We left the beautiful state of New Mexico and arrived at our destination at the Thousand Trails Blue Mesa Recreational Ranch on May 8th in Gunnison, CO for a 9-night stay. It had been a while since we stayed at a Thousand Trails park, so it was nice to not pay for our stay here. The RV park is situated in a picturesque area, surrounded by mountains, some of which still had snow. We climbed up the mountain at the back of the RV park to reach snow patches for Myah's playtime.
Pat was able to fish in the nearby reservoir and caught some good-sized rainbow trout.
Blue Mesa Recreational Ranch
We enjoyed hiking around the park as well as visiting nearby Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. This is a truly amazing park, and we especially liked that Myah was allowed on the trails. Most National Parks prohibit dogs on most trails with the exception of limited paved paths and campgrounds.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Before leaving Gunnison, we visited Crested Butte, a quaint ski town nestled in the Rocky Mountains. We enjoyed walking around the historic town and stopped for delicious vegan pizza at Secret Stash. We also found a few patches of snow for Myah to play in before heading back to the RV.
Crested Butte
On May 17th, we arrived at the Grand Junction KOA in Grand Junction, CO for a quick, 4-night stay. We had a great time exploring the historic downtown Grand Junction. We visited nearby Colorado National Monument and were impressed with this amazing park. We enjoyed hiking the trails and admiring the red cliffs and unique rock formations.
Downtown Grand Junction and Colorado National Moument
We entered the state of Utah on May 21st and stayed at the Sun Outdoors Canyonlands Gateway in Moab for a 5-night stay. I chose this RV park because it is close to both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Utah has 5 major national parks: Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef. We had previously visited Zion and Bryce, but the last 3 were still on our bucket list.
I had seen pictures of Arches and Canyonlands, however, experiencing these beautiful places in person is truly an amazing experience. The landscape in both parks can be explained as other-worldly. Arches, with its more than 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the iconic Delicate Arch didn't disappoint. Canyonlands is known for its deep canyons, carved by the Colorado River is equally stunning.
There are some nice paved biking paths close to the RV Park, so we took advantage by riding our bikes during our stay.
Moab and Arches
Canyonlands
We were also near to Dead Horse Point State Park, and since if was dog-friendly, we decided to check it out. The deep red colors of this canyon and the Colorado River below reminded me of The Grand Canyon. It was another beautiful day to take a hike!
Dead Horse Point State Park
On May 26th, we made our way to Torrey, UT, near Capitol Reef National Park, and settled into Wonderland RV Park for a 5-night stay.
Wonderland RV Park
Capitol Reef was equally, if not more beautiful than the other 2 parks. This park is known for the Waterpocket Fold, a nearly 100-mile-long warp in the Earth's crust, resulting in striking geological formations. We spent our time hiking and exploring this unique landscape.
Capitol Reef National Park
We felt so fortunate to experience these incredible national parks that had been lingering on our never-ending bucket list. Each park had its own unique features and epic landscapes. They are places that need to be seen to really appreciate their beauty.
We headed North on May 31st, to visit our son and grandson for 2 weeks in Ogden, UT. As you may remember, our son, Eric, is stationed at Hill Air Force Base. Fortunately, we are able to stay at the base Famcamp (RV Park) while visiting. We spent 2 weeks having a great time with our son and grandson, Ethan.
Family time in Ogden!
A few years ago, Eric and I made a pact with each other to go skydiving together some day. We found a place in Ogden and booked it! Surprisingly, we were pretty calm before the jump, but we both found the experience to be exhilarating. It is something that is hard to describe, and it goes by so fast. I had expected it to feel like flying, similar to when I went paragliding. Skydiving feels more like falling at extreme acceleration. Now that I have done it, I wouldn't hesitate do it again. I think the 2nd time would be even better because I now know what to expect.
Mother and son skydiving experience.
We bought new E-bikes while in the Salt Lake City area. We found the bikes we had been researching at a local bike shop. The bikes needed to meet certain criteria, including being light enough for the bike rack. We were looking for bikes with good range and power so that we would be able to ride for longer distances and not get burned out on hills. The Adventon Level.2 bikes fit the bill. We broke them in during our time in Ogden, going on a few rides around the area. We found a dog trailer for sale on FB Marketplace and bought it so we can take Myah along, too!
Testing out the new E-bikes!
Two weeks passed by in the blink of an eye, and before we realized it, it was time to head to Idaho Falls. Eric and Ethan decided to tag along for part of our stay, which meant we didn't have to bid farewell just yet.