miura-adventure.comLife should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "WOW, WHAT A RIDE!!!!"

An amazing trek through Capitol Reef National Park in Utah:

We found this amazing campground that was built among the fruit orchards planted by the 10 or so families that settled the area.  The National Parks Service still maintains the orchards and allows the public to pick from the apple and pear orchards.  Although we were in a very dry region, there is a constant creek right next to our campground that the kids enjoyed and Andrew made balanced rock sculptures along the shoreline.
We enjoyed listening to the Ranger talk on nuts and trees, entitled, “Sometimes you feel like a nut!”  Did you know the bark of the Ponderosa pine smells like French vanilla ice cream (but Nikki says it smells like orange ice cream).  It is so true!  Now we have become a tree sniffing family!

The weather was quite hot and we found a natural waterfall that flowed into a beautiful clear pond.  Andrew was the only one who had the guts to jump from the top!  (Only after other people showed us it was safe!)  He had a blast and we all laid around in the water, not unlike a tribe of mammals who found a new watering hole. 

There was a small (darling!) historic house on the site of the campground.  They had an amazing kitchen of fresh baked goods and homemade jams and salsas.  We bought little pies that were baked down the road at a FIVE STAR restaurant!  Who knew this town had such a restaurant as it was  TEENY TINY town!!  Boy, was that pie the best we have had in our lives!! This house was so adorable and small and I actually felt like it was BIG (in comparison to our RV) and we all agreed we could live in a house that size.  We shall see where we end up after this two year trek. 

When we left Capitol Reef, we drove over a beautiful mountain range.  The fog was so dense you would think the ocean was near.  Then, it started POURING RAIN!  We got to see a  flash flood emerge in the river alongside the road.  Quite exciting and a bit scary had the flood been more extreme. 

Our next stop, ZION National Park.  Who knew it was going to completey live up this its name! 

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Making our way to Utah with our first stop in MOAB. Here are our favorite memories:

• Well, we looked for a truck stop to spend the night but found nothing.  We ended up parking on a side street in downtown Moab with the slides in so we didn’t atract too much attention.  Found out in the morning our campground was only 3 miles away.  Luckily, we didn’t check in because we found a better campground with a front row spot with the best views.
• Andrew and Ken mountain biking on the most famous mountain biking path in the world – Slick rock! The 12.7 mile path is suppose to take 5-6 hours (so they did the short loop which still took an hour+ to go 2 miles)
• The family bike ride was in downtown Moab along a riverwalk trail.  It ended in a park with very large musical instruments that we had fun clanging on (oops, it was a little early)
• Sallie sleeping outside in cots with Poohnut (Lauren ) and having her tell me all about the different constellations
• Driving through Arches National Park and counting all the arches and taking a hike to see “Delicate Arch” in 105 degree weather!  There are suppose to be over 2,000 arches in the park but we only managed to get to 20 or so.
• Driving through Canyonlands National Park and seeing canyons cut from the Colorado and Green rivers as far as the eye could see.  
• We also took a drive up the mountain (10,000′) to get out of the heat.  Seeing a sign for a lake, we took a dirt road up the main path and found a great spot.  Lots of fish rising to the surface but no keepers.  Hobie got excited about all the cows we passed on the road.

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Highlights of our trip to Colorado River State Park Island Acres just outside Grand Junction:

• Riding bikes to the truck stop across the highway for ice cream
• Who knew Grand Junction was the center for Peaches and Wine?  So we had to go check out some cool local winerys and pick up a bottle or two.
• The next offramp from the campground had a canyon where there are suppose to be some wild horses.  Biking very early in the morning up the canyon to find the horses but saw nothing but horse poop.  At least the down hill portion was fun.
• Watching the girls become “Indian girls” and set up a “fort” while the boys continued up the steep path and back.
• Driving up from 96 degrees to the mountains and “Mesa Lake” where there are more than 200 lakes and it was only 58 degrees!  The boys had to go after some trout splashing in the water.
• Watching the kids float around in the swim beach (small lake) in their big inner tubes.
• Andrew met a new friend, Austin, by sharing a mutual interest, monster trucks (remote control!)
• Getting a hydraulic jack replaced due to leaking fluid. The 65lb jack was sent from Oregon in 3 days and the guys at the truck repair took only an hour to replace it.  Then it was off to Utah instead of going back to the campground.  Our first night cruise with no reservations….  Where will we spend the night?

