Colorado vacation observations:

Day 1: Manhattan to Wichita to Denver to Albuquerque to Santa Fe…oh my

Or was it the day my kids said “What the @#!? Didn’t you give us 3 trips last Christmas for this year or 1 trip from a choice of three. Gift was unclear. Colorado was not one of them and we weren’t invited and we haven’t gone anywhere yet!”

Day 2: Santa Fe to Abiquiu to Pagosa Springs to Durango

Or was it the day when we were already full from the best dinner we had on the trip but ate a big southwest breakfast anyway. Or the day when my husband with his KSU agronomy shirt and K-State hat was yelled at…Go Cats…EMAW…Rock Chalk-we ignored that one. Or the day when 3 different people at 3 separate places in Abiquiu asked us if we knew the Nobles. They live in Manhattan, from Ireland. They must be special people. And no we do not know them.

Day 3: Durango

Or the day we forgot the Dramamine we made a special stop for the day before to take a rocking 6 hour train ride from Durango to Silverton and back. Or the day we realized we had just taken a train ride with a steam engine a few weeks earlier in Abilene. Did we really need to travel this far?

Day 4: Durango to Mesa Verde

Or the day we had to get up early to drive 2 1/2 hours, though only 64 miles, through winding switchback roads. The Dramamine did come in handy this day. Or the day we walk a mile to climb down a mountain then up a ladder to see cliff dwellings with kivas, (new words were learned as well) just to realize we have to walk back up that mountain and the 1 mike trek back to the car. The cliff dwellings were worth the effort though. How the heck did those people build them or even get to them on the side of cliffs?

Day 5: Mesa Verde to Albuquerque

Or the day we had nothing planned so we could sleep in and relax. Isn’t that what you are supposed to do on vacation? Watch the sun rise, observe the antlered dear eating breakfast. OK that did happen! Or the day when we actually got last minute tickets to another cliff dwelling. No hiking to this one. Should have booked it in the first place. Or the day when you have a boring drive 4 hours back to Albuquerque where there are no towns or anything along the way until we read a sign…Chaco National Historical Park. 20 miles of unpaved bumpy roads to get to dwellings you could walk through…what an adventure.

Day 6: Albuquerque to Denver to Wichita to Manhattan

Or the day my husband has a business call in the Denver airport. Isn’t he retired? We should be home soon. Well after the 4 hour layover then the one hour flight and the 2 hour drive home. There could be more Or stories. I guess this trip has a few hours to go!

Take the trip, eat the cake, buy the shoes (I only took 3 pair by the way- though I took 7 for a weekend golf trip last week, that might be an observation for others to make:) Have fun!