Tag: scenic drive

The Grand Drive – Driving CO

Our stay in Clifton was simply delightful. Right out the back door was a view of the Grand Mesa (which is the largest flat-top mountain in the world) and a view of several other nearby mountains. We were also blessed by eggs benedict for breakfast featuring fresh eggs from the friendly resident chickens.

Our first stop was Black Canyon of the Gunnison. This was highly recommended by my dad (so I don’t ignore all his advice). The park elevation is over 8000 feet and the Gunnison River is over 1800 feet below the top rim. Despite that distance, you can hear the river roaring below. I can only imagine how loud the river is when hiking lower in the canyon. There were lots of birds flying around the canyon, from little purple dippers near the trail to peregrine falcons out patrolling the canyon gorge. I only wish we’d had more time here; I’d love to come back in the future to camp, hike, and see the stars.

As we headed east towards Manitou Springs, we experienced more of the stunning lush mountain views like we witnessed yesterday. Along the way, we encountered construction on Highway 50. For five miles, we experienced a one lane, hard pack gravel road where we got to see the incredible work that goes into roads that endure harsh winters, flooding runoffs, and rock slides that take roads out with one drop. You should’ve seen Thom’s face when we saw the sign that said “pavement ends”–nothing like off-roading with the Mustang.

While we waited our turn for the one lane section, we got to witness the wild Colorado weather. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a few clouds, but then we watched a big cloud in the distance moving our way and you could see it snowing up high, then raining as it moved towards us and then over us. The temperature dropped from 65 to 48 in a matter of minutes and then we got pea-sized hail for a good five minutes before it turned back to rain…and then the cloud was gone. Ah, the poor car today!

Part of the drive took us around Blue Mesa Reservoir, which looked almost like the ocean with the wind blowing the water into whitecaps and waves. We were going to have a picnic lunch in this beautiful stretch, but it was 45 degrees and the wind was howling. Rain was moving back in and blowing sideways. So, we went to McD’s in Gunnison for Happy Meals & Guardian of the Galaxy toys, but sadly we got the old swap-a-roo and ended up with a Scuttle from the new Little Mermaid. Hmph

The drive along Highway 50, aka the Loneliest Road, was beautiful from Black Canyon onward. I was so mesmerized that I didn’t really take many pictures and just stared out the window as the miles ticked by. After the drive around the expansive reservoir, we went over the continental divide and around Monarch Mountain, in all it’s snow-dotted beauty at 11,300 feet. As we approached the Rockies, we turned on Co 285, which ran right between the snowy Sawatch mountain range and the Rocky mountain range. We were surrounded by majestic mountains as far as the eyes could see, before crossing the Rockies.

After we checked into our B&B in Manitou Springs, we headed over to Castle Rock (the picture explains the name of the town). We were able to meet up with our niece that lives in Denver, who we haven’t seen in years. We had a delightful dinner at a quaint home-cooking place called the Castle Cafe.

The Grand Drive – Heading North

We left our cute little cabin near the North Rim and hit the road. We drove along the Vermillion Cliffs, through Marble Canyon, across the Colorado River, along Echo Cliffs, and through the Navajo Nation. It was a beautiful ride, especially with the morning fog and the pops of sun as we came out of the canyons.

Our first stop was Monument Valley. It’s so bizarre to see all these individual outcroppings (as opposed to the long canyon walls we’ve been seeing). We only enjoyed the sites around the valley. We didn’t take the 17 mile backcountry drive (gravel and sandy road) as that would be a painful drive for me & the Mustang.

Looking at giant monuments made us hungry, so we found a lunch spot where we could try the much anticipated Navajo taco (aka fry bread taco). This was the best thing I’ve ever eaten! Thom went with a burger in blue corn fry bread with green chili, and it was also delicious. We need fry bread tacos back home!! With full stomachs, we continued onto the next stop.

I don’t often ignore advice my dad gives me, but today I had to go rogue for just a few minutes. We simply had to stop at the tourist trap of the Four Corners. We’ve actually been to all four states (since Monument Valley was in Utah), but that’s not the point. I just can’t resist the cheesy experience of existing in four states at once. And don’t message me about how the lines aren’t quite right…I know all that but choose to be blissfully ignorant.

