NW Adventure Intro and Day 1

Well, the time for our epic northwest adventure of 2012 finally came. After over a year of planning, budgeting, discussing, and getting excited, we finally had the opportunity to explore uncharted (well, uncharted to us anyway) countryside, mountains, cities, plains, and valleys of the northwestern U.S. I'm not exaggerating when I say "over a year" either. What started as a fun-sounding trip transitioned to a very real possibility and eventually became a concrete plan that we were able to execute and enjoy, making memories that will literally last a lifetime (as cliche as that may sound). 

In what will probably seem like a poor attempt at capturing some of of those memories, I was graciously given a journal by my parents that I used to document details of the trip. Given my constant travel-fatigue, along with our relative lack of time, I was only able to make some bullet points each day of our trip. Therefore, I'll use that information as an outline, and I'll expand in this blog. My goal is to write a different post for each day of our two-week trip (with a picture from that day). I'm sure this will take a good deal of time and space, but since not many people (if any) read this blog, well....I don't care! :) Here goes nothin'....

6/2/12 - Day 1:  After picking up Jon and Megan at the airport the evening before, we were set to go on Saturday morning. We (very geometrically) packed everything in the car with some space to spare. I was a little nervous about getting everything in the trunk since I didn't want anyone to be uncomfortable with items at their feet given that we'd be spending a great deal of time in the car. However, we fit everything perfectly and headed out around 8 a.m. We didn't make it too far (Bernalillo) before we stopped at Blake's for some good ole' New Mexican breakfast burritos. It was a quick stop though, and once we had our stomach fuel, we were ready to go (again). We drove northwest through New Mexico and through the southwest corner of Colorado (west of Durango and north around Cortez). Once we made it to the Utah/Colorado border, we stopped on the side of the road and took some pictures in front of the "Welcome to (enter state here)" signs. Our goal was to get pictures in front of each state sign. Overall, we did pretty well (missed Washington, and didn't care too much about NV or AZ).

Anyways, we stopped in a little town called Dove Creek in UT and ate lunch at a roadside cafe called Peace Tree. It seemed like an organic/fresh food type place, but when I asked for no mushrooms on my cheesesteak, they indicated that the veggies all "came together" (which means "frozen" to me). Regardless, the food was good - cheesesteak for me and ceasar salad for Cari - and it was nice to get out of the car and sit outside to eat. After lunch, we hopped back in the car and headed north to Arches National Park. Megan and Jon brought some car games, so we played a few of those on the way and stayed relatively entertained. We made it to Moab, UT early afternoon and drove through the town to get to Arches National Park.

Once at Arches, we stopped at the visitor center to use the restroom, buy a postcard at the gift shop, and mainly to plan our visit. After getting a plan together, we drove into the park. It was an amazing sight to see - lots of reds and browns, large rock formations, and definitely still a lot of desert. The main formations and arches were more spread out that I expected, but there was one paved road that went in and out of the park (and was relatively straight, which we wouldn't appreciate until later!). Our first stop was Balanced Rock, which was just that, a large rock that appeared to be "balanced" on top of another taller, more slender rock formation. We took a few pictures and continued along to the Delicate Arch viewpoint. Delicate Arch is the "symbol" of Utah, and it appears on many of the license plates. We didn't hike to the arch itself (3 miles roundtrip), but we did hike the mile to the viewpoint. It was still a little far away, but easy to see and take pictures of. Next, we cruised over to Window Arches (North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch). We parked and hiked to the window arches (climbed around a little bit) and then over to Turret Arch - all large, beautiful formations. Before wrapping up the day at the park, we crossed the street to Double Arch and took some pictures.

We drove back into town (Moab, that is) and ate at "Blu Pig BBQ" for dinner. It was a fun place; not too nice, so we felt okay going in our sweaty hiking gear. I had brisket and pork BBQ with fries and "bacon-laced" green beans and Cari enjoyed chicken strips and baked beans with hashbrown casserole. The food was excellent after a long time in the dessert, although, the "Carolina-style" pork must have been Western Carolina, since it certainly wasn't the vinegar-based "Q" that I expected. Either way, I can't complain! We listened to some blues music from a local house musician while we ate, which made the experience even better. Finally, we checked into our hotel, the River Canyon Lodge. It was pretty old, but okay for just the night. We shared a room with Jon and Megan this time around, and all of us passed out relatively early (and quickly!). Day 1, in the books!

