One of the interesting things about our vacation is that, while we are planning to be gone for a month, the vastness of the terrain we are to cover is such that in each locale there are invariably things we cannot do that we wish we could. There are a couple reasons for this. Firstly, the only scheduled stay we have is in Newport Beach, California. We had just over a week to get there, with plans to go out the panhandle of Oklahoma (we are from Tulsa) and then head to Colorado Springs, followed by Durango, CO to do the train to Silverton and back, then to the Grand Canyon, and then to LA. It all seemed so easy up front. But by the time we had driven the first leg, and camped, we were happy to get on to Colorado Springs, and since it would take us awhile to get there, I booked us two nights there. This was good. We had a nice time, going to the Garden of the gods (which was my main motivation for heading north into Colorado) and having fish tacos at Maria's Tacos (which was my second motivation for heading north into Colorado). Both were as good as expected. We considered going up over Pikes Peak, which is right there. But, it was four hours or so to do that, and we were ready for some lunch and my daughters were ready for a little shopping, so we ambled up to Manitou Springs instead. We had a good time there. It is a cool little town, and after a few hours there, we headed back to the hotel to relax a bit.
I knew we would have enjoyed doing the Pikes Peak thing, but I reasoned, we could always do that on another trip. To the children, I say "We can't do everything." That night I attempted to priceline my way into Durango, so we could take the train the next day. This was unsuccessful, so I moved on to Telluride. I had been advised that Telluride wasn't far from Durango, and was quite nice. I was a winner in Telluride so off we went the next morning. From Telluride, you may recall, we were to head on to the Grand Canyon. I booked us two nights in Telluride, reasoning that we would drive pretty much all day to get there from Colorado Springs, and we could get on the train the next day (which is an all day affair). This may have worked, but, the train was booked for that next morning. This was definitely not part of my plan. However, it seemed there was plenty to do right where we were, so I booked us on the train for the day after. We had a great day hiking and fooling around in Telluride. What a wonderful place. I had many opportunities to suggest that "We can't do everything". We all agreed we'd like to whitewater raft. A jeep tour up into the mountains looked great. Horseback riding in the mountains looked fantastic. Hiking up to one of the many points, like waterfalls, etc. The list of what we couldn't do was quickly outpacing what we could do. C'est la vie!
Once I had booked our train, for which you had to arrive at 8:30 am, I began to concern myself with how we could make this happen. We were in Telluride. It is a 2 and a half hour drive from there to Durango. And, since we wouldn't be coming back to Durango, we needed to be packed and ready to go, and really get on the road by about 5:30. I considered driving Chelley and the kids over to Silverton to catch the afternoon train and driving over to pick them up in Durango so we could drive through the evening to enjoy the Grand Canyon the next day. No matter how we looked at it, another night was required. So, Chelley found us a grubby little condo just outside Durango. The main drawing point was that there were laundry facilities onsite. Since the day we left for this vacation, my wife has begun a descent into a doldrums of sort. Don't get me wrong. She has been a lovely traveling companion, as have the kids. However, the epic strain of the knowledge of the fact that we have been carrying dirty laundry is more than she can bear. I have a sneaking suspicion that each day as we drive by the most beautiful mountain streams to the waterfalls to the ponds, creeks, lakes and the like, she has been over there running calculations and equations as to how to get us all to stop, and do some laundry right then and there. It is as if the dirty laundry calls to her in her sleep. Anyway, our grubby little condo, (with no hot water in the room) did have laundry facilities. So, twenty five dollars of quarters, and somewhere in the middle of the night, most all of the laundry is clean. Perhaps we can steal a couple days of peace if I can figure out a way to hide the evidence that some of the clothes are once again heading down that nefarious path.
Leaving Durango, we drove to a place that was simultaneously a near and dear place to Chelley's heart, and somewhere I'd never heard of. I can now see why. Probably most who go in there never come out again. (Only kidding.) After a good week of solid driving, I'm not exactly sure why this drive seemed so long. The views in Mesa Verde were spectacular. But, the winding mountain roads with posted speed limits of 15 mph (Which one should not test, I might add), really keep you mindful of how long it's taking to drive it. It is a long trek back into the part of the park that interested us. There, are the ruins of an Aztec village tucked into the sides of the mountains and cliffs. The one in particular we visited (because we didn't have a few days to see it all) was under a great dome of a cliff. I could see why they liked it there, because it would have been a great protection against most any weather. Particularly amazing to me was the fact that so much of the structures they built over a thousand years ago, still stand. After Mesa Verde (which was not green in any way shape or form, in case you were wondering) we started our hard charge for the Grand Canyon. We stopped for a bit in the four corners of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. From there, I drove the rest of the way to Williams, Arizona. Along the way, we had the opportunity to stop at a grocery/gas station on the Navajo reservation. The bleakness of the terrain has had its way with the inhabitants. To say the atmosphere is subdued is a dramatic understatement.
The enormity of this journey is beginning to set in with us. The list of things we were unable to do will far outnumber what we did. We did not enjoy an alpine slide in the mountains, for instance. However, what we will get is a sense of stuff we'd like to try. That way the next time we get to those spots, we'll know what we want to do.
This morning we are heading to the Grand Canyon, and we will then be booking it out to San Diego to take Mr Grey to Legoland for his seventh birthday. I wish I could remember the excitement I felt at my seventh birthday. I cannot. For the moment, sharing in his will have to do. It will.
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