SOUTHWEST TRIP
March 5-14, 2025
WEDNESDAY, March 5
High Country Lane to Springville, UT
522 miles
We pulled out of High Country Lane 10 minutes BEFORE our target time of 7am! I’d already given Spur a short walk. Cyrs are minding him, altho we know Rebecca and Shannon will take him out as well!
Rick drives us through Boise traffic to the rest area just east of town. I take the wheel over 200 miles then to Snowville where we finally stop for gas! (We did make a pit stop at the rest area just past the I-84/I-15 Y in eastern Idaho!
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| Only pic took today: giant flag rippling near Provo |
We request a ground floor room which may be to our dismay as it appeared there was a hyper toddler above us doing laps at times – the most disturbing being at 5:15 am in the morning! Ah well! I made use of the fitness room to rack up a few steps.
We dined on crab, sourdough bread, and fine cheese! Plus a little wine! A typical meal on the road!
THURSDAY, March 6
Springville UT to Durango CO
344 miles
What a wild weather day! Snow, wind, sleet, wind, rain!
We got a leisurely start to the day knowing we only had 350 miles to travel. Breakfast in the lobby area around 8:30. On the road by 9.
Rick drives us up and over Soldier Summit – we begin to hit snow within 10 miles of leaving the hotel! Light at first, then road got wet spots, but altogether not TOO bad! Windy in a few places. Down through Price and Wellington (no snow on this side!) and to the rest stop where I took over driving. At that point, the rain stopped! I know how to pick my shifts!
Easy drive down to the Interstate and then on down to Moab. We decided to stop for lunch since we had plenty of time. Gloria’s on Main Street fit the bill – best french fries we’ve had in quite some time! I had a wrap (saved half for dinner) and Rick a Chicken Burger of some sort! Then we walked down to Luke and Kady’s favorite bookstore, made a couple purchases there and another at the gift shop next door. Finally on our way south by 1:30!! Rick immediately ran into rain and then snow again! Plus some oversize vehicles slowing up the road. Worst snow of the day was just outside of Monticello, UT (elevation 7100’) with blowing winds. Once we turned toward Cortez, we even had moments of blue sky patches and dry roads, but then the snow returned.
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| South of Moab - rest area cliffs |
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| Rick encountered snow on Soldier Summit |
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| Soldier Summit visitas |
We took the cutoff to bypass Cortez at Dolores, reconnecting with 160 at Mancos. Into Durango around 4:30 to check in at the Comfort Inn south of town. Nice room, but on the second floor so it took two trips to haul everything up to the room.
Evening spent eating in room, reading, and making contact with Red River host to see if we could check in early ahead of the snow storm! YES! I took some walks around the hotel and spent a little time in the fitness center on the bike.
FRIDAY, March 7
Durango, CO to Red River, NM
235 miles
Up and on the road by 8:30 today...hoping to beat the storms. We drive familiar road over to Pagosa Springs, doing a little reminiscing along the way from our FIRST Habitat build back in 2012. We stop at Hot Roots – the coffee shop operated by the folks who hosted the Home Improvement show Building Roots, based in Pagosa. A funky little place accessed by the bike path, but no directly off the main highway!
We aren’t sure of our route at this point...up and over Wolfe Creek Pass and down, or drop down to Chama and HOPE either US 17 or US 64 is open Both go over 10,000’ passes (as is Wolfe Creek) We opt for Chama and the decision is easy when we stop at the little Info Center and talk to a little old lady who has lived in Chama 19 years! Take 17 she says... – a well maintained route! 64 is still in seasonal closure!
No regrets! A beautiful drive up through snow covered fields and cliffs – but the road is snow free for the most part. Until we drop down after the second pass and the northern exposure has shaded the highway. We take it slow and no problem! Luke and Kady have camped along this road in one of the many campgrounds we encountered after dropping down to the river and Antonito.
