Fall Break 2023: Moab & Durango

I can't believe how quickly October is flying by! This is the time of year I want (and sometimes need!) to slow down so I can savor all the fun this season, and the accompanying holidays, bring. Sometimes I wonder if I try to pack too much in...and I probably do, but there is just so much fun to experience and so many memories to make. That's what Jeff, Jonas, and I did this weekend. To be honest, we probably could have accomplished so much more if we stayed home. There is a list of things to do around the house as the season is changing (pulling out all garden veggies and flowers, winterizing water lines, etc.), projects have started (built in closets, play room transformation, etc.), and basic home maintenance. But, we tossed all that aside to enjoy a weekend exploring some National Parks and wonders in southeast Utah and southwest Colorado...and none of us regret it! We headed to Moab on Wednesday (10/19) evening so that Thursday (10/20) morning we were in Arches National Park before the sun rose. We hiked over 17 miles that day! And, yes, Jonas was right there with us! He was a champ! We fit as much as we possibly could in  the 9 hours we were in the park. We started with the most iconic arch - Delicate Arch. This was Jonas's first time in Arches so we knew this had to be his first experience. Once the endorphins kicked in from the hike, he was super excited to be clambering on the rocks and steadily making his way to Jeff's favorite arch. Prior to getting to the end of the trail, there is a small, window-like arch that you can climb up to that provides a first view of Delicate Arch. Jonas was in awe! How can you not be? I sat in awe all day long as I viewed these incredible rock formations and simply wondered how our Creator was able to construct all the wonders of nature. From red rock formations to giant ocean waves and everything in between, nature is an incredible feast for the soul. There were quite a few other people feasting on that sight as well. We decided to skip the rest of the trail and climb around the bowl at the base of the arch. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty apprehensive about the endeavor, but Jeff insisted and Jonas went along...so I did too. We actually got some pretty unique angles of the arch because of it. Jeff and Jonas even climbed down to a small tree bowl (that's what we called them...basically an indent in the red rock that allows water to gather so vegetation can grow therein). I took a picture of them from below as the arch rose above them on the mesa. We spent at least a half hour at Delicate Arch before moving on.

The rest of the day, we hopped from arch to arch throughout the park. Next, we went to Landscape Arch (the other iconic arch in the park) and saw Tunnel and Pine arches along the way. We stopped for a picnic lunch in the campground then hiked to Skyline and Tapestry arches. Jonas and Jeff then decided to hike to Broken arch while I drove the truck over to Sand arch where we met up again. By the time, Jonas was winding down, but we couldn't miss the Windows, Turrent, and Double arches. He was such a trooper! While there were other places to see (that weren't necessarily arches), we decided to make one last stop at Balanced Rock before heading to the Visitors Center and calling it a day. The walk around Balanced Rock is super short, but Jonas was more than done! He took one picture with me then sat under a tree while Jeff and I did the walk. To be honest, Jonas still probably hiked more than we did because he was always finding rocks to climb on or crevices to explore. I was so proud of him! That evening, we decided to eat dinner at a restaurant on a hill as we watched the sunset. Afterwards, we strolled around downtown Moab and grabbed a dessert before thankfully making our way back to the hotel. It was a long, full, fun day!

On Friday (10/21), we headed towards Durango. Before we got there, we stopped at Mesa Verde National Park. Jeff and I had driven through here on one of our road trips. We enjoyed seeing the cliff dwellings and learning about the ancestral Pueblo people, but Jeff wasn't super excited to return...until I made reservations to actually go into the cliff dwellings! This was so incredible! It actually became Jonas's favorite part of the trip. We did two cliff dwelling tours - Balcony House and Cliff Palace. By far, the best was balcony house. Our ranger was so informative. Plus we got to actually walk through the dwelling (at Cliff Palace you got to climb down to the dwelling but you just walked along the edge and couldn't really get in it). We learned about how these people would have survived and why they dwelt there. Plus, we got to climb a couple of ladders to get up into the dwelling and go through a small tunnel to get out. Jeff literally had to twist himself to fit through the opening because of how broad his shoulders are. The ancestral Pueblo people were tiny! I can't even begin to describe how incredible that experience was...even Jeff was impressed.

After exploring the park, we made our way into Durango. We got there around dinner time so we headed to the downtown area to eat and explore. It's such a cool little city! There were fun shops and we even stumbled upon a small hot air balloon festival. It was fun to see the balloons glow in the dusk. Nice way to end another incredible day!

