned to get there early in the morning not only because the dunes get busy but because the sand gets hot fast. Sand temps can reach 150° when the air temp is only 80° to 90°.

On the way to Great Sand Dunes NP we kept passing this little gravel road that went up the side of a mountain…so…we had to see where it went. It was one of the bumpiest roads we’ve been on in our car! We never made it to the lake that was said to be at the end of the road, but we made it a good distance up the mountain before we turned around. The view was hazy, but decent.

It wouldn’t be a proper post without some foodies. Guys, this burger…yes, there’s a burger under there somewhere…is firmly on our list of top five burgers. When I got this burger, I didn’t know it was an open-faced burger. Ha! I thought they’d given me the wrong thing, but it looked so good I was going to ask if I could just have it instead of what I’d ordered. It’s a smothered green chili burger with pepper jack cheese. We liked it so much we ate there twice in one week instead of trying someplace new.

Our first week back to being nomads went by quickly. We fell back into the usual rhythm of our traveling lives pretty easily.

See y’all down the road!

#NationalParkTour
Mountains, Mountains, and More Mountains

Mountains, Mountains, and More Mountains

By |

Hey Guys! Here’s part two of our Denver area explorations. If you missed part one, you can find it here. We were only in the Denver area for one measly week, but we crammed every bit of adventure we could into that one week.

It was so cold and windy the day we went to Loveland Pass. Alex forgot his jacket and wasn’t up for doing much exploring so we walked around a little, snapped a few pictures, and got back into the warmth of the car.

Even on a cloudy day the view was breathtaking…and not just because it was cold.

We got there right as the clouds started brushing the tops of the mountains. We thought briefly about walking up the trail…but with one of us without a jacket and the bitter cold…we passed.

This picture was taken the same day as the ones on Loveland Pass. We took a drive up the Mount Evans Scenic Byway. We barely squeaked in on the last day the road was open for the 2018 season.

We made it all the way to Summit Lake before we had to stop. The road to the summit was already closed. Alex was still without a jacket so our hiking was pretty limited. It was a balmy 30° with a wind-chill much lower at Summit Lake that October day. Those of us who braved the cold and wind to see the views really wished we had actual coats and not just jackets. But Guys…look at that view!

We saw some female longhorn sheep. There was a whole herd of them just hanging out right by the road. Checking out the cars as they drove by. Meandering into the road whenever they felt like it. We thought they were goats until we talked to a Ranger. The Ranger told us all of the goats had been staying higher up on the mountain. Wildlife is one of our favorite things to see while we’re out exploring.

Here’s another shot of the view. This one was on the way back down. We were super bummed we couldn’t go all the way to the summit. We’ve made plans to go back to Colorado next year and have this on our list of places to revisit. Hopefully, on a warmer day.

Mount Evans, with a height of 14,264 feet, is the twelfth highest mountain in Colorado. The Mount Evans Scenic Byway is the highest paved road in North America and takes you through several biomes before getting to the top. We stopped at the Mount Goliath Natural Area to see the Krummholz Forest.

Krummholz comes from a German word meaning crooked wood. The stunted, twisted trees mark the transition between forest and tundra.

We love National Parks. We basically make all of our plans based on National and State Parks along with the State Capitol Buildings. Jerl had been looking forward to this particular National Park since we started this crazy nomad life. We were staying in Golden, CO so it took us a good two hours to get to the Rocky Mountain National Park. We only had one day to explore RMNP so we got up super early and spent the entire day seeing as much of the park as we could.

It was rut season for the Roosevelt Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park. We were hoping to see and hear them. We hadn’t been in the park an hour yet, and we both saw and heard them. You can’t see them in the picture above, but this is where we were standing when we first herd them. Bugling to one another. Calling out challenges. Staking claims.

The mammas and the babies were grazing by the road.

The day we were at RMNP was the last day the Old Fall River Road was open for the season. We couldn’t have timed it better if we’d tried. And trust me, I try…but this was just a happy coincidence. Old Fall River Road was built between 1913 and 1920 as the first motor route to cross the Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s only a nine mile road, but it took us a couple of hours to traverse it. Every turn was cool enough to stop at and take pictures of and ogle, there were waterfalls to hike to, and all four life zones to learn about. The road ends about half way up the main park road at the Alpine Visitor Center.

 Welcome to the high mountain country! It was super windy up on the mountain at the Alpine Visitor Center. Soooo windy and not even close to warm. But I like the views…so we hiked the Alpine Ridge Trail. The trailhead is right off the Trail Ridge Road which is the highest road in any of the National Parks. The trail itself isn’t long…it’s just over half a mile, but it is a steep climb up 220 or so stairs. The trail ends at 12,000 feet. It was so windy the day we went that we kept expecting to get blown off the trail. It was a pain going up…but it totally made the trip down faster.

The view at the top was spectacular! There were mountains in every direction.

On a different day, we would have stuck around and really taken in the view…maybe even picnicked up there, but the warmth of our car was beckoning to us. So, we looked as long as we could withstand the cold and wind then raced back down the trail to get warmed up.

