Kansas

We left Kansas very early this morning after a week and a half with friends. 

We enjoyed our visit but sadly had to change our plans to go back east after the sudden passing of a dear friend. 

Thank you Sarah and Adam for opening your home. We had a great time. 

See y'all soon! 

Mesa Verde

I continue to be amazed by the places we visit. Mesa Verde is so special and we are already planning our next trip back. 

It began to snow as we drove into the park. The higher we got the more intense it became, then suddenly the snow ceased and we where in the desert again. 

A few of the famous dwelling tours are closed for winter, but we were able to view them from a few feet away. 

We were able to go on a ranger guided tour of Spruce Tree House, one of the most well preserved dwellings in the region. 

After visiting the museum and watching a video about the history of the ancient puebloan peoples who once called Mesa Verde home, we hiked down with a Ranger Terrapin to the site. 

Begin able to walk through the dwelling and go down into a kiva ( underground circular room used for ceremonies) was incredible. 

It's amazing the work and ingenuity that went into creating these structures. 

Entrance to a kiva

    

Four Corners and much more..

We said goodbye to our new friends in Moab and headed south to Utah's first National Monument Natural Bridges. The three bridges that make up the monument are tucked in the twisting canyons of south eastern Utah. We learned that bridges are simple arches formed by a river flowing instead of rain and wind, like those at Arches National Park.
East of Natural Bridges on the Utah/Colorado boarder is the Hovenweep National Monument. This remote monument is the home of  several ancient Puebloan structures dating back over 10,000 years.
Up next we crossed into Colorado and then New Mexico to 4 Corners. We had fun taking photos and reenacting shots from the popular show Breaking Bad. We lucked out and were able to meet some of the Navajo people who run the monument, including a painter whom we purchased a hand painted ornament.

In other news, we found bens wedding band! We thought he'd lost it in the Mojave Desert. Turns out it was in the car the entire time,hidden under a few boxes. 

Park City

We just spent two wonderful days in Park City Utah. 

I've always wanted to visit, being that it's a famous town for many reason, world class skiing, the Olympics and the Sundance film festival,to name a few. Park city is pretty diverse with a great art scene and a mix of people. 

I knew Ben would love it too! Warm summers and beautiful winters offer year round outdoor fun and it's central location adds to the appeal. 

Ben surprised me with a stay at the luxurious Hotel Park City. We relaxed in our suite, cruised around town and enjoyed the snow that turned the quaint town into a winter wonderland overnight. 

Joshua Tree

Yesterday we drove from San Diego to Joshua Tree National Park. 

We got there on the late afternoon so we quickly found a camp site and set up. 

We lucked out and got a sweet spot on the busy Holiday weekend. 

The Mojave Desert is beautiful this time of year, it was in the 70's most of the day. We did a quick hike before cooking dinner. After eating Ben realized he lost his wedding band. We have no idea how it came off or where it ended up. We looked in the dark, searching with our flash lights and again in the morning. We are both pretty bummed about it. 

This morning we drove the rest of the park stopping to see the famous trees and giant bolders. 

Skull Rock

Tonight we are in Vegas.... More on that later.

SoCal

We are currently in San Diego spending some long overdue time with family.
Its been so nice to relax and take some down time. The past few weeks we've been on the move, going from one destination to the next. At times it feels like we've been traveling for months instead of weeks.  I finally took the time to download all my photos and boy, have we seen ALOT!
We feel so blessed to have this opportunity to travel and take our time discovering the country. We have met so many wonderful people and have been humbled by the generosity of others.
I feel inspired!

Trial Run

On Monday we left with our car fully loaded and headed for Canada. 

We stopped in Concrete, Washington a small town just before North Cascade National Park for lunch. We talked and discovered we both had a feeling that we should not go to Canada. 

Instead we drove through the park, stopped to take pictures, helped a family with a flat tire and headed east. 

We drove to the small cowboy town of Whinthrop, where we found an RV park. 

It was nice and there were deer walking around the grounds. We cooked, made a fire, everything was going great. 

About an hour or so after we went to bed ( in the back of the car) we both woke. 

It was stuffy and cramped. It's hard to describe how I felt other than claustrophobic. 

We talked about options and finally after laughing A lot, we left at midnight. 

We drove all night through central Wasington to Seattle. 

Outcome. We will not be sleeping in our car. We've regrouped and downsized. 

We got rid of half the things we had previously brought and bought a tent instead. 

We are compromising, a day here and there camping and the rest spent with friends/family or hotels. 

Today we are headed to the Olympic Peninsula.