Moab, Utah: Arches National Park

Utah is beautiful.  We traveled along I-70 from Grand Junction, Colorado into the desolate western part of Colorado and then into Utah.

We traveled through some very ruggedly beautiful landscape and then came into the town of Moab, UT.  A very busy place, with shopping and many, many hotels and campgrounds.  The town is in the center of the beautiful rock formations that are part of Arches National Park.

Tomorrow, we visit Canyonlands National Park

Grand Junction, CO

We made it!  We got through Multiple 6+% downhill and uphill grades, countless construction projects, and paying attention to the road while driving through the Mountains Majesty.  Now we only have Utah ahead of us.

We are now in Grand Junction, Colorado.  Where the Transcontinental Railroads met.  Where two major rivers converge.  No wonder they called it Grand Junction.  We are staying at the local Elks Lodge for the night.  Electric only, but tomorrow we will be in a full-service campground for 3 days as we travel around Moab, UT.

Also, just outside of Grand Junction is a secret gem.  The Colorado National Monument!  A beautiful National Park Service facility.

Colorado Rocky Mountain Campground

On Tuesday, May 29, 2018, we booked a one day stay in the heart of the Rocky Mountains at a National Forest Campground that provides water and electric and has sites big enough to accommodate our RV.  The campground is in Frisco Colorado near the Breckenridge Ski Resort and right on Dillon Reservoir.  We are high in the Rockies and the temperature is a mild 52 degrees.  This is a beautiful place and very affordable with our National Parks Senior Pass.

Check out the snow covered peaks in the background.

The trip here involved going through two tunnels dug through the mountains and then descending a 6% grade for over 6 miles.   Not a problem for your typical car, but for a gas powered Motorhome towing a car behind it, it was a white-knuckle experience.

Colorado Springs, CO

Colorado Springs is located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains next to Pikes Peak with an elevation of 14,115 feet.  It also has a rock formation in the foothills called the Garden of the Gods, which is very beautiful.  If not enough, Colorado Springs also is the home to the U.S. Air Force Academy.

We again stayed at the local Elks Lodge which has a 13 site campground and on-site sanitary dump, again for only $20.00 per night.  Since there was so much to see here, we decided to stay for four nights.

Garden of the Gods

Pikes Peak

Las Vegas, (not the Nevada Place)

Las Vegas, New Mexico, not the Nevada place, afforded us an overnight stay at yet another Elks Lodge.  this Lodge provides full Hook-ups for a donation of only $20.00 per night.  Although there wasn't much to see in the town, the local people were very proud of their town and told us of its popularity with filmmakers to use as a backdrop to many westerns.  We are located in the Pecos along the Santa Fe Trail.

Santa Fe and Taos, NM

Santa Fe, NM is a beautiful city with many artistic and cultural sites to take in.  The Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi, Loretto Chapel, and the Native American Marketplace are very interesting sites.  Santa Fe is the Capitol of New Mexico, but the city does not give you that impression.
Since an ordinance to keep all buildings lower than the height of the Cathedral, the Capitol has no dome, only a layout that symbolizes the emblem of New Mexico and the Sacred Native American symbol of four rays from four points emanating from a center circle.

Cathedral  of St. Francis of Assisi

The Loretto Chapel

It is a mystery or miracle as to how this spiral staircase was built without any visible support.

The Native American Artists enter a lottery each day for a space in the Santa Fe Plaza to be able to sell their artistry.

Some of the other images of Taos.

Where we stayed at the Elks Lodge in Santa Fe, NM

A Kokopelli sculpture on a veranda

A tribute to all the American Indian Tribes which no longer exist in the U.S.

Rock, Paper, Scissors sculpture

Taos Pueblo, NM:  The oldest community of continuous inhabitants in the U.S.

Albuquerque, NM (Part II)

We decided to see the City from a very high vantage point.  The Sandia Peak Tramway.
We got a good perspective of the size o the City from the highest point around.