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| Chimney Rock as we near Pagosa Springs |
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| Gotta love the mountain peaks around Pagosa! |
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| Pagosa Hot Springs hotel |
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| Countryside as we near Chama |
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| Heading over the passes on Route 17 - a little town? |
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| North side of passes on Route 17 |
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| San Juan Mountain Church |
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| I think we were crossing the Rio Grande up in Colorado |
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| Ute Mountain north of Questa, NM |
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| Winding along the canyon toward Red River |
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| Condo had fun bedspreads...our sheets had mushrooms! |
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| Apparently this king size bed looked better than it slept acc to Luke & Kady! |
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| Condo kitchen area |
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| At the Brewery awaiting our meal! |
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| Rick and his fancy beer! |
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| Qwerkle game with 13 'qwerkles'!! |
Down back into NM and the town of Questa where we find Hwy 38 cutting through the canyon to the town of Red River. Arrive at condo at 1:30. Nice set up! We unpack and then move the car to a parking lot in the back so Luke and Kady can unload upon arrival. I begin work on the ABQ balloon fiesta puzzle I picked up at the senior center.
And they pull in right at 4:45! And the snow still hasn’t begun. Luke saw that it had been pushed back to 7pm.
We get settled and then walk down to the main part of town to find a place to eat! Red River Brewing Co!! Not the cheapest meal, but all tasted great!
And the snow begins to fall – a pretty walk back to the condo with the lights all coming on. Puzzle work and then a few games!!
SATURDAY, March 8
Exploring Red River
A VERY leisurely morning! Luke and I finish the puzzle, folks reading, chocolate sourdough bread.
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| I don't get a picture of my bear until we get home! |
We poke into lots of gift shops, coffee shops, and explore. The town park is a must see tomorrow night after dark – all lit up!
And
I get a birthday present at Bear Xing! Chainsaw carved bears of all
sizes – and we got a double bear big one for the front porch! He
holds a changeable sign (Welcome and Free Bear Hugs) and we can make
more on our own. Will pick up tomorrow when we have the car!
Lasagna for dinner and more games! Oh at 7pm Kady heard fireworks and we looked out the front door to see explosions from the top of the ski hill and a ‘red river’ of lights skiing down the face. Pretty cool but only lasted 2 minutes! Apparently they do it every Saturday in March.
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| This was a giant fuzzy bear in one of the shops! |
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| The little Baby Bear cabin - one of the rentals available! |
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| Main Street, Red River |
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| We finished this puzzle right after breakfast. Luke and I can work a puzzle pretty quickly! |
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| I confess...I took this picture out of a brochure depicting the RED RIVER of lights coming down the ski hill. We weren't fast enough to grab the camera and get any more than the tail end of it! |
SUNDAY, March 9
Exploring Red River!
Well, last night was a restless one – between a soaring resting heart rate and the daylight time change, I had the worst sleep score I’ve ever recorded – 66! Apparently the King bed isn’t much better as Luke and Kady were not happy sleepers either. But….it is a gorgeous sunny day!! We have plans to go explore further around the ‘ring’ and find a trail to snowshoe or just hike. Luke drives! We head east to Eagle’s Nest and then down along the Cimarron Creek to a trailhead. Quite abit of snow but melting so we opt to just hike. My pulse is still elevated – altitude response? – so I am not the most energetic I have ever been.
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| Argh! All these photos loaded in opposite order! Our finished puzzle AFTER the hike! |
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| Mountains east of Eagle Nest valley |
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| Reservoir at Eagle's Nest |
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| We parked near this creek and took a snow walk! |
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| Lots of rock formations along Cimarron Canyon |
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| Tough taking photos from the back seat! Bobcat Pass enroute to Eagles Nest |
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| A rocky hillside |
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| Aspen Valley is just east of Red River |
Back to Red River around 3 to pick up our bear carving, take a nap, and then work the puzzle (our second one!) While working the puzzle, Luke asks me, ‘what’s your pulse, Mom?’ and I check...it’s 123. Hmmmm.
Long story short – phone call to Zach – discussion, dinner, and we pull out to head home to lower elevations! Home to Albuquerque by shortly after 10pm. Bummer!
MONDAY, March 10
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME!
