NEW MEXICO TRIP
VIA SOME BLUE HIGHWAYS IN COLORADO AND ARIZONA
APRIL 7 – 17, 2026
TUESDAY, April 7
Baker City to Evanston, WY
516 miles
head down to Ontario and Boise, Rick driving.
Run into a little traffic in Boise with all the construction still happening, but only slightly over our 2 hours to the rest area on the east side of town where we usually switch drivers. Unfortunately, the restrooms were closed due to water issues! Oh well, switch drivers anyway and we make a stop in Mountain Home at the Wendy’s (which fortunately opened at 10am and we were only 5 minutes too early!) to use the restroom and re-fill drinks. Rick had watched the NCAA Final Four Championship Game the night before and one of the perks if someone dunked the basketball was free fries and a frosty at a Wendy’s! He asked and received!! Not quite a healthy breakfast, but we enjoyed it!!
Sunshine and beautiful puffy clouds as we make our way across southern Idaho. Fields are greening up in places. I stop at the first rest area as we head down I84 past the Y divide to Pocatello as I had to go!! I then drive us on down to Snowville, where we pull off at an exit ramp, switch, and Rick takes over driving….his favorite part...into Salt Lake City! Fortunately we are turning off at Ogden so he won’t have to get into the worst of it.
We actually turned the AC on going through Idaho as the sun was warm shining in the front window! Actual temp was in the 70’s.
Things got a little awkward in Willard at the Flying J gas station. Our credit card was not accepted and then I got a message from Capital One asking to approve a $151 charge. Rick had changed pumps, but nothing worked. The manager tried to explain a ‘precharge’ but we were so confused. Finally called the number on the back of the card. I was a little panicked thinking this was the only credit card we had with us! But….after two attempts I got through to someone who asked lots of questions to verify this and that and then said we should be good to go. In the meantime, Rick...always prepared...pulled out our Banner Bank CC and got some gas! I didn’t know he had it with him! Whew!
Soon after we turn on to I80 toward Evanston and out of the SLC valley chaos! Beautiful cliffs and rock formations that gradually turned to smoother and greener hills and the...prairie country! Into Evanston and our hotel around 4pm.
Prairie Inn is an old motel, but clean and all on one level! We check in and get some great advice about taking a walk down at the Bear River Park, just a mile away. Drive over and enjoy nearly 2 miles of trails crossing the river and seeing bison (even white ones!) and some Roosevelt elk. Canada geese, magpies, etc. The park is well used by locals out cycling, jogging, walking, etc. A great place to stretch our legs!
Back to the room to raid the ice chest and food box for some dinner! We had snacked on the road during the day! Otherwise quiet evening, altho I did have to visit the front desk with questions about our billing...more credit card issues but these were just differences between Booking.com and the motel! No big deal! Whew!
 |
| Back side of the Wasatch as we head east on I80 |
 |
| Typical Utah scenery! |
 |
| Eastern Utah as we near Wyoming |
 |
| Trail map of Bear River State Park - we made a big loop! |
 |
| Bison! |
 |
| The clouds were so puffy in places. |
 |
| Bear River |
 |
| Elk |
 |
| Final view of the bison - there were a couple of white ones! |
WEDNESDAY, April 8
Evanston WY to Salida CO
476 miles
was road kill, but….)
The promised continental breakfast wasn’t ready at 7am when we wanted to leave, so we headed out of Evanston, stopping at the Pilot for a couple of coffees. Rick drove us (straight into the rising sun – hard to see!) east toward Fort Bridger and Mountain View, where we cut down onto new highway (414) toward the Utah border and the Flaming Gorge area. Rolling sagebrush hills with typical SW rock strata formation interspersed. We climbed up to the top of a beautiful overlook of the south end of Flaming Gorge (so named by John Powell for the red cliffs lining the Green River) With the sun striking the red rock, the named seemed appropo!
Once we dropped down into a narrow canyon area below, I took over driving the 30 miles on down into Vernal for a much needed pit stop! (We hadn’t passed a rest area that was open!) Wide open sagebrush hills between Vernal and the Colorado border (plus a few oil grasshoppers and other drilling).
At Rangely, WY we turn south on Hwy 139 toward I-70. I drive until just short of the climb to the top of Douglas Pass at 8268’. A short climb up and then a long expansive, hairpin 15-20mph curvy road down! Rick remembers this one well from our first trip with the Jayco in 2012!! From Douglas Pass to Salida, Rick drove the WHOLE WAY!!
As we dropped down to the broad expanse of the river basin near Grand Junction CO, we could see the snow mountains of Uncompadre National Forest to the south. We never actually got on I-70, but took the frontage US 6 to a Maverick Station where we got gas for $3.87! (I NEVER thought I would get excited about that price, but it sure beat the $4.39 we paid in Baker leaving!) Refresh of drinks and we are ready to head to Montrose.
