Category: National Parks and Monuments

  • We had seen some petroglyphs at the Swelter Shelter site, but there are many more in the park. Looking at these on the east side of the Green River off Cub Creek Road, we definitely understand why this art evokes the idea of alien visits. The first set was easy to get to and they…

  • After leaving the quarry, we only had time to take a scenic drive up Cub Creek Road. You can see the layers undulating through the hills. The park is huge and there is much more to see, but this road was a good choice for a day trip because it had a variety of features…

  • (This post refers to a trip we took in September.) Picking only a few photos from Dinosaur National Monument is a difficult task. We got there reasonably early in the morning, and when Sandy presented his ID with his credit card to the ranger for the entry fee, he was informed that he could get…

  • (This post refers to a September trip to Colorado, written much later.) The next day we set out for Dinosaur National Monument, which spans the Colorado/Utah border. The visitor center and the quarry exhibit were on the Utah side so we aimed for the western entrance in Utah, a state that we had not visited…

  • (This post refers to our Colorado trip in September.) On Wednesday, Sandy and I set out on our own road trip. We stopped in Estes Park where we wasted too much time and money. (In my opinion, anyway, Sandy is the shopper in the family. I am all about getting a refrigerator magnet or a…

  • On Monday Pam ran errands so we hopped into our rented baby blue Beetle and headed north up the Pacific Coast Highway to Astoria. I like to visit any national parks nearby when I travel so we went to Fort Clatsop at Lewis and Clark National Park, and had a nice walk under the huge…

  • After conquering my fear of heights at the City Museum, I decided to do what I had sworn I would not do. We went up in the Gateway Arch. You get a phobia two-fer at the Arch, because you ride up inside it in a little pod that seats five people. Fortunately I do not…

  • My art retreat was over on Sunday, September 23. After saying my goodbyes to Albie and Ricë, I slipped away while the others were in their Sunday workshops, with a bit of envy. But not too much, because I was about to spend the rest of my day with my fabulous friend Cat, who moved…

  • We greatly underestimated the beautiful uniqueness and fun of the Great Sand Dunes National Park, but it is probably a good thing. If we had stopped there on the way to Mesa Verde as we originally planned, we might not have made it across the state. As it happened, now we know of a really…

  • Tower House There are so many great photos that we took in Mesa Verde National Park. Not only are the ancient cliff dwellings fascinating, but the entire park is beautiful. Even the large area that was burnt by a wildfire in 2003 is bursting with wildflowers. It is difficult to pick only a few photos…