Vacation - There to There

We departed Longmont later than we anticipated.  It's so hard to leave when you're having a good time.  It seems I'm running into this dilemma for every segment of our trip.  Anyhow.  We said our goodbyes and headed West.  Vacation's almost over, and now it's time to start making our way back home.  Jay told us about a couple sights to check out on our journey.  If you ever get the chance, you should definitely stop in at Red Rocks.  It's a natural amphitheater, and I've heard the acoustics are phenomenal.  Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to attend a concert there.  Empty, it's absolutely amazing.  I can only imagine what it'd be like to listen to Blues Traveler, Norah Jones, John Mayer, or even the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

 By the time we left there, the sun was getting low.  No big deal, except we wanted to make it through the pass while there was still daylight.  Not going to happen - but we were lucky in that we didn't encounter any snow at Vail and just had to drive through some rain. The goal for tonight was Grand Junction.  We're stopping (a layover, really - since we have to hit the road tomorrow) to see some friends: Autum and Jason.

 We visited for the evening, and went to breakfast the next morning - where we learned about Colorado National Monument.  The name is deceiving, since "monument" implies a singular building, pillar, or statue.  Instead, it's a national park full of spectacular vistas.  (Note: I just looked up the definition of "monument".  The first application is what I described above.  Definition #2 - any building, megalith, etc., surviving from a past age, and regarded as of historical or archaeological importance - definitely fits the bill...)

 We were only going to stop at key places, but it turns out we stopped at almost every pullout.  (Of course, almost all of these pictures are courtesy of Greg and his fancy-pants camera.)  The trip through the park was especially enjoyable because Autum, Jason and company decided to accompany the tourists.  In case you wondered, Juniper berries can get caught in a person's hair...

 

 

And yet again, we're leaving later than intended.  Special thanks to Autum and Jason for opening their home to us, tour guiding and general hospitality that made us feel like family.