Albuquerque
Much better nights sleep, altho pulse still a little high, so my score is only 79. But I sleep until 7:30am which is unheard of!! A relatively quiet and lazy morning.
Kady and I take off for a visit to JoAnns Fabrics – Kady checks her phone and finds the one near Grandma’s old house has already closed, so it is off to Rio Rancho store across the river! $93+ dollars and an hour later we are out. Sales on fabric not as great as I had hoped when no coupons are honored, but we picked up some stuff. Kady spent a third of that amount and the rest was mine!
Late lunch at the Olive Garden with all – nice that it worked out Kady had already taken the day off as we should have been driving the rest of the circle today and returning. Coming home from OG we stop at Costco and get our official pictures taken and our Costco cards! Talk to the Hearing Aid folks – no chance of getting the test and fitting this week. They give us the number for the Costco in Boise. In conversation later today and in the morning Tuesday, we discover NONE of the Costco locations in Boise have openings until April for an appointment. We will try to make one the days we are down with Dad’s cataract surgery in April. Hopefully!
Kady off to the gym and Luke to a tennis clinic this evening. We have a birthday celebration of ice cream, some beautiful cupcakes, balloons and all around 8:30. Jed calls at 9 and we visit with him until 9:50. A late night again for me! But I am asleep by 10:06!!
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| Return from JoAnn's to find Luke has 'decorated' for my birthday! |
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| Had to show our membership payment to the Costco folks! |
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| The pretty cupcakes Luke picked up - along with Double Chocolate ice cream! |
TUESDAY, March 11
Edgewood Visit with Ran’s family
65 miles RT
A relaxing morning as Kady heads off to work and Luke has a full morning of lessons and a phone conference with Ali in Tucson. But with my pulse still elevated and just a bit of a woozy feel at times, we again contact our good doctor friend and make the decision to head for home in the morning….BEFORE Rick possibly gets sick and to be back home before I possibly could need medical attention. Disappointing, but probably smart move. ARGH!!
I spend a little time in phone calls with the Boise area Costco stores about hearing aids. All three have no openings until April. So, I guess no reason to stop enroute home!
We take off for Edgewood around 1, stopping to clean all the storm grime off the RAV at a car wash enroute! Luke goes with us as he has a clear afternoon. Kady will drive out later directly from school.
We find Ran, Patty, Regan, and Kai waiting for us….along with the 5 dogs that appear - some new, some familiar (and old!)
A good chance to just hang out and visit and watch Kai scurry all over. He hasn’t warmed up to Luke at all (Kady is a different story!) – I think the beard scares him! But Luke continues to make funny faces and eventually does get a few smiles out of Kai (while he is firmly in Regan or Grandma Patty’s arms!) I never held Kai as I was trying to be proactive and wore a mask the whole time just to make sure I wasn’t passing something on to everyone! The hour and a half we were there BEFORE Patty picked up Jaxon and Weston gave Luke time to visit with the adults!
Because...when Patty returned with the boys at 3:15 – they are all about Luke!! They did give hugs and Jaxon showed off his Josh Allen picture – he is a big Buffalo Bills fan (gotta share that information with Jess!) Then it was out to the trampoline and basketball hoop for them with Luke!
Ryan wanders through around 4:15 from work for a hi and hello and that’s the last we see of him. He works in the same building as Rachael and they often drive in together. But Rach was picking up dinner today and the order got delayed!
We finally see Rach shortly after 5 with KFC buckets and two pizzas! Patty had put out some chips and dips and nuts earlier. Nothing fancy – but we weren’t there for dining! We were there for conversation and visiting!
After dinner a few games with many and by 7 we are on our way back into town. Rick and I stop at the Edgewood Waremart to pick up some Mucinex (Zach’s recommendation over Nyquil) to keep me cough free at night. Back at Luke’s we work to pack up some things to be ready to head out in the morning when Luke and Kady leave for work. Sadly, a shortened trip, but for the best.