Saturday (10/22) we slowed things down a bit. We took the iconic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train to the small mining town of Silverton, Colorado. It was an all day affair. It took us 3.5 hours to traverse the canyon up to Silverton and 3.5 hours back with a 2 hour stop in Silverton. To be honest, I was a little worried that Jeff and Jonas would get bored of the train ride, but they were riveted by the incredible canyon views! They both loved it. We booked our ride in a train car that had an attendant. She was funny, engaging, and very informative. She told us facts about the train and stories from days passed. We enjoyed complimentary drinks and even a couple of goodies. A lot of the time, we actually stood out on the platform to get better views of the two steam engines as they pulled the 16 rail cars up the mountain. Once we reached Silverton, we made our way to Lacey Rose Saloon for lunch (as was recommended to us by our attendant). This is a historic building where Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday, and Wyatt Earp were known to have visited. In fact, above the bar is a bullet hole (marked with a shell) from Bat Masterson's gun when he fired a warning shot to some unruly miners. The saloon had live music playing while we ate. At one point, Jonas expressed interest in playing a song on the piano. The pianist graciously encouraged and allowed Jonas to play. He loved it!...and he got a rousing applause. After we ate, we explored the little downtown...and I mean little! Seriously, this town is super small! Jeff and Jonas found a cool antique shop with lots of antique tools. Jeff even found (and purchased) an old ax and cauldron. I loved the old sled and sleigh bells I found. I guess I was channeling a more Christmas vibe and Jeff was sticking with Halloween. The train ride back was just as engaging as the ride up. Again, this was another favorite for Jonas.

Sunday (10/23) didn't go as planned. I don't love days like that. I usually try hard to have things researched and planned out so the trip goes smoothly. I did have a plan for that day, but I ended up overthinking it and changed it to plan B. As we started plan B, I realized I should have stuck with plan A but it was too late to switch back so we completely changed it to plan C...and it ended up being a pretty good day anyway. It wasn't Jonas's favorite (probably because it was a lot of driving), but he did enjoy going back to Silverton. Plan B was going to be a hike to a lake, but we ended up driving up to it (didn't realize we should have stopped and hiked the road...but with a 4-wheel drive truck, we just kept on going). The lake wasn't pretty at all so we just had a quick picnic then decided to take a different way back to Moab, which took us back to Silverton. We seriously all loved this little town. Because we had a vehicle this time, we headed to the cemetery to look around. When we ate at Lacey Rose the previous day, our server recommended exploring the cemetery. She didn't steer us wrong! It was such a unique cemetery. While I didn't have my traditional October cemetery scavenger hunt with me, we definitely check that off my Fall bucket list as we explored all the interesting headstones. Someone (or some people) went through a lot of trouble to research how these people died and to upgrade their headstones to include that information. Some causes of death were typical for the type of work being done in that region (mine explosions, avalanches, etc.). Some were health related. Some were tragic. And some were kind of funny (like the guy who died in the bathroom). The cemetery itself was unique. There was even an old British style phone booth there...it didn't even mark a grave! It was just there. Back in the town, we saw more of the downtown area and even revisited the antique store (Jonas loved that place) before moving on. We drove the Million Dollar Highway (with incredible views and old mining remnants) from Silverton through Ouray to Telluride where we stopped for dinner. I wouldn't mind returning to explore more of these towns. We didn't stay long in Telluride, but we did stay long enough to say hi to an old friend, David Ziegler. I knew Dave back in my undergraduate days. We worked at the same appraisal firm with my brother-in-law, Ryan. It had been at least 20 years since we'd last seen each other, but thanks to social media, we have kept in touch. It was a fun, unplanned meet up. By this time, it was getting late so instead of exploring the downtown area, we stopped briefly at a waterfall lookout then moved on to Moab.

Our final day was spent at Canyonlands National Park. This trip was not a leisurely get away by any means! We pushed hard all the days we were gone. Today, however, wasn't as packed. Other than a couple of small hikes, there really isn't much to do or see in Canyonlands without an off-road type vehicle or an overnight backpacking trip. Still, the canyon views were amazing! My anxiety spiked a little as we hiked along a couple of canyon ledges to get to viewpoints, but those scenic outlooks were breathtaking! Jonas enjoyed the slower pace and all the rocks he could climb on. Mesa Arch (although not in Arches National Park) was incredible! The arch is literally on the edge of a cliff and opens up to an awe-inspiring view of the canyon below. We hiked Grand Viewpoint Overlook and Upheaval Dome too. It was such a fun weekend exploring the beauty of nature and the quaint, quirkiness of the southeaster Colorado towns. While we definitely didn't have much time to relax (and way more than enough things waiting for us at home), I don't regret taking this trip or making these memories.