Breckenridge Spring (or...Winter?) '12

Yes, yes. We went to Breckenridge...yet again. This place is seriously our dream town. Other than the fact that it's still too far from family (which is a big factor to consider), we would think about moving here. We actually already decided to buy a house in the mountains here when we retire..haha. So, what better an excuse than our simple love for such a beautiful place to make another trip?

Well, actually a concert at Red Rocks Ampitheater was the MAIN excuse. Red Rocks is a concert venue I've dreamed of getting to see, and we found out a couple months ago that The Fray (a band Cari and I both really enjoy) was playing there. The Fray is originally from Denver, so we figured it would be a good show. We drove up to Breckenridge Friday morning and arrived early afternoon after running into some snow (and almost running into a large herd of elk crossing the road!). After a leisurely stroll around town and an early dinner at Eric's, we checked into our hotel (the Skiway Lodge -- we've never stayed anywhere else, and probably never will...it's that good). Once settled, we hit the road to Red Rocks (1.5 hr drive toward Denver). The drive was pretty bad -- lots of snow, slush, rain, traffic, etc. We still got there on time and parked and hiked up the bazillion stairs to the ampitheater. What an amazing place! The seating area is surrounded by large rock formations ("Ship Rock" and "Creation Rock"). We suffered through a few opening bands (they weren't too bad; we were just cold and wet) before The Fray rocked out the stage. They played an amazing show and we couldn't have asked for more. The sound was incredible and the lights were fantastic thanks to the fog. NO thanks to the fog, however, was our drive home. I seriously have never been more terrified to be on the road in my life. Cari was a huge help, but for about 10-15 miles (which took about 30 minutes), we were driving in fog so dense, I couldn't see more than 5 feet in front of the car. Needless to say, it was a slow process. But, we made it and passed out at 2 a.m.!

Saturday was spent enjoying Breckenridge. We woke up late, drove down to main street, walked around/shopped for a while, then ate lunch at Lucha. Cari had the best burrito she'd ever eaten, and I enjoyed a pretty amazing quesadilla myself. After lunch, we walked around a little more and then went for a drive on some of the surrounding mountain roads (which presented good picture opportunities). We went back to the hotel after our drive and Cari took a nice nap while I watched soccer, played solitaire, and enjoyed some fine Maker's Mark! :) After our relaxing afternoon, we continued into the evening by going back to Eric's and watching a hockey game, then came back and sat in the hot tub for a while and finished up the night by watching Dan in Real Life (one of our favorite movies).

We woke up Sunday and (while trying not to get TOO depressed that we had to leave soon) packed up and went to Cool River Cafe for some great bagels. Post-bagels, we shopped a tad bit more and took a few more short drives before heading home. It was an amazing trip, complete with crazy weather, great music, fantastic conversation, and enjoyment of God's beauty in such an incredible place. We're already talking about the next time we can go back!

Camping 4/20 - 4/22

Woah! Less than two months between posts! For all you followers, which I think might be just my parents (which is ok, since I love my parents), get ready for many posts in the next month or so. We have two trips coming up in May before our epic road trip in June, so I'm sure I'll have a lot to write if I can keep up with everything.

Our most recent adventure was spent in the mountains of the Santa Fe National Forest camping with a large group of people. We went with about 10 other adults and 5 kids and only knew 2 of the adults. It was a great time getting to know some new people and make friends. We left Friday evening and drove about 2.5 hours from ABQ to our campsite. We went past Cuba, NM, then drove another hour or so past some farmland and up a dirt service road deep into the mountains (luckily, the couple organizing the trip knew where we were going). It was dark when we arrived, so we set up camp pretty quickly and enjoyed some hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, and beans for dinner.

I'll take a quick timeout to describe the incredibly coldness that we experienced at night. Cari and I constantly checked the weather for Cuba, NM throughout the week which indicated lows in the mid 30's. Not too bad, right? Wrong. After Cuba, we climbed another 1500 - 2000 feet in elevation which meant lows in the low 20's. It was...COLD. Cari and I zipped our sleeping bags together (a trick Nate and Susan taught us), dressed in layers, and used our precious (and hairy) dog Belle as a mini-heater. So, we survived!

Saturday was spent eating breakfast burritos and fruit (we ate REALLY well), hiking up the mountain, going on walks, hanging out and talking, and playing frisbee. It was quite relaxing, other than having to keep track of Belle -- she didn't really like the other dog that was on the trip, even though the other dog was incredibly sweet, likely because she's possessive and territorial. But, she was fine being outside, despite being tied to the tree for most of the day. We ate some amazing kabobs and had "banana surprise" for desert before hunkering down for another long and cold night.

