Hot damn it's HOT in Texas!  

We asked for heat and we're getting it!  But first, lets back track a bit...  

After enjoying a weekend of AMAZING food, cocktails and all-in-all very cool vibe of Santa Fe, we continued south.  We camped outside of Cloudcroft, a hip little mountain town (yes, a mountain town in New Mexico!) for two nights.  The cooler temperatures were appreciated, especially after a trip down to White Sands National Park, where temperatures averaged just over a hundred.  

White Sands was GORGEOUS!!!  

Imagine pulling into a ski area parking lot after a snow storm, where everything is covered in white.  That is exactly how it felt driving into White Sands Nat'l Park... except you're in New Mexico... in the desert... in the middle of nowhere.  

It was strange, bizarre and absolutely stunning.

Joe even got a little kite board practice in.  

From Cloudcroft, we headed east, through an epic rain/lightening storm, to Roswell.  And what else is there to do in Roswell but check out some aliens!  

The UFO Museum was hilarious and worth the extra few miles.  

From Roswell, we headed back south and found ourselves exploring the depths of Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  The caves are much, MUCH larger than we anticipated.  They continue for miles.  The darkness was lit with perfectly placed light fixtures that almost seemed belonging.  It was damp, a little smelly and incredibly beautiful.  

After a great afternoon, we headed on down to Guadalupe National Park, on the Texas side of the New Mexico/Texas border, where we camped for the next two nights.  

Guadalupe is a relatively small national park with (surprisingly) ever-changing weather.  It almost felt tropical, with sunny mornings and stormy afternoons.  And when it rained... it rained HARD!  The kind of rain that almost hurts.  It was gorgeous.  

During the brief breaks of rain we managed to tend to the camper, who needed a little TLC.  Joe did a fantastic job fixing some minor damage caused by avoiding a near accident.

The next morning we headed out on a beautiful hike through the mountains.  The fog came and shifted around us and it tried to rain but managed to stay mostly dry.  We even got a little sunshine towards the end.  Perhaps the most exciting part of the hike was the family of mountain goats we encountered! 

After Guadalupe, we made the fairly long trek on down through West Texas to Big Bend National Park, along the Mexico border.  When they say West Texas is vast, sparse and hot with seemingly endless roads leading to what feels like nowhere... well, they're absolutely right.  And that is exactly the beauty of driving through West Texas.

Big Bend is an enormous park and is desert in every form.  We saw a rattlesnake, a coachwhip snake, a band of javelinas, roadrunners and numerous bizarre (and large) insects.  

The Rio Grande creates the southern boundary of the park, separating United States from Mexico.  It was our first time seeing Mexico at arms reach without crossing border checkpoints and rather surreal seeing a river you could simply walk across, stand in Mexico, yet be in serious trouble with our government if you do. 

The first and third nights were spent up in the mountains with fairly cool temperatures (high 80s), while the second night was spent down in the valley, along the river, at about 105 degrees.  You can imagine why we headed back to the hills.  We enjoyed two great hikes through the Chisos Mountains and attempted to relax in the famous hot springs (part of the Rio Grande) that were rather muddy and unpleasant.

We are proud to say that Big Bend was our seventeenth national park this summer! 

It has been a long trek through West Texas, but we will soon be in San Antonio and Austin.  We are looking forward to BBQ, Shiner Bock's and some serious country music!      

We spent an unexpected amount of time in Colorado.  As mentioned before, we LOVE Colorado!  Not only did we get a brief escape from the heat, but it felt a lot like home.  

Denver really is a great city.  We lucked out with our own local tour guide!  It was SOO much fun catching up with Alex, an old high school friend who I haven't seen in TWELVE years!!  A HUGE thanks goes out to Alex for showing us the city.  We hopped on bikes, stopped at bars and toured the town.  

For those who know Joe well, another highlight of Denver was touring the Coors Brewery, just outside of town.  By 'touring' I should add that we simply flew through the facility in order to make it to the bar for free beer.  We both have a pretty clear idea on how beer is made, anyway.  

After a few great days in Denver (and getting the truck fixed) we headed up to Boulder, which proved to be a very cool town.  At the base of the Rockies and home to University of Colorado, Boulder is a mix of college kids, adventure enthusiasts and of course individuals with a bit of wealth.  

We camped that night in the super cute little hippie town of Nederland, just 18 miles west of Boulder.   We took advantage of a great hike the next morning to (yet another) Blue Lake.  This was the third 'Blue Lake' we have hiked.  We even saw not one, but TWO, enormous moose!   

