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 |
Ran
into rain midway through Salt Lake City, as well as the usual Salt
Lake traffic! At least we were in a car only and could take
advantage of the HOV Lane for much of it! Rick HATES this stretch of
road and of course I let him drive it! :) We gas up (at $2.83 a
gallon!) at the Love’s at our hotel exit – all ready for
tomorrow’s drive to Durango!
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
don’t head into town until 1:30!! The sun is out, the roads are
plowed...we only got about 3-4 inches of snow and some of it is
melting fast. A little more is predicted for tonight.
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! |
