w3ndyj0's Blog

This summer we took our Vacation out west.  We drove all the way.  We started out here in Ohio and drove Interstate 70 West from Columbus.  It was a long time on the road but we had a great time. We stopped at several places on the way to Colorado which was our main destination.  We stayed in St. Louis our first night traffic was terrible but we got to see an awesome fireworks display while we were stuck in the traffic jam.

The next day we drove through to Kansas where we stayed in Salina for the night. Best Western accommodations are always kind of nice when just needing a few hours sleep.  Plus the kids couldn't wait to get into the pool.  On day 3 we made it to Estes Park our 1st planned destination.  The kids were amazed and I even took my guitar so we could have a little music that night at the campground.   Mary's Lake Campground was where we stayed.  It is pretty nice they have a pool and game room for the kids. We roasted hot dogs and Everyone listened to me play my guitar for awhile then we all crammed in this tiny tent because we had bought one that had obviously been returned LOL.  Of Course we never checked it before we left but I am glad we didn't because that night was an awesome opportunity for us to talk to the kids and see what they really thought.  Not to mention my son and husband trying to stink me and my daughter out of the tent.  But the next morning we woke to see the sun rise over the Rockies and to deer feeding all around us. Beautiful !!  The kids got to go fishing for awhile then we drove the Peak-to Peak Highway which was amazing !  We stayed on the other side of the Mountains that night and got up and Waded the Yampa River to trout fish.  My son caught a nice 3 lb. bass.  We then made our way to Utah.  We saw the Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.  I have to say that Arches and Bryce Canyon was awe inspiring but Zion was downright beautiful.  We fed Buffalo, Elks, and several other animals after leaving Zion.  We had reservations at Binions Hotel in Nevada for that night.  They kids loved the light show and my husband got to gamble a little as did I.  The next morning we ate at the in hotel restaurant which was very good.  We then made our way to Hoover Dam which we had all learned about but never imagined the actual dam itself as being so large.  We made our way to The Grand Canyon and that evening it stormed in the Canyon so we got some nice lightning pictures.  We stayed at a place called The Trading Post .  It was Indian owned and was a fabulous place to visit.  The restaurant was excellent!!! Large servings of food at minimum prices!!  The rooms were so very nice. Nice decor and comfortable.  Bathroom was a little small but nice.  The store offered many , many, handmade pieces as well as other trinkets and jewelry and clothing.   (Must Visit)  We then made out way across a portion of the Painted desert which was very beautiful.  Not much out there but wondrous to see.  We stopped at The Four Corners and we all got to stand in 4 states at 1 time :)   Our daughter was fascinated because she had just learned about this in school.  We made our way back through the San Juan Mountains through Southern Colorado and went to Dodge City , Kansas.  We saw Boot Hill and watched the gunfight then went and ate at Montana Mikes which was excellent.  From there we spent the night about middle of Kansas then drove straight through to home.  We had a wonderful trip and saw so many things.  Like the Dinosaur museum in Western Colorado.  A must stop if you get near it and have kids.