Woke up Sunday and cleaned up the campsite before heading back home. We stopped on the way home a few times to take some pictures of the scenery. It was actually scary to see what we had driven up two days earlier in the dark -- hundred-foot dropoffs with no guardrails.. yikes! The views were great though, and we got a few good pictures (see Facebook album "Spring 2012"). Overall, it was a great experience and fun to get out in nature and really rough it (no bathroom = roughing it, in my opinion). It was also nice to meet some new people. We're looking forward to our upcoming trips -- keep an eye out for posts in a few weeks! 

New Year, New Adventures

First post of 2012!! I know, I know...almost 3 months into the year...pathetic. We haven't done a lot since our last big trip to the Grand Canyon/Vegas late last year, but I'm sure when I start typing, it will seem like much more. For starters, we got to go home for both Thanksgiving AND Christmas last year, which was fantastic. We spent Thanksgiving '11 with the Bordsen clan in Asheville. After a late arrival into Raleigh (almost midnight), then driving to Asheville (3ish hours) the same night, we didn't get much sleep, but it was worth it. We had the opportunity to spend time with most of my dad's side of the family, which we rarely do given our current residence location. :) I hadn't seen many of them since Cari and I got married! It was a great time, and included beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, lots of food, family, drinks, bluegrass at a local brewery, and a quick trip to the Biltmore Estates on the way out of town. Again, a great time.

Christmas '11 was spent primarily with Cari's family in Harrisonburg. There was, yet again, lots of eating and hanging out, shopping, reading, relaxing, etc. For Christmas morning, the Nashes hosted a Christmas service (since it was on Sunday) at their townhouse and invited their neighbors. The turnout was great, and it was an excellent opportunity to lead worship with Cari's brothers and listen to her family spread the gospel through preaching and ministering to those they share their lives with daily. What a blessing! We stayed in town for a few more days and then went to stay with my parents for a few days (including New Years Eve, during which we fell asleep at 10!). It was nice to catch up, and enjoy seeing my sister, brother-in-law, and niece. Again, much eating, drinking, and bowl games and movie watching occurred.

After hunkering down for a loooooong winter (okay, only 2.5 months, but it felt long), Cari and I got to take a nice Spring Break vacation of our own. We had contemplated going to Mexico because we had always wanted to do an all-inclusive resort. However, after lots of prayer and consideration, we decided we didn't need to spend that much money and that we wanted to stay stateside. We finally decided on Tucson, AZ since it was probably the warmest place within driving distance that was safe/nice. We stayed at the Westin La Paloma (which I highly recommend) for five days. Besides a 2-3 hr expedition to the zoo one morning (where Cari got to feed a giraffe!), we literally sat by the pool the entire rest of our stay. We enjoyed 80-degree sunshine, poolside service, a swim-up bar, amazing food, and LOTS of reading. The resort was incredibly accommodating, and everyone was very nice. We also knew a few folks who had been/lived in Tucson before, so we got some great recommendations for restaurants that we could venture to in the evening. Other than getting trapped in Demming, NM for 3 hours on the way home due to wind conditions/brown out, it was a phenomenal and incredibly relaxing trip!

We have a quick trip to Breckenridge in May to look forward to (including seeing The Fray in concert at Red Rocks Ampitheater outside of Denver), and then the next adventure will be our 2-week road trip around the northwestern U.S early this summer. I'll likely have to write individual daily blog posts for that trip given all that we're trying to pack in, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. That's it for now - Happy 2012 everyone. Talk to you all soon!

Balloon Fiesta/Grand Canyon/Las Vegas '11

Wow. Well, we recently returned from one of our best trips since we've been out in New Mexico. Unfortunately, it just means that we're ready to travel some more. :) But, this will hold us over until Thanksgiving (going to Asheville this year...definitely very excited).

