Road Trip to North and Mid West (April 19 – 29, 2006)
Day 1 - April 19, 2006 Tampa to Denver, Colorado
Six o’clock in the morning, our flight from Tampa International Airport to Denver, Colorado. We Arrived in Denver around 10:00 am, rode a shuttle from the airport to Budget rental car. Our plan for the rental was for me to help drive but they didn’t allow me because I am not 25 years old to be included in the insurance. So I can’t drive for the whole trip. Driving is out and I will be the in charge for the GPS which is I would love to. The weather in Colorado is a bit colder than I expected. I only brought one jacket, thinking it wouldn’t be that cold anymore (Hello it’s spring time) but I was definitely wrong.
We are ready to hit the road at 1:00 pm. I got my GPS ready too. Our plan was to go to John Denver Sanctuary, Buffalo Bill’s Gravesite and Molly Brown Museum. I put the three addresses in my GPS and Molly Brown Museum is out of the way from where the other two so we decided not to go to the museum. Instead we drove towards Golden where Buffalo Bill’s Gravesite. I don’t know much about him so it doesn’t excite me much.
After we saw his gravesite we drove down towards Aspen. As I was looking for the roads going to Aspen I noticed that there’s only one road (US 82) that goes in and out of the city and it’s unbelievable. We took US 82 from the bottom and guess what happened, the road was closed and we are only 25 miles from where we’re going. We screwed up. We have no choice but to drive back and take the interstate. The thing is we flew to Denver to see John Denver Sanctuary and we can’t leave without seeing it. So we have to find another route, took US 82 again from the I-70 but we have to ask somebody if the road is not close. The cop said it is open all the way to Aspen. It was getting late so we stayed in a hotel at Glenwood Springs.
Photos
Buffalo Bill:
http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=6748&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Day 2 – April 20, 2006 – Aspen, Colorado to Arches National Park, Utah
In the morning we noticed that in the back of the hotel they have a ski lift. We were curious so we have to know what’s going on. The guy said the ski lift will bring us to a cave and as what we saw in the brochure it’s beautiful. Going back to our plan but still thinking about it since we have to come back up so we can actually do it on our way back if we have enough time. We reached John Denver Sanctuary around 10:30 am. The place is not big but seeing the lyrics of the songs in the rocks is really pretty and the place is so relaxing. Aspen is really cool but it is so expensive.
Our plan now is to stop at the Glenwood Caverns and we will do it. We got there around 1:00 pm. He made us think when he said the next tour is 1:30 pm. We are discussing whether to do it or not because we don’t want to miss Arches in the sunset. Finally we made up our mind and we decided to do it. The chair lift ride was part exciting and part scary but I am not afraid of height at all so it’s cool. While waiting for the tour to the cave we decided to go in the interactive roller coaster located in the mountain, isn’t it cool? Definitely is. My first roller coaster in the mountain and it is interactive. It was awesome and would love to do it again. The cave tour was amazing. It was our first cave together and my first cave ever. They have all the lights inside and you will see all kinds of amazing formations. It was definitely worth of our stop.
Driving towards Arches National Park in Utah, as planned we arrive there at sunset. We thought the arches are just next to each other but they’re not. The arch that I like is Delicate Arch and I think that was the main arch that they are using in the picture. There's so many rock formations that you don’t think it exists but it does. We stayed in Moab, Utah for the night.
Photos
John Denver Sanctuary: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7180&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Glenwood Caverns: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=6924&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Arches National Park: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=6568&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Day 3 – April 21, 2006 – 4 Corners, Monument Valley and Bryce Canyon
We arrive at 7:00 am in the 4 Corners National Park and it was closed. They open at 8:00 am. We’re not the only one waiting. They actually in line with their car but we don’t need to. The Four Corners is the boundary of the four states namely Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. You can be in four states at one time, cool huh? We both did it and we are so proud we did.
The Monument Valley National Park is one of my favorites. It is so pretty and unbelievable. I am a fan of nature so everything that is made by nature I totally love it. I really do.
Next stop was Bryce Canyon National Park, here’s another astounding beauty of nature. Actually we don’t know anything about it until one of our customers from Utah told us not to miss Bryce canyon because it is really beautiful and sure it is. Man, all I’ve seen in the past month I will never exchange it to anything and I am dead serious.
Photos
Four Corners: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=6887&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Monument Valley:
http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7243&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Bryce Canyon:
http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=6655&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Day 4 – April 22, 2006 – Salt Lake City
Main thing in Salt Lake City is the Mormon Church. They have the prettiest garden I’ve ever seen in my whole life. The flowers are very beautiful, the surrounding was so happy where you see people with smile in their faces, children’s laughing and playing around and of course the groom and the bride walking in the garden with their photographer was so spectacular. We probably saw at least four newly wed cuoples if not more. I love that place. On our way out , we saw Salt Lake and out of Ray's curiosity he went down and taste the water if it 's really salty. Driving parallel with the lake we saw file and file of salt companies( cargill and morton). We also drove by to this weird scene . When we were watching it from the car it looks like a mirage but we found out while driving further down. All turned into while and as a result of our curiousity we stepped out in the car to touch and taste what it is. Guess what it was salt. The place where the fastest car was tested. The place was huge. They even have some info of the place. It really surprised me.
