Colorado

Catching up

by Ingrid

First off, allow me to extend a heart-felt thank you to all of you who commented on my last post.  I appreciate your warm thoughts beyond words and hope Rhonda and family have found some comfort in them as well.  Rhonda wrote a final post sharing Wayne’s last days and a selfless act.  That post can be viewed here for anyone interested.  Thank you again for your care, concern, and friendship.

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With Moab in the rear view mirror, it wasn’t long before we pulled into site #3 at the James M. Robb State Park Campground near Grand Junction, Colorado.  We really enjoy staying here and since we pass through Grand Junction regularly this has become our go to stop for spending a few days while in the area.

Colorado State Parks
Colorado National Monument

Colorado State ParksThe stunning Colorado National Monument acts as a beautiful backdrop to the James M. Robb State Park…. a sight that never gets old.

During our ten-day stay, we had a couple of things to tend to, but most importantly a lot of catching up to do.  You see, my brother and his wife live in Grand Junction, and a year had passed since our last visit.

Fruita Colorado
James M. Robb State Park, Fruita, Colorado

First on the agenda was dinner with brother and sis-in-law, which became a recurring event during our stay.  Yum, is all I have to say as sis-in-law is a great cook.  Unfortunately, due to the combination of my brother’s work schedule and the ever fickle weather, we weren’t able to take any memorable hikes together during this visit.  You can click here to read about one of our epic hikes a couple of years ago.  The thought of that hike still makes me laugh.Colorado National Monument

It’s impossible not to explore the “Monument” and for any first time visitor I would highly recommend the 23 mile Rim Rock Road scenic drive.  The road takes you to the top of the mesa with numerous scenic overlooks giving a visitor a bird’s eye view of some spectacular scenery.

After taking in the scenery from the car, next up is hitting the trails.  One of my all time favorite hikes was one I did with my sister-in-law almost 2 years ago and ever since then, I’ve wanted to share that trail with hubby.hiking in Colorado

So on our first rain free day, Al and I set out around nine in the morning to tackle the Lower Monument Canyon Trail.Colorado National Monument

After a 2 1/2 mile trek, we found ourselves at the base of the stunning 450 foot tall monolith named Independence Monument; our destination.  The post from the hike with my sister-in-law offers a little more info.  If interested, you can click here.

Colorado National Weather
We were down in that canyon at the base of the Independence Monument – rock monolith
Colorado National Monument
Al on the trail ahead of me returning to the trailhead

Colorado National MonumentAfter spending a little time taking in the sight of the beautiful canyon, we retraced our tracks back to the trailhead making for a great 5 mile hike.

Colorado breweryToward the end of our stay, we met Mike and Linda for lunch at the Edgewater Brewery and on our last evening we met Pam and John for a quick bite at Suds Brother’s Brewery.

Let’s see….. we took care of a couple of scheduled appointments, took in the fantastic scenery, got in some exercise, visited with family AND visited a couple of brew pubs with fellow bloggers.

All in all, it was a great visit to western Colorado.  Now it’s time to move on.  I have a feeling there could be a little more social gatherings in our near future.  You never know who we’ll bump into in Denver this summer!Colorado National Monument

Grand Junction Hiking Guide (The Pruett Series)

I recently started a food blog called “Dally in the Galley”
Feel free to stop by – click here

51 thoughts on “Catching up”

  1. Gorgeous scenery and places Ingrid . Dipping in and out of your posts and LuAnn’s makes me want to book a flight and get my boots out 🙂
    Happy travels !

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    1. Come on down and join the fun 🙂 The west is filled with more stunning scenery than one could explore in a lifetime. Sure is fun trying. Always nice hearing from you.

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      1. just seen your reply Ingrid … we stopped at Fruita and picked apples with a funny old fashioned contraption from an orchard nearby. We loved the original little Fruita school !

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  3. That looks like yet another great place to camp! So, is that rock named “big mouth?” 😉 Also wanted to make sure the weather there hasn’t treated you badly. Heard from a friend that a big hail storm recently hit the Denver area? Hope all is well!

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    1. It’s been raining every afternoon and we did have some pea size hail the other day, but nothing serious at our current location at Chatfield SP (Denver). Other parts of Denver Metro didn’t fair as well. Thank you for your concern 🙂
      I know that rock was funny. I thought it looked like a giant frog.

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    1. Awe, aren’t you sweet. The fun continues….I just went to a Luke Bryan concert with my daughter. Not used to staying out half the night with a 25 year old 😉

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      1. I saw him concert a few years back…! I also went with a “young thang!” My friends niece.
        Oh and I can feel your pain about staying out late! I just can’t do it anymore!

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  5. Thanks for the great post about Fruita and the state park. All I know of Grand Junction is St. Marys Hospital and oncology as that is where Joe was diagnosed with cancer and started chemo after major surgery to reattach his lungs. Hopefully that is all behind us and our next visit to the area will be following your footsteps.

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    1. I do remember your posts about Joe’s treatments. Hopefully you can go back and have fun exploring the area. Perhaps take that fantastic Jeep of yours down to Ouray for some high country adventure. Black Bear Pass should be a treat.

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  7. Wonderful photos of stunning scenery! I love the rock formations. We missed this part of Colorado last year and will add it to our list of places to check out. Thanks so much for this post.

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    1. Very true…. there’s a lack of lush, green gardens around this part of America. Ah, but when I go east this summer, I’ll be back in farm country – rolling hills of green 🙂

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  11. Easy to tell how MUCH you enjoyed your stop here! We just discovered the Colorado National Monument on our way West in ’13 and I’m hoping that next spring when we anticipate our daughter wanting to meet up with us near Moab that after she leaves I want to spend some time in GJ, and return. Lovely shots!

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    1. After GJ you’ll need to venture south toward Ouray if you already haven’t. I just love the western slope of Colorado; Crested Butte, Telluride, Black Canyon of the Gunnison…. the list goes on. Let me know if I can offer any suggestions.

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  12. Would love to get back to Colorado, but our only trips will be in the Winter so we may help our elders the rest of the time…Back road to Cripple Creek was one of our more harrowing drives. That was about 30 years ago..It’s probably all paved and 2 lane by now.

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    1. Nope, Phantom Canyon Road hasn’t changed and with the recent excess of rain around CO, the road experienced some mud slides and damage. That’s one road I’ll NEVER take again. Colorado is so pretty in July when the mountain wildflowers are out…. some thing to consider down the road 🙂

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  13. I did some checking on the campground. It is a winner for sure. Love your last photo! And very jealous you were with Pam and John…hehe

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    1. Thank you. The beauty of this trail was it was out and back and very clearly marked so no need for a map. Some of the others, not quite so easy.

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  18. Great post, Ingrid. Made me want to grab my boots and hit the trail. Really miss those long scenic hikes that we just don’t have around these parts of Michigan.

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    1. Thanks Judy. Yep, the Midwest is quite different than the west. We’ll be visiting the UP in August and hitting a SP or two that you blogged about. I hope the weather holds for us.

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  19. Thanks for this. We’re planning a few days at Grand Junction in Sep and look forward to your posts about the area,

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  20. I’m so sorry about the loss of your blogging friend. Sometimes life is so very sad. It looks like you’re enjoying your time in Colorado and keeping busy!

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  21. I am so glad you did blogs on this area. We had a wonderful time exploring the Monument. It made feel like I was still in Utah:) Of course, having time for a get together with you and Al is always a fun time:) Looking forward to seeing you before we leave Denver!

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    1. GJ is a beautiful area with a continuation of that Moab red rock. We always have a great time in the area and meeting up with fellow bloggers was icing on the cake. See you soon!

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