Million Dollar High Way: Due to the high cost of building it. (Colorado)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Dad was worried
Where Dad was worried about braking down, ( no Cell phone coverage and Garages for hundreds miles.)
The place we came to see!
Dad again!( Don't worry he did not fall!)
All the Family on the Edge!
This amazing!
Here i am on the Edge, safe.
Dad on the Edge!!!!!!! Not Safe!
Here we are at the place we traveled so far to see the Grand Canyon!
This is where Dad wanted to stand but Mum would not let him.
Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon: Pillars of rock left by erosion called a hoodoo
Here we are at Bryce Canyon, about 160km/100miles from Grand Canyon
Glenwood Canyon
Here we are at Glenwood Canyon it has an interesting road, where we drove the road was constructed out of concrete most the way.
Ruths Avalanche
Here is Ruth she opened the boot (trunk) and everything fell out.
Dad was not happy.
Our route
Our Route
Golden to Bryce Canyon
via Grand Junction and Richfield,
then stayed at Glendale Utah,
then to Grand Canyon (north face)
Then stayed at Page just from lake Powell.
Then Home Via:
Durango
Montrosesse
Salida
Fairplay.
We left Monday at 5pm and Travelled 1600miles/2500km and arrived back at 11:30 Wednesday evening.
Friday, May 30, 2008
The trip to the Grand Canyon.
The trip to the Grand Canyon.
On the 26/5/08 at 4am we woke up! OK some of us were only half awake. After doing the last minute packing, the stuff that couldn't’ be packed the night before, such as fruit and other food. We set off. We drove and drove. It was too dark to see anything. At about 6am it started to get light, we were coming into a canyon. There were big cliffs on each side! No it was not the Grand Canyon. Mum told Paul, who thought we may have taken the wrong turn and were driving in the Grand Canyon. The cliffs were very jagged. We pulled off the high way and stopped at a rest stop. It had a very dangerous river running beside it. We were now out of the canyon and into the snow covered mountains. Amazing how it had been so warm when we had left Golden. The road became very steep and along the side of the road, on the steep side of the mountains were roads made for trucks and cars that if their brakes stopped working and they were losing control down the steep road, they could drive up them! They were called Run away truck ramps. We drove past some ski fields, and some very red rocks.
1.20pm
We have been droving for along time now. We arrived at Grand Junction at about 8am and stopped for breakfast. We stopped at a park and ran around for a bit to stretch our legs. On and on we drove. Arrived in Utah. We came to more canyons. The land was starting to look very dry. We went on roads that seemed to stretch on into the distance. There were no houses for miles and miles. Just rocks and more rocks. Stopped at a petrol station, as Dad was not sure when we would come to another one. Saw some amazing rocks. Came into the Utah desert. Stopped on the way. Took photos, came into hills. still driving .
5pm
Still driving. Stopped at a towns park at 2pm for lunch. Drove on, stopped at a craft shop. Drove on and on. Drove to a canyon called Bryce Canyon. It cost $25. We arrived at a viewing area. The canyon was a very bright colour! Red and orange. As we were getting back into the car a man called to us. “Where are you from?” “New Zealand” we said. “Where in New Zealand” “Whangarei” We answered. “I am from New Plymouth. The two men were from New Zealand too! We were quite excited. They had been in America 5 weeks and were in the week of their stay. We had a great talk with them and it was so cool to hear and see New Zealander s. It really made our day and I think it made their day too. Drove to more lookouts. They must have a lot of fork lightning at Bryce Canyon because they had a lot of warnings saying “Stay in car when there is fork lightning.” Lots of trees were black and scorched. Stopped at yet another look out. Mum was a bit worried we would fall over the edge as the was no fences. As we were walking back to the car we saw chipmunk eating some food people had left for it. Some people just do not listen to the signs saying, “DO NOT FEED THE WILDLIFE. It was so tame that we could have patted it if we had known if it had rabies or not. Also saw a very tame crow that was also being feed by a lady. Still driving.
27/5/08 8.55am
We are on the road again. Yesterday we left Bryce Canyon at about 5pm. Decided to find a camping ground and go the rest of the way the next day. Went to some camping grounds, but they were either to expensive or they diddn’t have any vacancies. Finely at about 8pm we found one. Got a cabin. It was very cold outside. We made an outside fire and had dinner. Got ready for bed.