Google Maps in hand, I found a River Parkway that took us past most of Grand Junction and on to US 50 south of town toward Montrose...toward those snowy peaks in the distance. Went through the town of Delta – population about the same as Baker – that had the cutest downtown strip of well maintained old buildings. At Montrose we turn east, still on 50 – again new highway for this section! And we climb up and over two more smaller passes before dropping down to Blue Mesa Reservoir (the largest lake mass in Colorado) which is really a string of 3 basins east of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Fascinating country. At one point we crossed over the reservoir to the north side.
Through large cattle ranches and wide expanses of land as we continue east on US 50, past the town of Gunnison (home of Western CO University) and eventually to begin climbing toward Monarch Pass at 11,312’ on the Continental Divide. We got peeks of the Collegiate Range of the Rockies in places, but at the summit, the view north from the top was gorgeous. Peak after peak flocked still with snow – most of them 12,000 to 14,000 in height.
A final 20 miles or so down to Poncha Springs and on into Salida. We are tired, Rick especially from driving nearly 275 miles non stop!
Our Circle R Motel is another classic little 50s motor inn. Nothing fancy, but the price is right! We are in Room 1!! (Probably no more than 20-25 rooms)
We get back in the car after settling in and head down the road to the Soulcraft Brewery for something to eat!! We have snacked all day from the food box and ice chest and we are hungry!! We share a double smash burger and a frito bowl. Rick enjoys 2 beers, we grab a sticker for Zach. Back to the room to relax for the night! The hot tub MIGHT be in order! (But it wasn’t in the long run!)
THURSDAY, April 9
Salida CO to Albuquerque NM via Great Sand Dunes Nat’l Park
323 miles
Into the park by 8:45. The Visitor Center is not yet opened so we head on up the road to Pinon Flats Campground and the trailhead to the Dunes Overlook trail. Nice little campground in a grove of pinon pines (and some junipers), no hookups. On the trail shortly after 9am!
The hike is only a little over 2 miles RT with elevation gain around 450’. We are up and down on a sandy trail (sometimes covered with broken pinon pine cones!) through mostly dry creek beds (one had water!) with sage, prickly pear, and yucca vegetation. After about a half mile we come to the junction where the overlook section takes off. The trail we were one will continue on up into the wilderness area of the mountains!
And now we find the elevation gain in earnest! We climb up a ridge, eventually reaching a split in the trail. Rick goes UP to explore, and I head down to a point with a couple benches, but the pinons have grown to block part of the view. So, I head back up – the steepest section of trail – to join Rick at the main viewpoint (with more benches!) Another couple has arrived also...with a massive malamute/husky mix. They have a different accent so I ask where they are from. “Lithuainia originally!” Wow! Now from Illinois. Fun talking with them and exchanging picture taking with each other.
You can’t see the full depth of the dunes from the overlook, but rather seeing the height of the front ridge. Snow still on the mountains behind, and snow on the distant mountains across the valley. Deep canyons cut into the mountainside which add to the water flow and wind funnels that help form and maintain the dunes. Fascinating area. In another month or so the runoff will have Medonna Creek flowing past the visitor center and a child’s paradise for playing in the sand and water. For now, we can just see patches of still water further up the canyon.
Back down the trail to the car and then to the visitor center. I need passport stamp, we pick up some postcards and a fun ABC book and by 11:30 we are headed south with me driving the section back to Alamosa and then south into NM.
We switch drivers at Tres Piedras, still on Hwy 285. This is a section of road we haven’t taken before as usually we are coming or going from Taos. Hilly with lots of mining, juniper/pinon forests and rocks!
We find gas south of Espanola - $3.84. We should have gotten gas in Alamosa...Colorado was running cheap and Rick saw a Safeway for $3.69! Oh well, cheaper than Baker City! On down south, using the 599 bypass around Santa Fe and onto I25 to Albuquerque!
Arrive at Luke and Kady’s around 4pm – a little earlier than expected! A quick tour of all that has been done since we were here in October, and all still to do! The kitchen is now the big focus!! The cabinets aren’t fitting quite right and they are considering reordering some of them? Dishes still being washed in the bathroom sink, etc. But….the fridge is now in which helps – much bigger than the tiny motel size one they were using!
Luke’s orders a Dominos delivery of pizza and with the cole slaw I brought and some cookies, dinner is served – eating around the coffee table in the living room. Rick and I will tackle the project of building a dining room table set on Friday – the boxes are here! Former table is in the sun room with only 3 chairs available! But, the front bedroom (walls nicely finished from the holey plaster we left!) is all done with a new queen bed – light and airy!
