Adventures with Cindy

Vegas was a blast, there was so much to do and see that we have already decided we have to go back.  
We left out and headed north, through Utah.  We made stops along the way but we were accompanied by rain the whole way.  Zion National Park was out first stop.

   
    
    
    
    
 
We then headed toward Bryce Canyon not sure how far in we would be able to go.  We made it to Red Canyon and decided due to the rain to not go any further in that direction since it was out of the way and get back on the planned route.  

   
    
 We drove all day. I did take a few pictures out the window as we went.  The sun set around 6:30 and we were still a ways from Grand Junction, our planned destination.  We pressed on but I gave Greg a hard time about all the pretty scenery and landscapes that I was sure was out there in the pitch dark.  We stopped at a truck stop (see a pattern here?  we know where the good food is) West Winds in Green River, Utah.  Service was spot on, she almost sat down and talked to us while we ate.  Not much business in Green River at 7:30 at night.  

We crossed the Colorado state line at 8:30 and finally made it to Grand Junction and to the Grand Vista Inn at 9:30.  I have tried to stay away from chain restaurants and hotels.  I wanted to be able to experience down home America from the home town point of view.  Grand Vista was a very good find.  Clean, quiet and comfortable .  My must haves in a hotel.   Exhausted we crashed and crashed hard.  But only for a short time, because Greg wanted to get on the road early to get to Colorado Springs with the intention of riding the Train to Pike’s Peak.

   
   
6 AM came early and it was still sprinkling.  This could make for another Fun day.

We traveled up the road to Parachute, Colorado before we stopped for breakfast.  Guess where?  A truck stop!  The resturant was Shommy’s not to be confused with Shoney’s.  But it was a very good home made breakfast with wonderful coffee and a view too.  

  According to the waitress the first snow fall of the season occurred last night and was dusting the trees and covered the tops of the mountains.  It was beautiful.   

 The further north we went the more covered everything was and the temp kept dropping.  At one point in the mountains it was 28 degrees and snow was everywhere. I took as many pictures as I could without totally freezing us out because I had to roll down the window.  The speed limit is 80 mph!  I think this is too fast, especially on winding roads and rain.  And when you are hanging out the window trying to take pictures , it’s kind of scarey.  We did make a couple of stops along the way and I was really able to get some good pictures. 

    
 One of the problems with not making reservations and plans to far in advance is that you may not get to do what you want.  We were disappointed that the train was sold out but it was raining so it may have been a blessing. Not to be detoured we still headed to Colorado Springs.  Due to the snow, rain and heavy fog we didn’t get to do Pike’s Peak but we did go to the Garden of the Gods and Seven Falls.  Both are not as well known as Pike’s Peak but equally worth the visit.  The sun tried to peak out a couple of times while we were at the Garden, warming us up a bit as we walked through it.  Jackets and hats were definitely needed.   

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 We have relied heavily on the GPS and this time we put the destination of home in.  So far we have traveled 2594 miles and we have a way to go to get home. After the all day trip until 9:30 last night we both promised each other to stop driving when it started getting dark.    

 Dusk found us in Limon, Colorado so that is where we stopped.  I have used the app Hotels.com to find and book rooms as we go.  This has proved to be very useful.  I also had internet connected for one month in my jeep so I could use my laptop and ipad on the road.   So I picked what was available and went with Limon Comfort Inn.  Very pleased – quiet, clean, and very comfortable.
   
   

Checked in and hungry, we set out to find a good place to eat.  Greg found a local dive that had rave reviews.  Southside Food and Drink.  We fell in love with this place, the people and atmosphere was great.  It was packed, so oviously the locals love it too.  The food and drinks were very good.  The people that sat around us were friendly, with lively conversations.  If you ever find yourself in Limon, Colorado go down Main Street and find Southside.