Our friends Nate and Susan had a two-week trip planned this fall, including Vegas and Cancun. However, they chose to include us since we're relatively close to Las Vegas. They arrived on a Friday at the beginning of October, the last weekend of the Balloon Fiesta. It was great to see them both again after way too much time. We spent part of the evening catching up, and then crashed so we could get up early for the Balloon Fiesta. It was an early and VERY cold morning (the Sandias had their first snow of the year the night before), but the Fiesta was, as always, stunning. The usual breakfast burritos, cinnamon rolls, hot chocolate, and tons of pictures made for a great morning. After coming back to shower off and take some power naps, we headed to the Frontier for lunch. Old Town and wine flights at St. Clairs followed, and we ended the day with a great dinner at sunset at Sandiago's. I think Nate and Susan got their fill of New Mexican food. ;)

The next day we got up fairly early and packed the car to go the Grand Canyon. We wanted to take our new Subaru because of the gas mileage, and we managed to get all of Nate and Susan's luggage (2 weeks worth), Cari and my bags, and camping gear in the car. We drove the 6 hour trip to the Grand Canyon, stopping at a great pizza place in Flagstaff on the way. Once we arrived, we set up our campsite (which was very homey) and then went to find the Canyon itself. The views from Mather Overlook were amazing, and we hiked down the Rim trail, taking tons of pictures along the way. We eventually decided to go to a lookout point to watch the sunset, but couldn't find parking (apparently everyone else had the same idea as we did), so we went back to the campsite and had a great dinner of sausage, veggies, potatoes, beer/wine, and some incredible reese's s'mores! After a night of sleeping at about 30 degrees, we woke up early to watch the sunrise and hike a bit. The early hour was worth it -- one of the most incredible sunrises I've ever seen. It also gave a lot of depth to the canyon, which made for some good pictures. We packed up after a brief hike down Bright Angel Trail and hit the road again.

Next stop...Las Vegas!! We arrived early afternoon and checked into our rooms at the Planet Hollywood Towers at Westgate. We finally got to shower off and rest for a bit before getting dressed up and hitting the town. Our evening in Vegas was a blast -- we started with drinks/appetizers at the top of the Stratosphere while watching the sunset and the city lights turn on. We then spent a few hours just walking around - went to see the lobbies and walk through the Wynn, the Venetian, Ceasar's Palace, and the Bellagio. We had some pretty good "Mexican" food at the Venetian and watched the water show a few times at the Bellagio. The next morning, we ate a great brunch at Mon Ami Gabi before Cari and I headed home. We wished we could have spent more time with Nate and Susan in Vegas relaxing, but work (and a lack of vacation time) called! Overall, it was a great trip!

In addition to the fun road trip, Cari and I also got a chance to get away for the evening to Santa Fe. We got a groupon for a night's stay at the Lodge at Santa Fe, so we packed up the car and Belle, and went up north for an evening. We ate at Tomasitas, hung out in our Kiva suite, woke up to snow the next morning, went for a fun drive in the mountains (had to turn back because of the snow), and came home. It was short but sweet! We are definitely looking forward to seeing family in less than 3 weeks back east for Thanksgiving, and then going back again for Christmas. Check back for updates soon!

Breckenridge, Take 2!

It's been an incredible summer. Cari and I have had the opportunity to not only travel back to the east coast for a week and a half, but we been able to enjoy spending lots of time getting to know our friends better here, playing indoor and outdoor soccer, and even got to see Gavin DeGraw, Train, and Maroon 5 in concert!

Cari has been amazing during the summer at cleaning, doing laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, etc etc. since she hasn't been working. To express my gratitude, and to enjoy her last weekend before work, I surprised her with a trip to Breckenridge, CO. Breckenridge is one of our favorite places out here that we've visited (having been once, almost a year ago), so I thought it only fitting to go again. We woke up Friday morning and I let her know why I hadn't gotten up for work several hours earlier. Needless to say, she was extremely excited. After spending a morning with her good friend Lindsey (visiting for work), we took off and headed north! We arrived in Breckenridge around dinner time and checked into our hotel, the Skiway Lodge (where we stayed last time, but too good of a deal/location to pass up!). We enjoyed a later dinner at the Motherloaded Tavern downtown and went back to relax in the hot tub and hang out.

On Saturday, we got up with the plan to explore a little bit. We took a free gondola ride from the town to the base of the ski resort. There was a lot of stuff to do for kids, but since it was a beautiful day, we opted to take a hike up the mountain. We ended up hiking up one of the ski slopes on a switchback trail, totaling 3.5 miles and 1500 feet in elevation gain. We were exhausted when we made it, but felt accomplished. Luckily, we got to take the ski lift down instead of having to hike (although the lift ride was a little scary!). After enjoying a BBQ lunch, we took naps/read back at our lodge before getting dressed and heading downtown. We took a nice walk by the river before enjoying an amazing Mexican meal (and Margaritas). Finally, we wrapped up the night with another trip to the hot tub and a movie!

