Mesa Verde National Park

Wednesday, July 25th, we went to our first national park of the trip- Mesa Verde in Southwest Colorado. Mesa Verde is actually the first Cultural National Park and is therefore much different than the others we will be seeing. We both found the history component fascinating as well as the dramatic landscapes surrounding the park. We hiked around and took formal tours of a few of the most restored Ancient Puebloan's Cliff Dwellings in the park. While the Pueblos built these magnificent homes in the 1200s, with mostly sandstone and water, they were not discovered until 1890! The ingenuity and brilliance used to build these dwellings is fascinating and not all that different than modern times in many cases, shockingly.

A peak at Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America. The 150 room site once housed more than 100 people.
Posing at Balcony House, a 40 room cliff dwelling. It's hard to see the balconies behind us that give this site its name. From these balconies, you could view the expansive canyons and mesas that supported their lifestyle. Peaking through a window at Balcony House. The timber resting above the window is the very SAME wood from the 1200s, never been restored. It's amazing how their natural resources then are similar to our treated lumber today!

The beautiful state of Colorado

We were both blown away by high mountains of Colorado as soon as we drove out of Denver towards Aspen. We spent 3 days in Basalt, just outside Aspen, at Dion's cousin's Dusty home, with his wife Alexis and daughter Julia. They showed us a great time, taking us on a jaw- dropping hike beneath the towering Maroon Bells, cooking some great meals and simply providing great company.

We also spent a full day with Christy's childhood friend Sarah, her husband Quinn and baby daughter Kila. Christy and Sarah caught up by the pool while Quinn helped Dion pull a trout out of a nearby river, which along with Quinn's catch(es), served as a the main course of dinner that night.

Our last two days in Colorado were spent camping on a outlook over the mining town of Ouray, and in the mountain college town of Durango. Throughout our time in Colorado, the scenery continued to impress and left us envious of those that carve lives in this part of the country.

Driving up Independence Pass heading to Aspen. The trip took and extra hour 1/2, as we stopped every quarter mile for a stretch to take in the views. Note Christy & the Volvo in lower right.

Into the Rockies
Wild Flower Season

The view on the Maroon Bells hike. Lakes with reflections so clear it doesn't matter if you post the pictures of them upside down. Hiking with Dusty, baby Julia and Alexis (taking the pic)

Christy & Sarah at her home in Carbondale

Christy heading back down towards Ouray after a solid hour and 1/2 of climbing.

Red Rocks & Dylan

After a Bob Dylan crash course on the drive from New Mexico for C, we made the Dylan-Red Rocks show just in time. Red Rocks, with the stage tucked in towers of sandstone, could be considered as much a natural wonder as a concert venue.

At the show, before a short rain shower and a little later mid Dylan set, with Denver city lights in the background.

Relaxing the next morning in a park overlooking Red Rocks: which can be seen in the right side of the pic protruding from the hillside.

New Mexico- Santa Fe

The hilly, high desert of New Mexico, and Southwest character of Santa Fe was quite a transition from the drive across Oklahoma and Texas. We were greeted in the relaxingly atmosphiric Santa Fe home of Christy's work friend- Andy and her husband. The were welcoming hosts as we spent two nights & a day hiking a hillside, visiting a spa, and walking Santa Fe's architecturally distinct and artist brimming neighborhoods.

A home off the gallery lined canyon road in Santa Fe

Christy, keeping strong with her 50 push-up a day goal durng a Hike above Santa Fe

C find a perfectly sized door at a great resturant in town- Dion enjoying a green pepper tamale in route to Taos.

La Sancuria, a church / sancurary nestled in a mountain town of Chimayo, 20 miles North of Santa Fe

Heading West

We left Nashville on Monday, July 16, and made a quick stop at Graceland before heading out across Arkansas, Oklahoma, the Texas panhandle and into New Mexico. Plenty of driving and open road; but we stopped and took slight excursions as time allowed. A few of the highlights: visiting the Ozark National Forest in NW Arkansas (amazing how by vearing off the interstate and taking a scenic byway, we went from absolutely flat grasslands to windy forested hills), stumbling on an Amarillo Texas Livestock auction and grabbing a ribeye steak lunch (experiencing first hand why Texas and Beef go hand in hand), and learning a little about the history of Route 66 (the first major American interstate to the West Coast).

Ozark National Forest in Arkansas. Of course, Dion jumped in!

The Livestock Auction we stumbled on after filling up the gas tank in Amarillo, TX. Only on Tuesdays!

View from the road in Oklahoma!

Farmland in AR

An original sign on the old Rt. 66

Nashville Weekend!

This is dinner Saturday night in Nashville with Dion's friends and our hosts for the weekend, Barry and Kelsey

Here above are the ribs Barry smoked all day Sunday so we could experience true Southern BBQ!

Sveny, Dion's college friend who joined us in Columbus in route to Nashville, Barry & Dion outside a country Karaoke joint.

Saturday night was spent dancing at the Honky Tonks in downtown Nashville! So much fun!
Who would have thought "Twist and Shout" was country? Looks like Dion's doing the "Twist" and I've got the "Shout"!

1st long drive: Pittsburgh to Nashville

Friday (6/13) was spent driving from Pittsburgh to Nashville. 5 states in 10 hours! (PA, OH, WV (for 5 min), KY and TN! These pics give a glimpse of the countryside we saw. Great sky given the on and off rain storms through OH and Kentucky.

Pittsburgh- Clancey's Dinner

The first stop- Pittsburgh, at Dion's high schools friends house, Eric, with his wife Meagan, and kids Kate and Connor. A great kick off to travels, 7 holes of lawn golf-the inagural Clancey Classic, followed by grilling & dinner in the backyard.