Now since we are a family of 6, on a students wage, we were trying to do this trip cheaply. But there are two meanings to the word cheap. Our cabin was a tiny log cabin, with a bunk and a small double bed. There was a heater and a built on to the wall table and chair and very little floor space. There were four beds and 6 of us.
Sleeping in a bed meant for two small people, with 3 people counting your self, is not the greatest thing in the world, I can tell you, and it is even worse when you are the one squashed in between to other people. After being hit, kicked, rolled on and whacked in the face with a sleeping sibling’s arm. You are not in the best of moods to hear someone begin snoring as you are finely drifting off to sleep. Oh well.
Dad was so kind and slept on the floor so I could get some sleep.
After breakfast, we cleaned up and left at about 7.30am. Drove on into Arizona. Still driving through dessert.
2.36pm
Came to the Grand Canyon gates at about 10am. Payed $80 for a year’s path to any national parks in America. Drove for about an hour before we even got to the Grand Canyon. We arrived at the Grand Canyon car park. Worked along a little path looked at canyon, we thought it was the Grand Canyon and Mum and Dad were saying “oh this is not something, to get really excited about, its not any better then Mt Tiger.
But they changed their point of view when they saw the real Grand Canyon.
It was amazing! I don’t think I could ever put in to words how huge it was. We walked down this narrow path that was in between the two canyons. It did not have any fences. Mum and Dad were rather worried that we would fall, but we got to the lookout safely. It was truly amazing to look down in the huge canyon and not see the bottom! The canyon sides in the distance looked a strange colour because the distance. It made me feel very insignificant standing there! We were on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Went to the gift Shop, had some lunch. Got in car, drove.
5.22pm
Still driving. Pulled off at a road and went to lookout. Where we met some people from Georgia, it was their first time at the Grand Canyon too. Went to more lookouts. As we drove from the Grand Canyon meadow, we saw wild deer grazing . Left Grand Canyon Park. We came to an amazing view it was looking over a place called Soap creek. It looked like a painting. It was over looking what looked like a huge prairie. Yes we are still Driving. By now we are getting rather bored of driving but listening to Prince and the Pauper helps.
7.19pm
We are all rather bored. We are still driving. Mum had packed us snack packs the day before we went. They consisted of prunes, raisins, apricots, and nuts. You could tell who is the most bored by who has the lest in their snack pack. Eating seems to help on a long trip. Usually it was Dad, Paul and I who had the lest. The car that had started of tidily packed and sorted had become a sorry state, with, books, paper, pillows and whole lot of other seemingly needless stuff, (that had seem so essential at the time of packing), were rolling about the floor making it very had to climb in and out of the car. We stopped at a gorge over the Colorado River. . We were now in Indian country. The Navajo Indians’. And yes we are still driving; this trip seems to be mostly driving.
28/5/08
8.20am
Yesterday we arrived in a town called Paige, at about 8.pm. We found a Motel. It was the nicest motel that I have ever been in. Though Mum said it was bottom of the range. I did not care, anything would be better then the last place we had stayed in. It was a big room with a door that you unlocked with a card. It had two double beds and carpet on the floor. We had a good nights sleep.
We left at about 7am the next day. We stopped at Powell Dam. It was huge.
11.18am
We stopped at a place called Antelope Pass at 9am. The land all around us was bright orange sand. We ate breakfast out there in the Arizona desert. Drove. On each side of the road there were huge gorges. The ground would go along and suddenly a huge gorge appeared. I would hate to be a farmer on that land. Saw a lot of wild horses there.
11.49am
Drove into New Mexico. We were at four corners. Four corners is the only place in the USA where four states meet. We were going to go right to the park but it cost top much so we diddn’t. One minute after we had driven into the New Mexico we drove out of it again, into Colorado. After about an hour we drove into a place called Cortez.
4.14pm
Stopped at a little town called Durango at about 12.30pm, had lunch. Then we drove up into the mountains. They were covered in quite deep snow. We stopped at a historic town called Silverton. It was like something out a old western film. We went to see if we could stay in the camp ground but it was too expensive. Drove through more snow covered mountains. Stopped at a look out. There was a tiny house on the mountain that seemed to have no way to get to it but people were living there because we could see their washing hanging out. We drove on the million dollar high way. Came to another town called Wright it was historic too. Stopped at a place in the Rockie Mountains for Dinner.
