Yay—we are back on the road! After spending April, May, and half of June in Texas self-isolating and waiting out coronavirus closings, we are finally venturing out again. We didn’t really know what to expect after all of the shutdowns, but so far things have gone well. As we stopped at stores, campgrounds, and gas stations along the way people were pretty good at social distancing, mask wearing, and using no-touch payment options. While it is definitely a different feel during these current times, we are happy to be on the move and enjoying the outdoors.
On our way north we stopped outside of Amarillo, Texas, to see Cadillac Ranch. Out in an empty field on the side of I-40 (old Route 66) are ten old cadillacs half-buried nose down in the dirt. A group of art hippies from San Francisco came up with the design back in 1974 and now people still flock to see the cars and maybe add their own spray paint designs. I guess now we can say “been there, done that.”
Colorado
We also were able to stop in Canon City, Colorado, to see good friends Gunn and Toni. We enjoyed seeing their house and all of the amazing vegetables and grapevines they grow in their large garden. It was a fun reunion and we savored a delicious dinner together.
We were happy to be heading north to Colorado Springs and into some cooler weather after the Texas heat showed its face in May. This is our 2nd year to visit the US Air Force Academy and we were happy to get our same spot again at Peregrine Pines Campground there. They were allowing only 60% occupancy due to the coronavirus, but campers (with reservations only) were filling up the spots that were available and people were mostly keeping to themselves.
With social distancing guidelines and mask requirements, we spent lots of time outdoors. We enjoyed seeing my family and spending time together. Golf, hiking, biking, board games, and picnics were just some of the fun….and a little bit of shopping (with masks on!).
Originally we had not planned to be in Colorado until later in the summer, but with many things closed due to the virus we changed our itinerary. I am so thankful for that change as I got to visit with my father before he passed away suddenly after complications from a fall.
Wyoming
After our month in Colorado, we continued north to explore a little of Wyoming on our way towards South Dakota. We made an overnight stop at Terry’s Bison Ranch in Cheyenne, which is a real working ranch with over 2000 bison. It’s a little toursity but we enjoyed seeing the animals, listening to some good music, and eating a delicious meal at Senator’s Steakhouse (at socially distanced tables, of course). Bison is definitely the theme there! You can also rent ATVs, go on a horseback ride, or take the train out to the bison fields.
Farther north, we stopped in the picturesque little town of Lusk for the night and visited the Stagecoach Museum. The museum houses a little bit of everything from dinosaurs to early settler memorabilia. They proudly display an 1860 stagecoach used on the famed Cheyenne-Black Hills Stage & Express Line. In fact, the whole town gets into the stagecoach theme!
The next day we went to Devil’s Tower, which was named the nation’s first National Monument in 1906 by Teddy Roosevelt. One feature that makes this 1200 foot structure so striking is the massive vertical columns that are 6-sided. These columns appear as lines and grooves on the faces of Devil’s Tower and give it a unique look from each side.
According to native legend, the strange formation was made by giant bears clawing at a mountain to reach a princess on the summit. According to scientists, it’s an igneous intrusion where magma from the Earth’s mantle welled up between chunks of sedimentary rock that later eroded away. Either way it is amazing to look at!
Although the Visitor Center was closed during our visit, there are several nice hiking trails around the park that give you great views of this astounding geologic feature and the countryside below. You may remember seeing Devil’s Tower as an alien landing site in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. We watched it again after our visit just for kicks, but learned that most of the film was made in California and Alabama.
It has been awhile since we’ve added a new state, so we were happy to add Wyoming to our travel map! We would have liked to stay longer and see more of Wyoming, but that will have to be a trip for another time. From there we continued on to South Dakota…stay tuned for the next post.
We really enjoy your travels especially seeing the wonderful photos of the places. The narrative helps us to feel like we are on the trip too.
Safe travels,
PS = Robin, our condolences. We were sorry to learn about the loss of your dad. Tell Mike hello. Safe travels…
Thank you David & Carol. We’ve added a new feature on the sidebar of the blog that lists where we are traveling for the month. You’ll have to let us know if our paths will cross again in San Angelo!
We’re so glad we had this time together, it was so good to have y’all here.
We love our time spent with family!!
I’m so sorry for your loss, I lost my Dad 2 years ago.. You take beautiful photos! We have camped twice but only in our state of NC. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Cathy, Thanks for checking out my blog and for your nice comments. We had never camped much either earlier in life, but are finding it is lots of fun now that we are retired. North Carolina is beautiful–we hope to get to the east coast soon. My condolences on losing your dad as well.
You visited two places still on our must-see list – Cadillac Ranch and Devils Tower. Cadillac Ranch sounds pretty terrible, actually, but we have to see it! 🙂 Devils Tower looks amazing and we really want to get there, just haven’t been in the neighborhood yet. Love your photos of both. We are glad to be back on the road, too and it’s been nice getting to cooler spots. Texas was a bit too toasty! Sorry to hear about your dad. Hope you’re doing ok.
Hi Laura, Glad you are traveling again too! We were hoping to see y’all on the road in Alaska this summer but we all know how that went. lol
Cadillac Ranch was sort of a letdown, but since we’ve always heard about it we had to do it. Devil’s Tower is definitely worth the trip, though. I’ve seen your posts about Idaho and it looks amazing….and cooler! Thanks for your condolences on my dad– while I am sad, I am definitely thankful for that time with him.
Another great adventure! I would LOVE to visit Wyoming one day too. Thanks for sharing the family photos. I miss ya’ll and I am deeply saddened about your dad.
Hey Sandi, Wyoming is such an iconic western state and has much to see. I hope you are able to visit it one day. Thanks for your sweet words–miss you too!
Great article! I’m living through your post.
Hey Sherri–thanks for checking out my post. We loved spending time in Colorado and seeing family especially!