Our next stop was further north in a town called Estes Park, which sits at the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park.  We enjoyed a few beers and walking around town before getting up early to explore the Rockies.  

The 50 mile long drive through Rocky Mountain National Park was spectacular.  Views were gorgeous and driving at just over 12,000 feet on an extremely narrow, certain-death-on-one-side road was something to remember.  

We saw herds and herds of elk!

The next day we got the pleasure of seeing two very good friends, PK and Laura, who were in town for a wedding!  We met them in Boulder for drinks and camped that night in Nederland.  It was a blast having 'house guests'!  After recovering from a rather brief hangover, we managed a great breakfast in town and hike before they flew back to San Francisco that evening.  The hike began with sunshine and heat and ended with the most intense hail/rain/thunder/lightening storm that continued through the night!  Unfortunately delaying their flight back home, too.  

We were lucky to see another moose before the heavy rain hit!

After saying goodbye to PK and Laura and getting the truck fixed AGAIN, it was time to leave the Boulder/Denver area.  We headed south for Great Sands National Park before making our way to New Mexico.  

Great Sands was phenomenal.  You can see the dunes for miles and miles before entering the park, but it is not until you are standing right at the base before realizing how massive they really are!  

We hiked for hours in the heat and wind. 

But eventually thunder and lightening lingered our way, and it was time to turn around.  

As you can probably tell, we are very fond of Colorado.  But, summer is moving forward and it was time for us to do so as well.

We started our New Mexico tour with the small artsy town of Taos, just north of Santa Fe.  We enjoyed a great afternoon of walking around, checking out Western shops, but most importantly tasting our first authentic 'New Mexican' chili.  And I am HOOKED.  

Santa Fe has us craving even more.  Mole, enchiladas, rellenos, tamales, carne avocado, gazpacho... Seriously, I can't stop eating in this town.  

We also enjoyed a great evening in the town plaza last night with a classic car show and live music.  Not to mention the sunshine!  And tequila...  lots and lots of tequila.  This morning was rough.  But after some spicy mexican food and yet another margarita, we are back on track!  And are very, very excited to be in New Mexico!  

After two months on the road, here are a few things we miss most about home...

an income

...

our couch

...

a LONG and HOT shower

And (ironically) what we miss least about home...

working 

We love Colorado.

LOVE IT!!!  

We have had the best time exploring Colorado's small mountain towns.  Not to mention the much cooler temperatures.  Although, I'm getting anxious to get back in the heat.  (Is the grass really always greener??)  What's crazy is that Colorado is in a epic draught and the state has been consumed with record life-threatening fires, yet since we've arrived we have had nothing but rain... And TONS of it!!!  But, that is the selfish side of me speaking, the rain is welcomed and much deserved.  

Many have questioned if we have been near the fires.  The largest and most damaging is in Colorado Springs, which is much further east then where we have been traveling.  However, Mancos Valley, outside of Mesa Verde, had a pretty scary one that we drove right past on our way to Durango.  We couldn't believe the highway was open!  They say it was nearly contained and under control, but seeing a fire this close left us feeling uneasy. 

After Mesa Verde National Park, we began our trek across the state.  Our intentions were to simply explore southern Colorado and make our way back south through New Mexico... But we have loved each town so much we kept heading north!  

To begin, we spent a great early afternoon in Durango.  Durango has a South Hill of Spokane feel with town being adjacent to the beautiful neighborhoods.  Tons of hip bars, cafes and shops.  We found ourselves in an Irish bar for lunch and a few pints.  Later we discovered an awesome microbrewery, Durango Brewing Co, which happens to be the third oldest microbrewery in Colorado.  

We found a great campsite off a forest service road north of town that night.  The moon shined so bright that evening we decided a dance party outside was a must.  Needless to say, we were both hungover the next day.  

We made a stop in Ouray on our way to Telluride.  A little hair of the dog at the Ouray Brewery served us just right.  

Telluride is AMAZING.  The drive itself was stunning and the town was, well, rich town, but in the most modest way.  Hip shops, tons of cool bars and great breweries.  We would love to come back and ski in the winter!  

We found another service road campsite (translation: free) outside of town with a gorgeous view of the mountains.  

The next day we went on an amazing overnight hike to Blue Lakes, recommend by a bartender in Telluride.  Being just outside of town the hike was fairly popular, but for good reason.  The hike was relatively short, 3.3 miles to the first lake, but the elevation gain was intense!  We camped at the first lake, which sat right at the tree line, and hiked to the other two lakes the following morning.  