29/5/08
7am
Yesterday we drove and drove it got dark at about 9pm. We arrived back home at about 11.48pm. The trip was amazing and even though it was long the scenery was always changing. We could go from hot deserts to snow covered mountains in a short time. It was a wonderful experience.
On the 26/5/08 at 4am we woke up! OK some of us were only half awake. After doing the last minute packing, the stuff that couldn't’ be packed the night before, such as fruit and other food. We set off. We drove and drove. It was too dark to see anything. At about 6am it started to get light, we were coming into a canyon. There were big cliffs on each side! No it was not the Grand Canyon. Mum told Paul, who thought we may have taken the wrong turn and were driving in the Grand Canyon. The cliffs were very jagged. We pulled off the high way and stopped at a rest stop. It had a very dangerous river running beside it. We were now out of the canyon and into the snow covered mountains. Amazing how it had been so warm when we had left Golden. The road became very steep and along the side of the road, on the steep side of the mountains were roads made for trucks and cars that if their brakes stopped working and they were losing control down the steep road, they could drive up them! They were called Run away truck ramps. We drove past some ski fields, and some very red rocks.
1.20pm
We have been droving for along time now. We arrived at Grand Junction at about 8am and stopped for breakfast. We stopped at a park and ran around for a bit to stretch our legs. On and on we drove. Arrived in Utah. We came to more canyons. The land was starting to look very dry. We went on roads that seemed to stretch on into the distance. There were no houses for miles and miles. Just rocks and more rocks. Stopped at a petrol station, as Dad was not sure when we would come to another one. Saw some amazing rocks. Came into the Utah desert. Stopped on the way. Took photos, came into hills. still driving .
5pm
Still driving. Stopped at a towns park at 2pm for lunch. Drove on, stopped at a craft shop. Drove on and on. Drove to a canyon called Bryce Canyon. It cost $25. We arrived at a viewing area. The canyon was a very bright colour! Red and orange. As we were getting back into the car a man called to us. “Where are you from?” “New Zealand” we said. “Where in New Zealand” “Whangarei” We answered. “I am from New Plymouth. The two men were from New Zealand too! We were quite excited. They had been in America 5 weeks and were in the week of their stay. We had a great talk with them and it was so cool to hear and see New Zealander s. It really made our day and I think it made their day too. Drove to more lookouts. They must have a lot of fork lightning at Bryce Canyon because they had a lot of warnings saying “Stay in car when there is fork lightning.” Lots of trees were black and scorched. Stopped at yet another look out. Mum was a bit worried we would fall over the edge as the was no fences. As we were walking back to the car we saw chipmunk eating some food people had left for it. Some people just do not listen to the signs saying, “DO NOT FEED THE WILDLIFE. It was so tame that we could have patted it if we had known if it had rabies or not. Also saw a very tame crow that was also being feed by a lady. Still driving.
27/5/08 8.55am
We are on the road again. Yesterday we left Bryce Canyon at about 5pm. Decided to find a camping ground and go the rest of the way the next day. Went to some camping grounds, but they were either to expensive or they diddn’t have any vacancies. Finely at about 8pm we found one. Got a cabin. It was very cold outside. We made an outside fire and had dinner. Got ready for bed.
Now since we are a family of 6, on a students wage, we were trying to do this trip cheaply. But there are two meanings to the word cheap. Our cabin was a tiny log cabin, with a bunk and a small double bed. There was a heater and a built on to the wall table and chair and very little floor space. There were four beds and 6 of us.
Sleeping in a bed meant for two small people, with 3 people counting your self, is not the greatest thing in the world, I can tell you, and it is even worse when you are the one squashed in between to other people. After being hit, kicked, rolled on and whacked in the face with a sleeping sibling’s arm. You are not in the best of moods to hear someone begin snoring as you are finely drifting off to sleep. Oh well.
Dad was so kind and slept on the floor so I could get some sleep.
After breakfast, we cleaned up and left at about 7.30am. Drove on into Arizona. Still driving through dessert.
2.36pm
Came to the Grand Canyon gates at about 10am. Payed $80 for a year’s path to any national parks in America. Drove for about an hour before we even got to the Grand Canyon. We arrived at the Grand Canyon car park. Worked along a little path looked at canyon, we thought it was the Grand Canyon and Mum and Dad were saying “oh this is not something, to get really excited about, its not any better then Mt Tiger.
But they changed their point of view when they saw the real Grand Canyon.