A game of cribbage with Luke and Kady and I (and a come from behind victory for ME!) and everyone turns in for the night!
PS….Had texts from Shannon. Backpack went smoothly and Eggers are moving into their new house on Hunt Mt. Shannon sent a few pictures of the happy family!!
FRIDAY, APRIL 10
Albuquerque
A good night’s sleep on the new queen bed!! I arise at 6:30 and head out to the living room to game, write etc. Overall, today is a ‘at the house’ day with Luke and Kady coming and going! Kady is off to school (with a field trip on the docket!) and Luke off for tennis lessons at 8:45. Rick and I relax and then tackle putting together the new dining room table and chairs. Chairs first – lots of bolts and screw to attach legs and then the seat into place. The table was easy – 4 legs with 2 screws each!
Luke home around 12:30 to handle some phone calls with the tax guy (his business Dream & Scheme with Ali complicates the taxes on Turbo) and then later with Ali on a potential project. In the meantime Rick took a nap and I went out front and pulled weeds from one side of the sidewalk edge and trimmed a few plants.
We were supposed to go to a ‘Live Ball’ tennis social at the club tonight, but around 4pm the wind blew in a storm than eventually canceled the event around 5:30. Rats. I was looking forward to seeing Luke in action, having dinner there, and in general, visiting the club. I have a portfolio of tennis art also that I was going to donate! I will try to tag along on one of his lessons next week perhaps.
In the meantime, Luke brought home some condiments to go with the giant potatoes I had brought and we put together a reasonable baked potato dinner! Had the TV on with the broadcasting of the Artemis splashdown – the return from the moon! I didn’t realize we hadn’t gone back around the moon since 1972!!
Luke and Kady went to Lowe’s after dinner to return the first of the delivered cabinets, one of the damaged ones. I think eventually they are all going back for a little higher grade. Quick game of LUNA with Luke before I head to bed at 10. Rick and Luke up talking for awhile longer.
SATURDAY April 11
Albuquerque and Edgewood Visit
It’s a beautiful morning after the brief storm of last night! I arise at 6:30 and head out to the living room to play my games, journal, prayer drawing, etc. Gradually all arise – Luke heading off to the tennis club for a lesson, Kady to a spin class. Rick heads out back and tackles a HUGE plant that has been growing (with LONG feelers and vines) behind the shed and filling the shed/fence space on two sides. After about two hours of work, it is GONE! (And a huge pile of debris in the alley behind the fence!) After a peaceful morning walk about the neighborhood (taking pictures of various flowers!), I headed out front to finish weeding the other side of the sidewalk bed, de-leafing and pulling dead stuff out of the yucca plant, and picking up a multitude of sycamore seeds pods!
A yucca blossom right around the corner from Luke's
Luke wanted me to leave the poppy seedlings
out in the front and I found these blooming
nearby so we know what they will look like! Pretty! 
Prickly pear blossoms
Around 1 we head out to a birthday party for Sean, the son of Luke and Kady’s good friends, Russ and Rachel – held at a local playground/park. The theme was Star Wars and all these 4-5 year olds were running around with Darth Vadar masks and more! Pretty fun, but we only stayed for 30 minutes as we have a date in Edgewood! We stop at Sam’s Club enroute out of town to pick up veggie and fruit platters to contribute to dinner.
Rick drives us out to Edgewood and we spend a great 3 hours visiting, playing with the kids, and enjoying a nacho bar dinner Patty and Rachael have prepared. Rach is on crutches having just had knee surgery last Wednesday! The weather is turning windy and cooler as we arrive, but Luke still gets a little trampoline time in with the boys, altho Jaxon is a little under the weather. (We try to avoid getting too close!)
Good meal, and then it is game time! While Randy and Rick have a good visit and Kai mostly helps move pieces around on the table, the rest of us play a game of Neanderthal Poetry (a team game and we ended up tied!) and then Hues Clues – the color matching game I enjoy. Kady aced that game!
Hard to recognize Weston at first without his curly permed hair, Jaxon is getting taller and really becoming a ‘near teenager’! And Kai? He is as cute as anything, sharp as a whip, and ready to turn 2 in May. Ryan made a brief appearance (to get some dinner) as we were preparing to leave. Reg and Chris were out on date night.
Headed toward a beautiful sunset sky (right in our eyes!) as we drive back into ABQ and a quiet evening.
 |
| Rick and Randy visit in living room |
 |
| Kady and Kaisen played their own game on the side! |
 |
| Kai and Weston |
 |
| Luke and Rachael |
 |
| Patty (in kitchen) and Jaxon |
 |
| Kaisen - what a cutie! |