(lake one)

It poured rain at the beginning of our hike and much harder that night.  Being from the northwest, we were sure to pack our blue tarp, the ultimate rain cover, and it saved us!  We woke to sunshine the next morning with more clouds and rain that afternoon.  

(lake two)

(lake three)

Wildflowers were in bloom and lined the trail and lake surroundings.  So beautiful!  We saw thousands of butterflies, marmots and even a robin feeding newborns.  

And of course we took advantage of natural resources to chill our much deserved two beers we brought along with us.  

And a final note on Telluride... You know the Ralph Lauren adds with the perfect barn, mountains in the background, super cool old school jeep and beautiful people?  The Ralph Lauren ranch actually exists right at the turn off to this hike.  

From Telluride, we made it to Aspen where we spent the 4th of July.  Aspen is also gorgeous, but most certainly defined by money.  Expensive shops line the streets (Gucci, Prada, etc) and people just look rich.  We didn't feel the charm as Telluride, but we still had a great time!  

We spent the afternoon of the 4th in town until it began to DUMP RAIN and the drunks came out.  So, we drove out of town, found a campsite, cozied up in the mahal with whiskey and cheap beer, and had our own party!  We headed back to Aspen the next morning when the sun was out and the town was quiet.  We had a great time that morning!  The Aspen Brewing Co. was certainly a hit.  

Our tour continues on to Breckenridge, another awesome ski town, where we currently are.  We are loving this town!  Again, great bars and shops, and very chill.  As we speak, I'm sitting in a coffee shop catching up on blogging and internet while Joe is mountain biking down the Breckenridge slopes (he took the gondola up the mountain).  I'm looking forward to a) making sure he makes it down safe and b) hearing how awesome it was!  

We head to Denver tomorrow and look forward to doing some repairs on the truck and catching up with an old high school friend!  Alex, thank you so much for all the awesome Colorado recommendations!!!  

Joe and I are sitting here in a cafe in beautiful Aspen, CO with bloody mary's and coffee thinking back on our time in the desert.  Temperatures have cooled tremendously and we have even experienced quite a bit of rain.  Which, is much needed right now in Colorado as much of the state is consumed with fire and drought.  And of course it poured down rain yesterday, being the Fourth of July, with clear and sunny skies today.  But lets back track a bit...

Arches and Canyonlands National Parks ended our tour across Utah.  Utah is vast, beautiful and mysterious.  Arches proved exactly that.  Of course it was hot (100's) and packed with travelers.  But like other crowded national parks, as mentioned in previously posts, we slowed down, embraced the crowds and discovered our own trail.  We hiked to a few famous arches, including Landscape Arch, Double O Arch, Windows Arches, Double Arches, etc.  Naturally, given the time of year, campsites in the park were booked.  We found a great spot along the Colorado River for two nights.  However, although on the river, the desert won and it was damn hot.  Including at night!  For the first time we slept without blankets.  Not even a sheet.  It was near impossible to find relief from the brutal heat.  But, we managed to survive!  

Notice Joe on top of the above arch! 

After Arches we made our way through high desert to Canyonlands National Park, about thirty miles from Moab.  There was absolutely no one around and temperatures dropped about twelve degrees.  Canyonlands has four distinct regions:  Island in the Sky, the Maze, the Needles and the Rivers.  We explored the Island in the Sky, and as the name reveals it is a high desert plateau.  

We enjoyed the silence and uniqueness that surrounded us.  And not to mention the somewhat cooler temperatures (90s instead of 100s).

Before leaving the area, we took advantage of Moab's famous slick rock mountain bike trails!  Joe and I took different routes and after about an hour we met back up.  What a blast!  And certainly a challenge.  

After a great morning of riding we left Moab and headed south.  We made our way through Monument Valley, along the Utah/Arizona border, Four Corners and eventually crossed the Colorado border to Mesa Verde National Park.  

We really enjoyed exploring Mesa Verde National Park.  Ancestral Pueblo people made this area their home for over 700 years.  There are roughly 600 original cliff dwellings that are still in tact today.  It was truly amazing!  We were able to explore the inside of two dwellings and see from a distance many others.  The most spectacular one that we explored is called Balcony House.  We took a tour that led us up steep ladders, through narrow walkways and tunnels.  

After Mesa Verde, we made our way east and then north through some great small towns of Colorado including Durango, Silverton, Ouray and Telluride.  I must add here that Colorado is a breath of fresh air coming from Utah.  Yes, Utah is gorgeous but damn the rules are weird.  It's nice to be able to enter a bar and order a beer without a lecture on how you must order food with purchase of drink.   

But I will save these small town treats for a future post.  Until next time...