| Date: | Staying in: | Flag: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 July 1994 |
Pueblo Motel |
|
Convention in Colorado Springs |
| 31 July 1994 |
Marilyn & Mark's Cabin |
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Royal Gorge |
| 1 Aug 1994 |
Mark & Marilyn's Cabin |
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Mesa Verde |
| 2 Aug 1994 |
Marilyn & Mark's Cabin |
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Durango & Silverton Rail Road |
| 3 Aug 1994 |
Mark & Marilyn's Cabin |
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Shark Tooth Pass Hike |
| 4 Aug 1994 |
Flagstaff Motel |
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Monument Valley |
| 5 Aug 1994 |
Flagstaff Motel |
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Grand Canyon |
| Date: | Staying in: | Flag: | Comment: |
| 6 Aug 1994 |
Las Vegas Motel |
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Hoover Dam |
| 7 Aug 1994 |
Las Vegas Motel |
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Toured Sin City |
| 8 Aug 1994 |
Private B&B |
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Zion National Park |
| 9 Aug 1994 |
Capitol Reef Motel |
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Bryce Canyon National Park |
| 10 Aug 1994 |
Colorado Motel |
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Colorado National Monument |
| 11 Aug 1994 |
Idaho Springs Motel |
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Aspen, Leadville & Vail |
| 12 Aug 1994 |
Idaho Springs Motel |
|
Rocky Mountain Nat. Pk. |
| 13 Aug 1994 |
Sleeping on the aeroplane |
 |
Denver Transportation Museum |
| Date: | Staying in: | Flag: | Comment: |
I flew from Gatwick at 13:55 to Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado with my father Harry, my brother David and my sister-in-law Pam.
We hired a big car and drove south, but Colorado Springs was busy with a convention,
so we pressed on to a motel in Pueblo.
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On the first full day, we visited the Royal Gorge, before driving most of the way south west across Colorado.
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We arrived late at my colleague Marilyn's magnificent mountain cabin between Cortez, Dolores and Mancos, near the Four (State) Corners Monument.
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Mark, her husband, gave us our first authentic, western barbeque!
We visited Mesa Verde (Green Table), which is the most famous archaeological, rather than scenic, National Park in the USA. The sites here are some of the most notable and best preserved Pueblo settlements in the United States. We explored the Balcony House, not the more famous Cliff Palace!
David & Pam took the famous narrow gauge rail road steam train from Durango to Silverton, whilst my father and I drove up. In the old mining town we swapped over, with David & Pam driving back down as my father and I took the steam train. I still have the D&SNGRR belt buckle! That day we dined on my favourite Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
We went on a scenic hike up to the Shark Tooth Pass in the San Juan National Forest, but didn't see any bears!
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That evening Mark gave us a magnificent steak barbeque!
That morning we left M&M's lovely cabin and drove south west past the Four Corners into Monument Valley, scene of many western films.
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Later we stopped off at the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. That evening we had a steak dinner in Flagstaff, Arizona.
We drove north to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, where my father paid for the four of us to go up in a light aircraft. So we saw both rims and the magnificent canyon itself. We also took in the IMAX huge screen film, the Story of the Grand Canyon. That evening we had another steak dinner back in Flagstaff, Arizona.
We headed west along the freeway, before turning off on to the historic Route 66 highway. We went in the impressive Grand Canyon Caverns which are dry with no stalagmites or stalactites. At the Hoover Dam the temperature in the sun was 118 degrees F, 48 degrees C, the hottest I have ever been, so I retreated back into the air conditioned car!
We stayed two nights in a motel in Downtown Las Vegas (NOT on the infamous Strip!) with a swimming pool on its roof. We spent the middle day touring the dubious sights of Las Vegas. They have to be seen to be believed, but I won't be hurrying back!
We headed north east crossing over into Utah, the Mormon state. In the morning we visited Zion National Park and in the afternoon saw the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State (not National) Park. We stayed the night in our first and only private home Bed & Breakfast (B&B) which was more expensive than any of our motels!
In the morning we visited Bryce Canyon National Park, while in the afternoon we went to Capitol Reef National Park:
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Back in Colorado State, we visited Monument Canyon which is the centre piece of the Colorado National Monument:
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This day we toured the former mining towns, now mountain resorts, of Aspen, Leadville and Vail, but didn't get to Breckenridge.
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We drove north and then around the Rocky Mountains National Park:
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Unfortunately we didn't have time to hike up to St. Mary's Glacier, which was fortuitous as it is only a semi-permanent snowfield!
In the morning we visited the Forney Museum of Transportation with its impressive old steam locomotives:
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We flew home at 20:25 from Stapleton Airfield near Denver, the International Airport not yet open, having problems with its novel baggage transportation system.
We got back to London Gatwick (LGW) airport at 12:25 after a fantastic holiday!