The aspens were showing off their colors. We found this gorgeous grove along the Trail Ridge Road. Fall colors are some of my favorite colors. I spent a good portion of our time here trying to find some fall foliage.

We were in Colorado three whole weeks. We’ve changed our plans for our next loop so we can spend more time in Colorado. For the first time…in 49 states…we’ve found a state that gives our love of Texas (our home state) a run for its money.

Colorado, we will be back.

See y’all down the road!

#westernloop2018
State Forty-Nine

State Forty-Nine

By |

Hey Guys! I realize that Colorado was actually the thirty-eighth state to be ratified but, for us, it’s the forty-ninth state we’ve been to! We only spent a week in the Denver area, but we crammed so much into that one week that I’m going to break it up into two different posts.

The Colorado State Capitol Building will be the last SCB we visit for a while. It’s SCB number forty-eight for us even though Colorado is state number forty-nine on our map. If you’ve been with us for a while, you might remember that we missed the Alaska SCB. Planning didn’t work out…it would have cost way more than we wanted to spend for us to lay eyes on a building. So, we skipped it and went on a day cruise instead.

On the first floor of the Colorado SCB the “Women’s Gold” wall hanging celebrates all of the achievements of women in Colorado through its first one hundred years of statehood. The maker of this quilt had a little help though…she had 3,500 people put at least one stitch in the wall hanging.

Colorado Rose Onyx marble from Beulah, CO is so rare that all of the known reserves were used to build the SCB. So, if you ever want to see it in person, you’ll have to visit the Colorado State Capitol Building.

Around the dome is the Colorado “Hall of Fame”. There are sixteen stained glass windows depicting individuals who helped with the growth and development of Colorado.

During the tour, we were able to go up into the dome and out on the little walkway around the dome. Check out that view! Those are the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

Between the third floor of the SCB and the dome, there’s a museum. It’s not a huge museum, but it’s packed with a ton of information about Colorado and the SCB.

They call Denver the “Mile High City” because the SCB sits exactly one mile above sea level.

There are three “mile high” markers on the steps of the SCB. The first one was put on the 15th step in 1909.  After the brass cap was stolen seven times within thirty-eight years the “mile high” was etched into the step itself.  In 1969, some students at the University of Colorado remeasured and found that the first measurement was off a bit and a brass cap was installed on the 18th step. In 2003, measurements were taken again and they found that the “mile high” marker was still off…so, another brass cap was installed on the 13th step. You can see all three steps in the picture above.

The exterior cast iron dome was recently restored and covered in more than sixty-five ounces of pure gold.

While we were in the area, we took the time to go visit Buffalo Bill’s grave and museum.

William F. Cody was born in 1846 on a farm in Iowa. Throughout his life, he embraced the Old West and did everything from herding cattle to riding on the Pony Express to scouting for the Army, but it was his time as a buffalo hunter that scored him the name “Buffalo Bill”. In 1872, Buffalo Bill joined a theater production that would one day become Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.

William Cody was buried on Lookout Mountain in 1917 where he loved the view of the Rocky Mountains.

Not far from where Buffalo Bill is buried, is Genesse Mountain Park where you can see Denver’s buffalo herd. There are a couple of overlooks and a few hiking trails you can use to catch a glimpse of them.

On our last day in town, we snuck in a visit to Dinosaur Ridge.

We missed the tour by like…five minutes. So, we opted to walk it. Well, actually, we walked one part, drove to the other parking lot then walked the other part. We probably ended up walking more this way, but the rain was threatening so we tried to stick close-ish to the car.

Dinosaur Ridge is world famous for its dinosaur tracks and bones. Kind of cool to walk where the dinos once walked.

Dinosaur Ridge is known for the world’s first stegosaurus discovery. While you walk the trail, you can touch actual dinosaur fossils.

It’s called a dinosaur bulge. It’s where a big dino…maybe a brontosaur…steps in soft ground like a river bed or mud and it creates this bulge shape as the ground hardens. We’ve been to 49 states, but this is the first time we’ve taken the time to visit a dinosaur site. I can promise you…it won’t be our last. My little science nerds were in paleontology heaven.

Let’s talk foodies! Y’all know we like our burgers! Check out this jalapeno popper burger. Yum-oh!!

Stay tuned for Denver Part Two!

See y’all down the road!

#westernloop2018
Pizza Roundup Leon Gessi

Pizza Roundup Leon Gessi

By |

To my fellow pizza lovers! I bring to you a post from Colorado Springs, CO.

Leon Gessi is a pretty good pizza place. They have all the sizes of pizza right on the wall so you don’t have to ask!

Leon Gessi has a nice crunchy crust, but it’s also pretty soft. It’s a magical combo!

They have lots of toppings to choose from, jalapenos, sausage, peppers. And if you want them all, just get the Kitchen Sink pizza!

They also have some subs, although I think they could use a little more meat. But the sammich looked really good with the sauce to dip it in. My brother really enjoyed it.

I really liked the décor of Leon Gessi. It feels like a cabin. We ate here after a LOOOONG day of exploration. The pizza was even better after all that hiking!