It was amazing! I don’t think I could ever put in to words how huge it was. We walked down this narrow path that was in between the two canyons. It did not have any fences. Mum and Dad were rather worried that we would fall, but we got to the lookout safely. It was truly amazing to look down in the huge canyon and not see the bottom! The canyon sides in the distance looked a strange colour because the distance. It made me feel very insignificant standing there! We were on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Went to the gift Shop, had some lunch. Got in car, drove.
5.22pm
Still driving. Pulled off at a road and went to lookout. Where we met some people from Georgia, it was their first time at the Grand Canyon too. Went to more lookouts. As we drove from the Grand Canyon meadow, we saw wild deer grazing . Left Grand Canyon Park. We came to an amazing view it was looking over a place called Soap creek. It looked like a painting. It was over looking what looked like a huge prairie. Yes we are still Driving. By now we are getting rather bored of driving but listening to Prince and the Pauper helps.
7.19pm
We are all rather bored. We are still driving. Mum had packed us snack packs the day before we went. They consisted of prunes, raisins, apricots, and nuts. You could tell who is the most bored by who has the lest in their snack pack. Eating seems to help on a long trip. Usually it was Dad, Paul and I who had the lest. The car that had started of tidily packed and sorted had become a sorry state, with, books, paper, pillows and whole lot of other seemingly needless stuff, (that had seem so essential at the time of packing), were rolling about the floor making it very had to climb in and out of the car. We stopped at a gorge over the Colorado River. . We were now in Indian country. The Navajo Indians’. And yes we are still driving; this trip seems to be mostly driving.
28/5/08
8.20am
Yesterday we arrived in a town called Paige, at about 8.pm. We found a Motel. It was the nicest motel that I have ever been in. Though Mum said it was bottom of the range. I did not care, anything would be better then the last place we had stayed in. It was a big room with a door that you unlocked with a card. It had two double beds and carpet on the floor. We had a good nights sleep.
We left at about 7am the next day. We stopped at Powell Dam. It was huge.
11.18am
We stopped at a place called Antelope Pass at 9am. The land all around us was bright orange sand. We ate breakfast out there in the Arizona desert. Drove. On each side of the road there were huge gorges. The ground would go along and suddenly a huge gorge appeared. I would hate to be a farmer on that land. Saw a lot of wild horses there.
11.49am
Drove into New Mexico. We were at four corners. Four corners is the only place in the USA where four states meet. We were going to go right to the park but it cost top much so we diddn’t. One minute after we had driven into the New Mexico we drove out of it again, into Colorado. After about an hour we drove into a place called Cortez.
4.14pm
Stopped at a little town called Durango at about 12.30pm, had lunch. Then we drove up into the mountains. They were covered in quite deep snow. We stopped at a historic town called Silverton. It was like something out a old western film. We went to see if we could stay in the camp ground but it was too expensive. Drove through more snow covered mountains. Stopped at a look out. There was a tiny house on the mountain that seemed to have no way to get to it but people were living there because we could see their washing hanging out. We drove on the million dollar high way. Came to another town called Wright it was historic too. Stopped at a place in the Rockie Mountains for Dinner.
29/5/08
7am
Yesterday we drove and drove it got dark at about 9pm. We arrived back home at about 11.48pm. The trip was amazing and even though it was long the scenery was always changing. We could go from hot deserts to snow covered mountains in a short time. It was a wonderful experience.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Museum
On the 27/4/08 We drove into the city of Denver to go to the Museum. It was free day so we decided to go. The first thing we saw when we walked in the door was a huge dinosaur skeleton. We walked into a space room that was rather boring, there was also to much people there so we left. To the dismay of some of us who wanted to have a go at driving a tiny rocket. Next we went into a room that was fill of gems and all kinds of different rocks. Dad enjoyed that. Next we went into a room that had Animals and birds, from Australia and Islands around there, New Zealand did not really get much of a mention. We were a bit annoyed about that. Another room we went into had, wolverines, big bears, deer, mousse, sea lions, poler bears, mountain Lions, and much more animals. Then we went to the Dinosaurs bones, that was pretty cool. Some of them were huge! In another part of the museum we saw lots of different kinds of birds. Went outside and went to the park, near by. Had lunch. Went home.
Colorado Springs
Garden of the gods
Garden of the gods
Garden of the gods.
Picnic area 
Chainsaw carvings
Chainsaw carvings
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