Road-trip 2014, Days 12 – 15
…or an alternate travel slogan… “Enter a Higher State”
Leaving the Salt Lake City area, we opted once again to take the backroads, including an only-recently-paved road through Big Cotton Canyon. It was a gorgeous beginning to our drive. We paused in Midway, UT for a bite of breakfast and by early afternoon were passing into Colorado. After a quick stop at the welcome center in Dinosaur, CO, we dropped south on a scenic drive headed for Colorado National Monument where we had a nice late afternoon visit.
We drove a loop through the park, stopped to do a couple of short hikes and managed to spot some pretty trusting wildlife, including one of the most colorful and patient lizards I’ve seen in a long time.
After an overnight in Grand Junction, we hopped on I 70 to make our way across western Colorado. Independence Pass in the Rocky Mountains was our next stop. At 12,095 ft, it’s said to be the highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide in the United States. More snow on the ground, and wildflowers as well. As we neared the Denver area, headed for Castle Rock to the south where my youngest brother and his crew live now, we decided to forego Denver and Colorado Springs and take a backroad into the western part of Castle Rock. Who knew that SR67 would turn to dirt part way. It a beautiful stretch though, which we later learned is a favorite mountain biking spot of my brother’s.
We had a great visit in Castle Rock, including hikes in the immediate area, a visit to Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs (a beautiful area, but my midday photos weren’t too impressive), and lots of time with my nieces, nephews and their new puppy.
From Colorado, we headed back through the Midwest, spending several days each in Indiana with Mom and in Ohio with many of our dear friends. Not much for wildlife at these stops except for the absolutely adorable feral kittens who took up residence on Mom’s side porch a couple of days before our arrival and were still there when we left. Of course she/we were feeding them. I named them Tic and Tac, and would have kept them myself if we still lived on dirt, but they’ve since been adopted and renamed by a couple who are proven capable pet parents.
All in all, Roadtrip 2014 took us 5505 miles, in 25 days through 15 different states (where we slept in 13 different beds) and 3 time zones. It was a fantastic trip, great to visit family and friends and explore some new places. But Cheshire (and a long list of boat chores) awaits, so back to North Carolina we go.
What a great adventure, lovely scenery, cool critters and I love those feral kittens! Glad to hear that they went to a good home!