Leon Gessi will always be a special pizza place for me. It’s where I completed my goal of eating pizza in all drive-able states! That’s 49! With that being said, the speed limit on Pizza Street will slow down a bit. I won’t be doing posts as often, but they’ll still be made! We have had some really good pizza… ehem Potsy… and some not so great pizza… sorry Hometown. But I think that there would be some ups and downs with 49 states worth of pizza, right? Speaking of, I’m giving Leon Gessi a 4.5 star review! Well, I think I’ll…

See y’all next time on…

Pizza Street!!

Written by Nicholas
Our 2018 Year In Review

Our 2018 Year In Review

By |

Hey Guys! Happy New Year’s Eve!!

I thought we’d end the year with a quick post to share some of our favorite memories from this year.

Our year started off…well…not the best. We spent last New Year’s Eve driving through an ice storm to get back to Missouri so Jerl could have eye surgery and our home-on-wheels could get a new engine. It was a stressful start to the year, but it got loads better!

We made it to twenty-one different National Park Units this year! Twenty-one! Two of those were revisits, but nineteen were new for us…so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that seven of our top ten memories for this year are about National Parks.

Let’s start with our honorable mention…Sparky’s Burgers in Hatch, New Mexico just missed our top ten, but we all like it so much we decided it really should at least get an honorable mention! We’d been eyeing Sparky’s for a couple of years now. We found out about it in 2015 while we were in Alamogordo, but didn’t want to drive that far in the time we had in the area. This year, however, we made it! And Guys…it’s so good! We got there right as they were opening and it’s a good thing because when we left, the line was already starting to curve around the block. Alex had to try one of Sparky’s famous green chili shakes. He chose chocolate and raved about it the whole time. I think next time I may have to get one too!

Our number ten spot isn’t a foodie or city or state…it’s not a National or State Park…it’s a view. The Columbia River Gorge from the Portland Women’s Form State Scenic Viewpoint in Corbett, OR was spectacular even though the smoke from some nearby fires was wafting through. We had this entire viewing area to ourselves…well…there was one other person there and he was busy having a conversation with himself…so…yeah. But, that view!

Sequoia Park Zoo comes next. We found this little zoo in Eureka, CA and made time to visit right at the end of a day of exploration. We got there just in time for the red panda feeding and zoo talk. We’ve been to some of the top rated zoos in the country and this little zoo is one of our favorites. Happy animals, clean and big exhibits…what more does a zoo need? What it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in heart.

One of the things we love is a good view and what better place to get a view than atop one of Colorado’s tallest mountains. Pikes Peak is the most expensive mountain we’ve explored…but Guys…that view. When we were there, the summit was torn up for construction of the new Summit House. It’ll be fantastic when it’s done! We just might have to go back and see it completed!

One of the states that Jerl has been looking forward to the most is Colorado. The mountains have called his name for many years so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Rocky Mountain National Park is on our top ten list. We were only able to spend one day exploring this giant park and hope to go back one day to see more of it.

Yosemite National Park is in the number six spot on our top ten list for 2018! We were there right before the busy season, but there were still so many people. The few days we ventured into Yosemite Valley the crowds were insane! It wasn’t our thing…all of the crowds. But, when we drove Glacier Road and Tioga Road…the crowds weren’t nearly as bad and the views were ah-mazing!

One of the places I’d been looking forward to visiting is Redwood National and State Park! These two parks work together to preserve one of the largest tracks of old growth coastal redwoods left in the US. And! There’s Fern Canyon! This canyon has fifty feet walls covered in several types of ferns. It was so fun to wade down the small creek! If traveling isn’t your thing…you can take a look at Fern Canyon without leaving your home…it was used to film parts of Jurassic Park II.

We made it to Oregon right as the burn season was revving up. We could see the smoke from one of the fires at the park we were staying in. We were worried we wouldn’t make it up to Crater Lake National Park due to the fires. I’m so glad we did! Crater Lake is gorgeous! The blue of that water!! There’s a bit of lore that says the blue bird used to be black before it dipped into the waters of Crater Lake.

Olympic National Park rests in the number three spot on our top ten list for this year! This place…Guys, I could totally spend a season or two in this area of Washington. There is so much to love about Olympic National Park! You get beaches, mountain vistas, and forests of moss covered trees to hike through!

This next park is not only in our number two spot, but was the biggest surprise for us. We weren’t entirely sure of what to expect from Kings Canyon National Park, but we loved it! You get the gorgeous tall trees and you get to explore a huge canyon! We somehow ended up taking an old forest service road to get into the park and in doing so drove right through one of the largest groves of redwood old growth left. We had it to ourselves and it was fantastic! The canyon was a total surprise. There are views for days, hikes and waterfalls to explore!

Our number one memory of 2018 is Sequoia National Park! We heart tall trees in a serious way. We can’t get enough of them. We stayed in the Sequoia National Park area for two weeks and we spent every spare minute we could up the mountain, in the park walking amongst the tall trees. I’m already trying to plan our next trip to Sequoia.

We’ve wrapped up our State Tour. Y’all haven’t seen the last few posts about those explorations yet, but they’re coming! We hope that each of you have a wonderful New Year’s Day and a blessed 2019! Thank you for being a part of our crazy nomad journey!

See y’all down the road!