I spent about a week packing. A little every night as anticipation built. In previous trips I've done the fastest route from Tucson to Deming, New Mexico on I-10 then the Hatch shortcut to I-25 and straight to the Denver area.
This time I needed to stop in Mesa where my stepmother had some of my late father's family mementos for me. I left Tucson about 6:30 am and enjoyed a beautiful spring drive via the Pioneer Parkway. The beauty of the desert and saguaro cactus in bloom were in sharp contrast to the prison facilities in Florence.
Only a quick stop in Mesa then I headed up I-17 toward Flagstaff. I considered a detour to photograph the red rocks of Sedona but my goal was to try to reach Pagosa Springs for an overnight stop.
As usual when we travel Sargeant TopGun looks around for a time initially then he retreats to his dog bed "donut". We stopped at one of the few rest areas still open in Arizona (economic shutdown and one I disagree with) and then a few miles up the road came upon the remains of a brushfire. The median was charred and the south interstate was closed. Traffic on that side was backed up for at least five miles.
In contrast we had an easy trip to the Flagstaff area. I was on I-40 for just a few miles and saw a sin "road closed ahead". I wondered if that was because high wind was predicted for the weekend.
It didn't take long to realize the warnings were correct. From outside Flag until almost Durango I drove in the worst wind I have ever experienced. It should have been bright sun. Instead, no shadows whatsoever. The world was taupe. I could see nothing of this beautiful Four Corners area. Indeed, the Four Corners monument was closed!
There were times that visibility was less than 20 feet! Fortunately I know how to drive in wind, as did the few vehicles ahead and behind me. We kept about 150 yards separation and had no problems. On the interstates drivers aren't as aware. There have been mass pileups and people killed. I learned later that I-40 was closed for hours on both Saturday and Sunday.
When I reached Durango I said "enough!" Motels have discovered that it's good business to welcome travelers with pets...for an additional charge. I happily paid $10 for Sargeant. Dinner was take-out BBQ, some of the best I've ever had. They even put together a package of "ends" for Sargeant.
Early Sunday morning we headed out to Denver. I've ridden the route on my motorcycle and thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful scenery and mountain passes. Still beautiful but not nearly as fun in my little Hyundai with strong winds. My Accent is a wonderful car and it's gotten me back and forth between Arizona and Colorado several times but it is definitely NOT a mountain car!
When I arrived at my son's house early afternoon I said "no more mountain driving for a day or two!"
Then the fun really started ... family time! We had some dinners out and cook-outs in the back yard. Went shopping for clothes for Lukas. Tried on Nik's baptism outfit to make sure it fit ... it did!
Tina and I both came down with colds. I spent the better part of one day doing nothing but sleeping and swallowing cold medicines. Fortunately that was the worst day for me. For the first time I was able to celebrate Tina's birthday with her. My son and I went together and gifted her with a Canon SX210IS camera. I think she was most excited by the Eye-Fi card that will allow her to automatically upload photos to her Shutterfly account.
I took lots of photos as usual ... almost 600. They've been culled down into two Smileboxes. One is exclusively baptism photos and videos. The other, with this post, are from other activities.
Geoff, Lukas and I went to downtown Denver for the Memorial Day parade. We ate at a wonderful restaurant, Sam's 3, with some of the biggest food platters I've ever seen. There was an arts festival going on so we looked but didn't buy anything. Downtown Denver really is vibrant!
Several days later we all returned downtown for a visit to the Denver Aquarium. This is one of Lukas' favorite spots. Afterwards we took a ride on a trolley and enjoyed the sights of the Platte River.
The weather was beautful the entire time I was there!
Although this was my longest visit, it was time to leave all too soon. I'd allowed myself two days for the trip back to Tucson, if needed. As I usually do I made it in one day ... about 14 hours on the road. The drive was completely unremarkable and unmemorable.
Now enjoy the Smilebox I made:
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