We woke up somewhat depressed and sad to leave on Sunday, but still enjoyed breakfast at the Blue Moose and a walk around the farmer's market before departing. Overall, it was a great getaway...yet another fantastic adventure. We're looking forward to Cari's mom coming in for Labor Day weekend, a couple friends coming for the Balloon Fiesta, Grand Canyon camping, and Las Vegas, and of course, going home later in the year for the holidays. More updates to come!!

VA/NC Vacation!

Well, after a week of "back to reality," I thought it would be best to get the details of our most recent adventure in writing so I didn't forget. Our travels this time around weren't out west, but back east with family and friends! Cari and I had the opportunity to take some time off of work and away from Albuquerque to travel "home" and spend time with many people near and dear to our hearts. It started with a fantastic wedding in southern VA (Martinsville). Cari flew home mid-week on Wednesday and spent a couple days with her best friend Amanda and a few other ladies getting ready for Amanda's wedding. I flew into Raleigh the next day and spent the evening/next morning with my family before driving to Martinsville to join Cari. Friday was the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and both went great. The dinner was lots of fun, as we enjoyed stories about Amanda and Nic from their friends, gift giving, and a great performance by Reverend Rat L. Snake! Afterwards, we hung out in the parking lot of our hotel, playing cornhole and drinking beer. True southern fashion. The wedding seemed to go off without a hitch, with the only exception being the long rainstorm that happened after the ceremony (during outdoor picture time!). Otherwise, the reception was great, including some amazing BBQ and great conversation/dancing with friends and family. Afterwards, Cari and I hung out with a couple good friends at our hotel, had breakfast with some MORE friends the next morning, and then left for Harrisonburg.

We spent the next 3 days in Harrisonburg with Cari's family. Sunday afternoon was spent hanging out, catching up, and enjoying some good food. On Monday, Cari and I went to spend time with Cari's grandparents (and great grandmother). It was at their house that we saw Cari's uncle and two cousins (5 and 7 yrs old) and informed them of our plans to go camping that night. They thought it sounded fun and decided to join. Monday afternoon, we packed up the cars and went out to Natural Chimneys to camp. The afternoon was spent setting up the campsite, playing cornhole, playing by the river, and hanging out. As night fell, we started a fire and made some burgers, dogs, and corn on the grill. Cari's aunt and one of her cousins started getting more and more nervous the darker it got, and when a bobcat screeched in the middle of the night, they made Sean take them home. I slept through most of it, but apparently it was pretty entertaining. We packed up camp Tuesday morning, went to the pool when we got home in the afternoon, and then took a walking tour of JMU before enjoying some Anthony's pizza Tuesday night. It's amazing to see how many changes the campus has gone through, especially the quad and the football stadium!

On Wednesday, Cari and I spent some more time with her grandparents and ate lunch at El Charro before heading down to Richmond, VA. We planned to stay the night with Jon and Megan, and met them at their house Wednesday afternoon. We ate dinner at Asian Galaxy, then came back to hang out, watch soccer and Toy Story 3, and enjoy some tasty wine! We got up too early Thursday and drove through Wake Forest, NC en route to Chapel Hill and got to see our good friends Jill and Seth (and their newest addition, the sweet Airlie).

We finally made it back to Chapel Hill, NC on Thursday and enjoyed lunch at Allen Bros. BBQ (my favorite) with my family (including my sister and beautiful niece Stella!). After lunch, we hung out by the pool before enjoying a great home-cooked meal. On Friday, we went to Southpoint Mall, did a little shopping, ate lunch at the Cheesecake factory, saw X-Men, and again hung out at home for dinner. Saturday was BEACH DAY! We got up, packed the car, and left for Wrightsville Beach, NC. We arrived around lunch time and had some great seafood at the Oceanic, which offered amazing panoramic views of the water. Afterwards, we changed and hit the beach, where we stayed for a good four or five hours and just relaxed/read. We went into downtown Wilmington and ate dinner at Elijahs (more great seafood) before heading home. Finally, Sunday was spent simply relaxing. We went for a walk, watched tv, read, ate, and played Taboo.

Monday came too early, as we boarded our plane back to Albuquerque. The good part was that we got to see Belle again (for the first time in almost 2 weeks), but we already miss everyone back east. We're so grateful to get the opportunity to travel and extremely happy to get the chance to see as many people as we were able to. Other than a few day trips or fun experiences with friends around Albuquerque, our next tentatively planned trip is this fall to the Grand Canyon and southern Utah...so stay tuned!!