Photos
Mormon Church: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7370&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Day 5 – April 23, 2006 – Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
The weather is so nice even though there’s snow but it’s not as cold as winter. The sun is up that makes it perfect. I don’t know what Crater Lake looks like in the summer but for me what I’ve seen is awesome. The water is so blue and the snow around it makes it incredibly nice. The risqué pictures I posted were part of our adventure (taking sexy photos).
Photos
Crater Lake: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=6803&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Day 6 – April 24, 2006 – Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens and Seattle
Mount Hood National Park was the first mountain I’ve been to in the United States. Too bad most of the recreational establishments were closed but anyways we’ve been there and see it so we don’t really need to stay that long.
Mount St. Helens National Park, we need to see something in here. This park is part of the history when it blew up in May 18, 1980. We were ready to give up when every road we took were closed and luckily we stumble in that one road that took us to where we can still see the devastations she made 25 years ago. No kidding we saw a smoke coming out from the top and it scared us and left the area.
Seattle, Washington. The only reason why we are going to Seattle is to see and visit Bruce Lee’s grave. Yup I am not kidding, Bruce Lee made Ray’s day even though it took us 30 minutes and Andrew (friend) help us find it. We called Andrew when we cannot find Bruce Lee’s grave. He searched on the Internet while talking to Ray on the phone. After 30 minutes we found it. We also went to Microsoft just to see how big it is and it is humongous. Pictures will always there. We also went to the Space Needles to see the whole city at night and actually planning to come back in the morning for the day view.
Photos
Mount Hood: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7465&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Mount St Helens: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7666&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Bruce Lee: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7753&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Day 7 – April 25, 2006 – Seattle and Mount Rainier National Park
We went to the Pike Place Market where known for the tossing of the fish or they called it fish ladder but you have to buy one for you to see it. We also see the first established Starbucks coffee. After the market we went back to Space Needles and then to EMP (experienced Music project) where I met a Filipino. She came from California and she just visits her son. We saw what we wanted to see so time to leave Seattle.
We drove towards Mount Rainier National Park. I love seeing the snow in the mountain. Mountains are so pretty with snow. Mount rainier is so nice and beautiful. You’ll see it in the pictures. Actually I am running out of words to describe all the places we’ve been to.
Photos
Seattle:
http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7772&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Mount Rainier: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7500&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Day 8 – April 26, 2006 – Yellowstone National Park
Oh God, The most active volcano I have ever seen. You can see all kinds of activities in the park. I saw the smokes coming out from the bubbling water, the mud pot which is bubbling too and of course the famous Old faithful Geyser which will come out every 90 minutes. The fact is Yellowstone is a super volcano and super active that when it will blow up it can destroy America. Yellowstone is the main reason of this vacation.
We have to get back out from where we came from (west entrance) instead of just going straight to the south entrance, which is close. Going to Grand Teton is not to far from Yellowstone but the closest route is close (south entrance) so we have to drive all the way around. We ended up in Jackson, Wyoming.
Photos
Yellowstone: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7978&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Day 9 – April 27, 2006 – Grand Teton National Park
We cannot leave Jackson without driving around and unfortunately the grass maze was close and it will be open May. We continue to Grand Teton and again some roads were closed for vehicles. I don’t want to walk to Jenny Lake. We went to the other side of Grand Teton where we saw Jackson Lake and it was frozen. Yea the whole lake was in ice and to our curiosity again we actually went down there to touch it. We threw some stone and enjoy the sound of it. There’s nothing like the feeling when you play like a kid again. We timed ourselves in freezing our hands underneath the frozen lake. It was fun.
We drove towards Mount Rushmore National Park in South Dakota. The presidents’ heads are so visible at night because they have lights. The park is close so we stayed the night in Keystone, South Dakota.
Photos
Grand Teton: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7055&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Day 9 – April 28, 2006 – Mount Rushmore National Park, Wind Cave National Park and Bed Fossils National Park
Those heads are huge, I mean humongous. Oh the people are so nice and amazing, the friendliest of all the places we’ve been to in this trip. The weather was the coldest of them all. We were just lucky that the sun was out that makes you warm a little bit. The presidents were selected on the basis of what each symbolized. George Washington represents the struggle for independence, Thomas Jefferson the idea of government by the people. Abraham Lincoln for his ideas on equality and the permanent union of the states, and Theodore Roosevelt for the 20th century role of the United States in world affairs.
Wind Cave National Park is nice. It was the second cave we went together. The outside and the access to the cave are modernized (they have elevator going down and up) but the cave itself is being preserved to its natural form. The cave is mainly formed by wind.
We continue to Agate Bed Fossils National Park in Nebraska. It was close but he still want to climb a little bit and look around. I don’t feel like going out so I just took pictures of him while he is roaming around.
Photos
Mount Rushmore: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7607&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Wind Cave: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=7915&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
Agate Bed Fossils: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=6866&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
This was our last stop. Out next destination was Denver, Colorado for our plane ride going back to Tampa.
Believe it or not we’ve been to 10 states in this trip namely Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska.
We depreciated that car, imagine we put more or less 5,500 miles.
Now I’ve got 34 states total and Ray has 35 including Hawaii.
States: http://www.microstar.net/pix2/main.php?g2_itemId=4235&g2_navId=x500e1ce9
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