The Southwestern United States
December 26, 2001 - January 2, 2002
A trip with the Lyons ladies (Karen and her mom Joetta) to reach a wedding in Denver and to take in some sights along the way.
December 26th. We started our drive in Lompoc, California and ended up for the night in Kingman City, Arizona. Highlights of the day were following a bit of the historic Route 66 in Barstow and viewing London Bridge in the evening lights of Lake Havasu City.
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| Meteor Crater |
December 27th. We had plenty of highlights this day—the Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest National Park, the Navajo Nation, the Four Corners, a far off view of Monument Valley and Ship Rock, and dinner at La Placita in downtown Albuquerque where they have a tree growing from the inside up through the roof. We spent the night somewhere east of Albuquerque on I-40.
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| Petrified Wood at Petrified Forest National Park |
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| The Four Corners of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah |
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| A distant view of Ship Rock |
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| Royal Gorge from Above |
December 28th. This was a personal day for Joetta as we drove to Clovis, New Mexico for a visit with an old family friend from their days (before Karen) at Cannon Air Force Base. Then it was a long drive to Canon City, Colorado's prison city, where we spent the night at a historic hotel.
December 29th. We reached our first destination, Colorado Springs. Before we got there, we checked out the Royal Gorge, a suggestion by this geographer. Late in the day and in the early evening, Karen and I visited a couple of the many attractions in Colorado Spring including the Garden of the Gods and Seven Falls.
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| Royal Gorge from Below |
December 30th. While Joetta visited friends in Colorado Springs, Karen and I explored. But it was a cold day for exploration. The high for the day was 17 degrees Fahrenheit. We visited the Air Force Academy and the US Olympic Training Center (well, the outside at least) in Colorado Springs, and then headed up into the Rocky Mountains. We hoped to stay the night in Cripple Creek, but there were not many vacancies and the Greyhound Bed and Breakfast did not entice us. We left Cripple Creek, but I do not remember where we stayed that night.
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| The Cadet Chapel at the US Air Force Academy |
December 31st. A quick drive up to Denver for the wedding. The wedding was planned just before midnight and the New Year. We had the day so we had lunch in Boulder and visited our high school classmate Erin. Then it was off to the wedding of Brie, another high school classmate. This is one of those times where I know exactly where I was when the calendar passed from 2001 to 2002.
January 1st. Our return trip was to Reno, Nevada, and we had two full days to get there. Driving through the Rocky Mountains in the middle of winter is a risk, but we were able to avoid a winter storm, and the closing of the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70, by a couple of hours. Our treat for the day was Arches National Park near Moab, Utah, and our stop for the night was Cedar City, Utah.
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| Near the entrance to Arches National Park |
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| The North Window |
January 2nd. The last day of our trip included a tour of the Lehman Caves in Great Basin National Park and a drive along US 50, The Loneliest Road in America.
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| Lehman Caves |
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