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We took some wonderful bike rides. One of the best was when the kids and I went DOWN HILL that same dirt road about 9 miles and Ken picked us up. Was that ever fun!! Lauren kept talking about how beautiful the whole area was and how it was as if angels lived in the trees. So innocent and beautiful. We also too many walks on the trail around the lake. We saw some raccoons, dear and many small creatures.

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Nikki’s 11^th birthday was during our stay at Sylvan Lake. We had planned to take her to Vail until the local espresso owner told us to check out Glenwood Springs Canyon and the town. Ken and I drove through the canyon and to the town (had to do some birthday shopping!) and were SO amazed that the I 70 goes through this canyon! An engineering masterpiece as it wrapped along the steep mountain cliffs. BEAUTIFUL beyond words.
There was an amazing bike trail that hugged the Colorado river along this canyon. So we surprised Nikki and all took a bike ride along this path. We rode 10 miles of this path (which goes all the way to Aspen) and loved it. Colorado is so committed to health and providing excellent bike paths. We are so impressed!! After a yummy lunch at a Brew Pub in town we then did a little bowing before returning to our campground. A happy birthday all the way around! Next stop Colorado River State Park!! I hear the area we will venture to next is home to some great wineries!!

Hugs to all!!

Andrew took a free fly fishing class one morning along the river. He is such a fisherman!! That evening, we went to “Lily’s Lake” (a piece of heaven) and Andrew caught his FIRST fish using his FLY FISHING pole!! He was SO excited!! Now he can really say he’s a fly fisherman!

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 Our urban experience in DENVER. . .After spending several wonderful days at Elk Creek State Park, we took off for more of an “urban” experience. Cherry Creek State Park is located just minutes outside of Denver. Our camp spot had so much space around it which seems common at State and National Parks. We took a day trip into the city, with little more than a map in hand. We started at “Cherry Creek” which is SOOO cool! It’s a “village” of sorts with lots of great little coffee places and boutiques. The neighborhood surrounding Cherry Creek was filled with unique older houses. After my coffee fix, we headed downtown. We walked up “16^th street mall” (an outdoor mall with free trolleys up and down the wide streets) and made our way to LoDo (a funky newly revamped area). Feeling a need for some Denver history, we took a tour of the State Capitol and grew in our appreciation of this great state.

Other highlights of our time outside of Denver include:

A reconciliation with my dear friend from Naperville days (1999!), Holly Biggers and her family. They came and BBQ’d with us one evening as the kids all played tag well into the night.

A day trip to Boulder. Such a cool town. We really loved it. Sat outside on a patio for dinner at a Nepalese restaurant. Love that nan!

Had a great lunch of . . .Pho? I didn’t know about Pho either but Ken is crazy about it and we found a Vietnamese area with lots of restaurants and markets. Pho is a Vietnamese soup full of yummy noodles, meat, bean sprouts, lime and basil. Looking forward to having it again soon!

Took a family bike ride down a great bike trail in downtown Denver along the river. Ended with a trip to a big farmer’s market. YUM!!

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Our campground, “Ridgeway State Park” was a mere 15 minutes from Ouray so we made a couple trips into this wonderful town. In fact, Ken and I celebrated our 14^th wedding anniversary in Ouray. Instead of choosing the usual “cute” place to go for dinner, Ken and I picked the place where the locals go. It was fantastic and packed with locals and visitors alike. What a great bunch. Down to earth and friendly. Yes, this is the place I would love to live. . .in the summer that is!

One day we all went to the Hot Springs Park in Ouray. The kids had a great time goofing around in these hot pools.