Next up was a scenic drive through western Colorado. We took the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic Byway up to Gateway and almost all the way to Clifton, where our B&B was located. The canyon walls, plateaus, mesas, buttes, and spires continued (as we’d seen in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah). I didn’t realize, before taking this trip, that this whole region was the Colorado Plateau and would have such common features. However, each area had it’s own nuances and beauty. We went through a section with lots of pink mesa, and it was cool to see that the bottom of the clouds were reflecting that pink. We entered a large area called Disappointment Valley, which was such a misnomer–we were surrounded by stunning geology as far as the eye could see! Pretty soon we realized this road was following alongside the curves of the San Miguel River. Turn after turn, we marveled at the sights, watching as the land and walls became more and more lush. We had the road nearly to ourselves, but did have to be careful, as there were cows just hanging out in the road several times. (Side note: we saw cows grazing right on the edge of cliffs. How often does a cow just fall off the cliff???) While there are lots of scenic routes I haven’t taken, I’ve been on quite a few, and I’d have to say this is the most beautiful road I’ve ever traveled.

Let the Grand Drive Begin

On New Year’s Day, sitting around my mom’s table, the predictable question went around: “What’s everyone’s plans for 2023?” Thom quickly piped up and proclaimed that he was taking his woman to see the Grand Canyon. This was news to me, but thus the journey began.

I originally had a big “Out West” road trip planned for summer 2020. The kids and I were going to camp across the West for nearly a month, and Thom was going to meet us for part of it. As with many things in 2020, that trip fell apart. Since that time, the Galloway kids have scattered and it’s quite tricky to get us all in one place for a weekend, much less a month. So, I had mentally given up on this trip ever happening. Thom is full of surprises though and often seems to know my inner thoughts that even I don’t know. He decided to make it happen and stated it in front of others, knowing that would keep me from justifying any postponement of the trip (due to money, time, or not being able to do the trip with the kids).

Over the course of the last few months, we’ve gone from idea to loose planning to booking plans. Thom even got me a giant atlas for the planning (as he knows I love a good map). We added Pike’s Peak to the top goal along with the Grand Canyon. We knew we had a max 10 days available and just filled in the schedule with other cool spots to visit and scenic roads to drive.

Today took us from Kennesaw to Ozark, Arkansas (five states in one day!). The first stretch of road was filled with me doing my nails since I ran out of time before the trip but wanted to look my best on this long date. (Shout out to Stephanie Ann Jones and her Color Street Nails. There’s no way I could do my nails in the car otherwise.)

We had some scenic roads in North Georgia, raced a train in Alabama, and crossed the Tennessee River on the way to a new-to-me Buc-ee’s in Athens, AL. Buc-ee’s to Memphis was the Bee Line Highway, aptly named as it was a straight line between the two. There wasn’t much but corn fields and then this weird place in Mississippi called an Attendance Center (that looked like an old prison with a playground out front). Apparently that’s a school??

Our Memphis stop was at a place called Central BBQ. The decor was a fun picnic vibe but with lots of music art. They had Memphis soul music keeping things lively as well. We sampled each others meals and I can say the classic Memphis rubs were awesome; it was some of the most flavorful BBQ I’ve ever had.

We left lunch, passing the Memphis Pyramid and crossing the wide waters of the Mississippi River. (Side note-I failed to blog about my quick trip through the midwest in 2021. We went to the Memphis Pyramid and it was super fun.) We settled in for a few hours along I-40 with an episode of History of Rock Music in 500 Songs. While technically the episode was about the Byrds, there was a lot of discussion of jazz, bebop, and soul–seemed extra fitting for our Memphis visit.