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| Kai busy playing with his 'walker' |
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| Sunset as we leave Randy's (Sandia Mts in distance) |
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| Rachael gives her little guy a hug and kiss |
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| Luke and Kady chill after dinner with Jaxon |
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| Jaxon shows off his Josh Allen memorabilia |
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| Luke and boys play on the trampoline |
WEDNESDAY, March 12
Albuquerque to Moab, UT
376 miles
And we are on the road by 7:40! The traffic isn’t too awful going north through ABQ. We stop at a gas station in Bernalillo for coffee and gas and are on our way north! I have a feeling that unless Rick gets REALLY tired, he is driving the whole way home. (Doesn’t like my ‘I feel fine, but just a bit woozy now and then.’)
Beautiful vistas along 550 toward the NW corner of NM as the sun highlights the rock formations and cliffs. We take the road north from Bloomfield to Durango and then over the mountains to Cortez. Unlike the trip down, we go into Cortez and gas up – cheaper in Colorado than in Utah! Good chance we can go clear into Idaho (or at least Snowville) now. The 500 mile range of the RAV is a welcome change from the truck and trailer or even just the truck! We are hovering around 40 mpg which is great!
A little rain today, but overall clear roads - much nicer than this stretch coming down. We pull into Moab around 2:30 and take a little walk about downtown to stretch our legs. The Days Inn is on the north side of town – a little run down, but it will do for the night!
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| The Bee Hive as you near Moab |
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| BeeHive and LaSalle Mts north of Monticello |
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| Rock formations along 550 near Cuba NM |
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| Nearing Moab |
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| La Salle Mountains east of Moab |
THURSDAY, March 13
Moab to Jerome ID
449 miles
The weather forecast for Utah on last night’s news didn’t bode well for hanging around the Wasatch Mts tonight. We haven’t made any hotel reservations yet which is good. Up and out early – altho the 6:30 breakfast didn’t appear until 7:15. We had already made do with the oatmeal and hot water! On the road by 7:20! The sun is popping out under a cloud bank as we head north toward Price and Soldier Summit.
We do hit a little snow up on the pass. Stop in Springville to grab a bite at Burger King and clean off the front of the car. Then Rick steels himself for the two hours through Salt Lake City, but at least it is in the middle of the day!
We manage to stay in the HOV lane for the most part and by 12:30 we emerge out of the mess near Brigham City. Skies look ominous ahead and sure enough by Snowville we are in the middle of it! (Appropriately enough!) We fill up the car (at $2.95) and head up toward Sweetzer Pass. This stretch is sloppy and filled with wet snow on the road. Not great, but Rick gets us safely through and by the time we hit the I84/I86 Y the sun is actually shining through all the clouds and storms we can see around us! A good wind is blowing, but fortunately not a direct head wind!
Somewhere in the middle of SLC we decided to push on toward Twin Falls, Jerome area as Rick remembered a Comfort Inn across from the Flying J in Jerome. I booked what I thought was a $71 room on my phone that turned out to have $30 to booking charges and taxes. The nice kid at the Comfort upgraded us to a suite for the confusion. Maybe this is why I let Rick do all the hotel bookings! Nice place and we enjoy a little time in a hot tub. Finally a reason to have packed our swim suits! We walked over to the small grocery/convenience store and picked up a little dinner and then relaxed, read, puzzled, etc. until 9pm.
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| Entering the snow storm near....SNOWVILLE! |
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| Morning sun on the Book End Mts north of Moab |
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| Sunrise as we leave Moab |
FRIDAY, March 14
Jerome to High Country Lane
258 miles
An easy day today! A full breakfast menu and we are on our way by 8:15. No reason to stop in Boise so we just fly though enroute to the Walmart in Ontario to pick up some sheets for the shop, a few groceries, and then HOME! We see storm clouds all around us, but don’t actually encounter raindrops until we pull into our driveway at High Country Lane shortly after noon (picked up an hour!) We did stop in town to pick up the mail and gas up the RAV at Blacks (ah...back to $3.45 a gallon!)
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| The whole trip in one: Springville, Durango, Red River, Cimarron, Red River, ABQ, Edgewood, ABQ, Moab, Jerome, Baker City! |