Our camp spot at Ridgeway State Park was great. Definitely a popular destination as it has a huge reservoir with boating and even a great little swim beach. There was a bike path that went around the whole entire reservoir. Hobie celebrated his 2^nd birthday here and we decided to let him go for a swim in the lake to go after Andrew who was fishing from his float tube. After his swim, being thirsty, he drank some lake water. Not a good idea. We have been dealing with his, shall we say, “delicate constitution” even since and hope to have him back to normal soon!

While at Ridgeway State Park, we took a day trip to Telluride. How cool is this town?? We started by taking their free gondola rides to the top of a mountain and then down to the town of Mountain View. A beautiful river runs all through Telluride and its streets are full of “she she” art galleries and restaurants. Definitely a big ski destination as the mountains where full of ski lifts and condos. Ken, Nikki and Andrew rode there bikes for an hour while Poohnut and I hit the shops. Nice to have one on one time with each of the kids.

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A visit to a old mining town. . .Silverton

As on local puts it, “Silverton: A gritty little mining town with Victorian pretensions!” Once the stomping ground of silver kings and railroad giants, Silverton survives today as one of Colorado’s most endearing destinations. An estimated 2000 men moved to Silverton in 1874. They came from across the U.S., many parts of Europe and even China, to endure severe winters and dangerous mining conditions in their pursuit of the minerals they hoped would make them rich.

Silverton really is a cool little town with lots of interesting shops, galleries and a cool like espresso place. (Had to try a latte!) We made a yummy picnic lunch and ate outside the RV listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s “America”. Very cool memory and oh so simple.

The Million Dollar Highway

A bit of interesting information about this amazing road.. .

“In the Southwestern corner of Colorado, near the four-corners area (where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet) lies one of the most breathtaking roads in the United States, dubbed the “Million Dollar Highway.” Despite varying explanations as to the origin of its name (one claims it cost $1 million a mile to build in 1924; another says it contains $1 million in gold ore), there’s no disputing the fact that the 75-mile stretch of scenic highway known as Million Dollar Highway is a breathtaking journey through the majestic mountain passes of western Colorado.”

It REALLY felt as though this highway was NOT meant for RVs!! I can’t remember having such white knuckles while in a vehicle but these roads were OH SO narrow, with NO guard rails and huge drops down into oblivion. Even in the midst of fearing for our lives, I couldn’t help but take picture as it was so darn beautiful. The views really took our breath away. I do thank God that Ken is such a great driver as he seemed so calm about the drive, even using just one hand at several pivotal points. (Although he did use two hands after my insistence. Made me feel just a bit more connected to the ground!)

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We have been in Durango now for four days and we love it. The campground has a great pool (which the kids love) as well as a fun game room, a yummy pancake breakfast and a big dog run for Hobie. We took a long bike ride along the Animus River. The path winds along the river on an amazing and picturesque route. It was so beautiful and Lauren kept up with us the whole time. Quite impressive given she wanted to scrap the bike in lieu of her faithful scooter early on.

After our “all you can eat pancake breakfast”, we walked across the road to take pictures of the famous narrow gauge train which runs from Durango to Silverton each day. Then, Ken and the kids went white water rafting. I opted to take some pictures and relax along the river shore. The rapids were rated from 1 to 3 so they weren’t just smooth water rapids. Nikki wants to find some rapids rated 4 as she loved the whole ride!

Tomorrow, we take off for Silverton and beyond. We will keep you posted and look forward to hearing about what’s happening in your life. Please keep us posted.

With love, Sallie and the gang

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After Flagstaff, we headed to Colorado. Our first stop was the FOUR CORNERS. We each declared our “state” and stood on AZ, NM, UT and CO while we had our picture taken. Lauren was “undeclared” and stood in the middle. Our first “official” campground was ½ north of Mesa Verde National Park. What a beautiful drive up the mountain from 5000 feet to near 9000 feet. We took a tour and visited some amazing cave dwellings. Such a lesson in history. Cool way to start “road school!”

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