Once we got out of Memphis, we finally escaped the haze coming from the Canadian fires, but quickly entered gloomy clouds and occasional rain. Despite the dreary weather, we pulled off I-40 just east of Clarksville (which randomly happens to be a nuclear evacuation route…good to know?). We also passed Ozone Burgers, which Thom aptly named the Stabbing Shack–it was a run-down building surrounded by these weird creepy trees that were black and had leafless branches reaching straight upward, so like something out of a horror movie (and we never saw trees like this again on the drive). Anyway… we took the Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway up into the Ozark Mountains and then cut west to take the Pig Tail Scenic Highway back south to I-40. We had no GPS signal and were warned with multiple signs that the road was “Very Crooked & Steep”, but that’s the kind of road we love. However, it was raining lightly most of the drive. While wet roads aren’t as much fun, we drove in and out of the clouds in the mountains and through lush forest regions…and we had the road to ourselves. It was a different experience that we expected, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful.

We ended the day in Ozark with dinner at the Hillbilly Hideout (weird location but great food) and a sufficient hotel. The sign says “Luxury Accommodation” but I think that was put up in the 60s. All in all, it was a long, good day. We moved about 700 miles in 14 hours (including all the stops). Time to hit the hay and start a new journey tomorrow!

Travel America – Hit the Road

It’s been almost eight years since our last road trip, and I’ve been itching to hit the road again ever since. After much debate, we decided to visit our nation’s capitol and see what we could of the northeast. Over the last few months, we amassed gift cards, maps, Groupon deals, and reservations. Between end-of-school and beginning-of-summer activities, we got packed and ready to go. Of course, you know what they say about the best-laid plans…

 

We had a great plan to leave from marching band kickoff, pick up Thom (who would be home from work), and hit the road Friday night. However, Thom’s employer had other plans—they scheduled a late job that ended up falling apart in most every way.  Let’s just say it included equipment that wouldn’t fit through a door, electrical outlets that weren’t powered, and some ensuing chaos. He finally made it home and we hit the road when we should’ve been hitting the pillow.

 

Luckily, our first stop was my parents’ place in Sky Valley and they had everything ready for us to just roll into the bed. The next morning came way too early, but we enjoyed a mountain breakfast before heading out. We headed along the Nantahala River first, into Cherokee NC, and just had to take a picture with one of the (many) kitschy painted black bears. We chose a patriotic bear since that seemed to fit the theme of our trip.

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From Cherokee, we hit the beginning of the Blue Ridge Parkway. While we only took the BRP from Cherokee to Asheville, it was an amazing drive. There were more scenic overlooks than we could count, with each one seemingly more beautiful than the last. We did count sixteen tunnels along the way, which was a surprising bonus. We saw wild turkeys along the side of the road, a multitude of birds soaring at great heights, and tons of colorful blooms (including mountain laurel, rhododendron, and an unknown misty blue flower). It was the perfect day with a mix of sun and clouds (except for one brief shower) and temps in the upper 60s. We rode with the sunroof open and the windows down, enjoying the nice breeze and the smells of the mountain.

 

After Asheville, we got serious about getting to our final destination and hopped off the BRP and onto the big roads. Eastern North Carolina was, unfortunately, just as I recalled—filled with construction. As we entered Virginia, everyone was intrigued by the signs “speed is enforced by aircraft,” and we wondered how the aircraft would pull you over.  😉  The only unusual site in Virginia was a giant cigarette in front of the Marlboro plant.  We had a few mishaps finding a good dinner spot (one place had bad reviews in the location near us, and another placed was closed two hours before the posted closing time)…so we landed at the predictable but good Olive Garden.

 

From there it was smooth sailing to our hotel, where we promptly unpacked and rested up for the first phase of our adventure. It was a great first day (or day plus) of our travels, with everyone enjoying the time in the car through sightseeing, reading, coloring (Lizzy), movies (Brandon), and music. As always, our music was varied and included Nine Inch Nails, Journey, Soul Coughing, Foo Fighters, Front 242, Jim Croce, Michael Jackson, and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin.

Reflections: While you obviously have my perspective, I wanted to share the takeaways from the rest of the fam. Here’s everyone else’s fav memories from the day–Brandon loved our roadside picnic towards the end of the BRP, Lizzy loved the magnitude of the overlooks, Alex enjoyed going through the tunnels (especially when one car in our “line” set their car alarm off each time to hear the echos), and Thom felt like he would forever see the mountain views and feel the windows down when listening to Pretty Hate Machine in the future (it was just one of those moments that will forever be with you).