To recap, we left Arizona as soon as possible. Nate worked a 12 hour shift and I had everything cleaned and packed. We loaded up the car, filled up with gas, and headed north. I drove from Scottsdale to Winslow, AZ that night. We decided to spend the night in the quaint Route 66 town of Winslow. According to TripAdvisor, there were only 12 attractions, the most popular being "Standing on the Corner in Winslow, AZ". We made sure to stop and listen to an Eagles tune or two before we left Arizona behind.
As we headed northeastward, we continued out of Arizona and into New Mexico. We had to stop at the Petrified Forest National Park. We did several small hikes to look at the old petrified trees and were even fortunate to take part in a naturalist program. We were also able to observe the Painted Desert in the distance.
Right before the park entrance, Nate spied a very large bird on a power pole. It was so big that he turned around and pulled over to view it better. Golden Eagle! It stared right back at us and after two minutes it stretched its large wings and with several large motions, it was gone!
We continued into New Mexico, through the Navajo lands and turned north to enter Colorado via Durango. We have stopped in Durango before, but it is such a likable city we had to go back. We walked the main street area and visited a cafe for some warm beverages to sip while we perused the many outdoor gear stores, galleries, and homes posted for sale in the area. We had dinner at an Irish Pub and then continued on Hwy 160 east to Pagosa Springs and Alamosa. It would've been nice to check out Pagosa Springs, however we needed to push on to see some special people in Colorado :)
From Alamosa, east to I-25 we ran into some interesting weather. It was a bit chilly however the day started out sunny. As we crossed over several mountains,the weather grew cloudy and snowing. The trees were dusted with frost, the roads were a bit wet, and the clouds were very low. Here are some neat pictures I was able to capture while Nate was driving.
There really isn't anything exciting along I-25 except the view of the mountains in the distance. We made it to the Denver area to meet our lunch dates!
After several days visiting family, it was time to push on and head home. We drove north to Fort Collins (too early for a brewery tour). We continued into Wyoming and saw many pronghorn on our way to Devil's Tower National Monument. We made it there just after the visitor closed, lucky for us they don't close the entire park. We hiked around the tower, saw many mule deer running around and prairie dogs poking their heads up from their complex system of tunnels in which they live.
We kept going still to the Black Hills, South Dakota. A night in Deadwood, SD sounded like a great place to end the day. We found Cadillac Jacks Gaming Casino and Resort for the night, since it was offseason we got a great rate! We got a few funny looks walking a dog through the casino to the elevator, but he was welcome. No worries!
The next day we woke in our resort hotel and set out for a tour of the Black Hills. It had been several years since either of us had been here, however our memories were sharp. We took the scenic drive through the Black Hills and stopped at Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park. We were hoping to do several cave tours, however the ranger at Jewel Cave called in so we were limited to one tour at Wind Cave.
Our guide for the tour in Wind Cave was great. He has been working there for many years and was park of several cave discovery excursions. Wind Cave is the 8th National Park to be declared and was signed by Teddy Roosevelt and is the first area to protest a cave. It's name comes from whistling wind coming from a hole in a rock. This led to the cave entrance and is handy when looking for a way out. Whichever way the wind is blowing, it the right way to go! Wind Cave is known for boxwork calite and cave popcorn, see below for pictures.
We ventured through Custer State Park and drove the pigtails highway out of the Black Hills. We observed Mount Rushmore from a distance, but neither of us felt like we needed to visit again. We stopped for a quick bite to eat and then it was on to the Badlands!
Each time I visit the Badlands, I am in awe of how magnificent they truly area. I have visited three times now, I always wish I had more time to explore but always appreciate what is there.
We drove from the Badlands straight to Grafton, through the night. I drove as long as I could and then Nate did the same. We rolled into Milwaukee about 7:00am, right in time for morning traffic! We hauled it a little north and slept the rest of the day.
Although our trip back is not as exciting as some of our other road trips, we were happy to see family and get home. We will be in Wisconsin for a few months now, but stayed tuned to my blog.
We traveled to 27 National Parks and Monuments in 10 states over the course of 7 months. A new adventure awaits every day and I hope to continue to snap more pictures, explore new places, and visit old favorites. Hope to see you soon!
