Travel Journal

I didn't keep a travel journal in Costa Rica- literally no time. 

But I have a few more pages from my Colorado trip journal to show you- I finished it up the other day.

Finally.

Took me quite awhile for me.
And I didn't get as much done during my journey as I usually do.

This journal is some journaling, some collaging and some things like stickers.

A few little folders that hotel keys and other receipts came in.

I also some images I stamped and cut out and added to the pages.

I found this sheet of old postage stamps at an art sale-with all 5 states on it.  So I was bad and copied them and cut them out and used them for this 4 Corners page. And I punched and added some post cards,

Add a restaurant coaster  and some pictures I cut off a bag.

Stickers, little clear word blocks, stamped images.

I also cut out of those free tourist brochures you can pick up at hotels and other tourist places.

How about a grocery store receipt. Its all part of the trip.

Anything that helps pull the trip together and jog a few memories down the road.

You know, put a smile on your face down the road too.

Next time I take a trip (though I am not exactly sure what that trip will be right now),
I am going to try a new form of journal.
I love this style,
but I think it is time to shake things up a bit.
Not sure what I want to do for a travel journal yet though.
Any suggestions?
Have a great day!

Mesa Verde National Park

If you've heard of Mesa Verde National Park, you know it is famous for the cliff houses built by the ancestral Pueblo people in the 1200's.  Like this one in the photo above.

But there's more too it, if you look around.

We saw wild horses and a coyote and a golden eagle too. Plus some cool scenery.

And the canyons where the cliff houses were built.

Here in New Hampshire we have so many trees that you can't see storms as far away as you can out here in the open lands of the west, I love how you can watch the rain falling and moving across the landscape.

And cool dead trees, all twisted and gnarly.

And if you stay at the Far View Lodges at Mesa Verde, or have dinner or drinks at the Far View Restaurant. you can order a Prickly Pear margarita.

Different, but still yummy.

Really yummy.

The restaurant is a tad bit pricey but very very delicious.

How about a few more shots, a few traditional views of Mesa Verde too.

Heading into school today. Want to do a little bit in my classroom and I have my pre-Costa Rica trip class today. Only 2 days until we leave for our adventure.

Excited, nervous, anxious and can't believe I am going and giving up 10 days of my summer to do such an intense graduate course program.

Proud of myself for going a little bit out of my comfort zone.

Can't believe I am going to the mega heat and humidity when I hate heat and humidity.

I am a crazy woman I think.

Mad at myself that I am going and not just chilling out here at home.

Proud of myself for going on this adventure and excited to see what it brings.

I go back and forth.

Back and forth.

I always hate the actual leaving, then I will be fine.

It is what it is and for some reason I think going is a good thing.

At least I hope so.

See you tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mesa Verde on Dwellable

Oh the Places We Go

Now here's a place that you just have to stop at although once you do you'll say "OK, we drove all that way for this?"

So you can stand in 4 states at once, that's why.

But if you go this far,

you might as well head to this place next.

Monument Valley Tribal Park.

Pretty amazing.

The stone sculptures are natures great art forms.

This place has been on my bucket list for a very long time.

The road through this park is pretty rough. 

We had a 4 wheel drive vehicle and it was ok for us, but man, you could lose the bottom of your car on this road.

Look at the dust this car kicked up. Why would anyone drive through this with their tops down?

Look at the back of our rental car!

Enjoy the view.

Canyonlands National Park

One of the 4 National Parks we visited on our travels was Canyonlands outside of Moab, Utah. I liked this park.I liked the vast rugged scenery.

Here's a few snapshots, all untouched yet.

Above is this arch and the view through it that we  took a short hike out to.

Arches are interesting rock formations, basically they form a big hole in the middle of a piece of rock called a fin.

At least that's how I got it from the placards describing it. 

Didn't want to get too close to edge of this one.

Can you see how it drops off? Eeks. I don't like heights. Stayed as far back as I could on this one.

My family thinks I am nuts, but I insist we take a photo at the entrance park sign. I am always glad to point out that plenty of other people stop and do the same thing.

Looking down in one of the canyons.

We were goofing around and the hubby wanted a photo to look like he fell over the side. Ha-Ha!

Love this big gorge in the ground. Once I touch up these photos with a little light and contrast adjustment they will probably be great.

And we did this hike out to a crater, but we missed the sign and hiked out to view#2, crater and canyons. Glad we did. Katie is celebrating our final arrival end the end of the trail.

This is the crater. The photo needs some darkening because what looks whitish-tan is actually greenish, but there is a lot of light which fades it out. 

Here's the hiking sign we missed. That's because Katie, my 21 year old, was leading us. She had a hard time staying on the trail, maybe because she is more a spa kind of gal than a hiking kind of gal.  But she was a good sport.

Here she is,  enjoying the view.

Hope you did too.

Moab on Dwellable

Travel Snapshots

Can you believe we are almost at the end of July?

Wow!

Summer-as usual-

is FLYING!!!!!
Makes me a little bit down-since I want summer to go on and on and on.
Mainly don't want to give up MY time...no schedules, no 5 day work weeks, no getting up at 4:45 and being so tired at night.
4 weeks to go!
I love my job and I do like working but on the other hand I really wish I could just stay home and pursue other avenues and options in life-like I do in the summer.
And later next week I leave for Costa Rica on a school related immersion trip.
And though I love the adventure that will await me when I go to Costa Rica on this trip, part of me just wants to hang home. Guess I am a little nervous- my first group trip with a set schedule, class time (I am traveling as part of a 3 credit graduate course), having a homestay with some people I have no clue about for 4 nights, not speaking Spanish...
But I am really up for an adventure
and really wanting to stay home and be slightly domestic.
Oh to be so torn-
HA-HA!
Anyhow-
Speaking of traveling-

Thought today I would show you some more photos from my travels with my family to Colorado.

(And Arizona and Utah and technically New Mexico too!)
Today I want to show you some buildings I spied along the side of the road.
In Colorado!

Don't you just love old buildings? Makes me feel like I am back in pioneer days.

This one had painted windows, rather interesting.  Not real curtains or things hanging, part of an old mining settlement at Red Mountain, Colorado.

That's all for today.

Thanks for visiting. Come back again soon.

We're Going Home Today

Our fabulous summer road trip is winding down today. We have a long drive back to Denver from our condo in Moab, Utah to catch our flight back to New Hampshire. Did you know Utah has a holiday today?  I didn't- the 24th if Pioneer Day. Huh?  Who'd known?

I am ready to go home and see my kitties and my puppy.

But how about a few more snapshots from our major road trip.

It is like an oven here in northeast Utah!

Monday we hiked in this heat at Arches National Park.

I think I even had a bit of heat issues. 

Not good.

Luckily Arches is so close to Moab we could leave, go get lunch and come back in the evening for some more hiking.

Then yesterday we went to Canyonlands National Park.

Yesterday we hiked to this hilltop. It was also pretty hot-like 95 degrees. We wanted to go only to the first viewpoint but somehow missed the sign and went to the second viewpoint. It was a great hike, climbing up these rocks. What a finale to this road trip adventure.

Feels good to push yourself and do it.

We even had a nice picnic. I was a lot of fun eating out in one of the little covered picnic table areas.

And we saw so many cool views.

Have you ever been?

Lots of photos still to come in the future.

See you again soon.