Alright, got a gig out in Eastern Colorado but there were issues(namely my jello filled skull that day) and we found ourselves headed towards Western Colorado. A layover before the job was going to start and we(my oldest kid and I) decided to head into Utah. Never been there before so since it was on our doorstep sort of speak, why not.
Moab, nice little town. Red Rock Bakery and Café on main street, Awesome cinnamon roll, great raspberry jam. A stout cup of joe to get you going in the morning for that long hike thru the canyons and handmade bagels. Thumbs up to the ladies there! A Japanese style sushi restaurant on Central I believe, hit it out of the park with my Udon noodle dish. The hotel, clean, nice, but $189 for that room and I get John Wayne toilet paper? I understand tourist season but it was just a normal room.
Anyhow, cool place. Went out all day in the Arches National Park, that was awesome!! A spiritual enlightening sitting between the arch, breeze blowing and nothing as far as the eye could see. The heat?? 97 degrees out and barely breaking a sweat. The whole dry heat thing I have been hearing about is true. 97 degrees in Tennessee and every last thread of clothing is soaked with sweat in mere minutes just walking up the driveway. I walked for miles and on my lower back under my backpack was wet, that was it.
Hydrate, darn tooting! That dry air sucks the moisture right out of you. In Tennessee you're aware you are losing fluids because your shirt is covered in it. Out here, your sweat is whisked away before you even realize it, seemingly you are not sweating.
For me, walking thru the canyons and I could push shopping carts at Walmart just to live out here, and not care. I do believe that at some point a move will be in my future. I like the mountains of Colorado, green vegetation, pines but not big on Colorado's snow and their politics in certain areas.
I really liked the area around Moab, going to have to do some research on towns, cities and such in that area. Not big on living up near Salt Lake, for one reason, snow. I can do cold, dislike snow after 20 plus years in the snowbound east.
What does the welding/inspection market look like out there? I think I'd try and continue on with my current work, just in the southwest, not in the southeast....unless they wanted me to do work over there.
After we get done in Colorado we are headed to Albuquerque, why? Never been there and it's kind of on the way home, sort of. Will be checking it out.
Would love to hear from anybody who lives, works or play out in Utah. Dead serious on the move thing, time for a change of venue.
Yup, nothing like the red rock country in Utah. There's a lot more of it, too. Bryce, Canyonlands, Capital Reef, and I would have to say Zion's is maybe the most spectacular. Glad you enjoyed it. Wish I could help you with some good work-related info, I live and work near Salt Lake City and don't have much of a handle on what goes on out there in the rest of the State.
No problem, got time to figure it all out. Probably just do the travelling road jockey as normal. Heck, I'd drive the Jeep on guided tourist tours in Moab!! LOL!! Or just become the next guy you see on the t.v. show "Mountain Men" living off the land! We might hit Canyonlands tomorrow, we got about 3/4 of the way thru Arches and it was 4 p.m., both whipped from hiking and climbing.
You are definitely in some gorgeous country. Enjoy.
We're coming down through ID right now. In Twin Falls tonight. Headed towards Ely, NV tomorrow but will probably stop south of there somewhere.
Brent
We're over in Grand Junction now, cheaper hotel rooms and within driving distance of the parks. Headed to eastern Colorado tomorrow. After this last week I will be eager to get the heck out of that area!!! It is really going to suck, flat, flat.....flat.
Knock that job out and we are off to Colorado Springs for a day, Santa Fe and then Albuquerque.....for more goofing off!!! Then the goliath task of driving back across the country! I was trying to remember where you were at Brent, see AZ so don't think we'll see you. We considered driving to the coast but thought ahead about having to drive back and decided against it!!
Grand Junction, little park on the west side of town toward the border with UT just off the 70. Not much but interesting in some of the rock formations.
John West is in Eastern CO. East of the 25 a little bit. Nice country over there.
Colorado Springs, lots to see, 7 Falls, Pikes Peak and the Rail ride to the top, Cave of the Winds, lots more.
Northern NM, WOW. NRA Wittington Center at Raton short distance off the 25 headed South.
Take advantage of everything you can. BTW, AZ isn't that far from Albuquerque; LOL.
Brent
Yeah, I am in Colorado Springs right now.
jrw159
Rode Colorado on motorcycles a few years ago. One of the stops was the Royal Gorge, some were around there was an alligator farm, not exactly what I thought I would see in the middle of the prairie. The old wooden aqueduct hanging off of the cliff wall above the river at the gorge looked like a decent piece of engineering.
We hit Pikes Peak this morning, rod the cog up. If I knew I could drive it in a little over an hour I would have drove. The train was fun, lots of fun facts but we were in a rush at the top so we did not miss the train back down. Only have 20-30 minutes. Driving up for the views but also so you can relax, order some grub to eat, check out the souvenir shop. It was cool though. After that we tucked tail and ran, headed to Santa Fe.
I like this town too, weather sounds great as well. I still like the scenery and landscape of Utah better but looking around Santa Fe, thoughts are swirling thru my head already!
Eastern Colorado, I salute the folks living over there. I couldn't do it. 3 days over there and I had to get away. The landscape, like my kitchen table. We went to a grocery store in small town, CO and just about got carried off by the flies in the store, expired food, hygiene by some patrons was, well, not well. I don't know how folks live in that area but the only thing I could think of to do out there was make a rifle range that was a mile long with everything in between.
Actually we thought about AZ, but then my kid said, "then we'll be thinking, hmmm, California isn't to far away" and then we thought about the 2000 miles back home. Do believe I'm ready to leave that southern humidity in my rearview mirror though!!
Sounds like you are having a good time. Enjoy while you can, man cannot live on vacation alone; EVEN THOUGH I WISH I COULD.
Brent
I was up in Colorado for a job, went way quicker than the guy thought. So we're making our way back home. Got an asphalt plant to convert over to gas from oil and some other gigs.
This was a much needed vacation, a forced vacation due to some jobs falling thru while I was out here, out of my control. So, vacation time it is. In the last two weeks have driven across Colorado twice, down the eastern side, across half of Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico. Will run thru the panhandle of Texas, across Oklahoma.....again.., Arkansas and finally back in Tennessee.
Found a place in Texas in Amarillo supposed to have some wicked bbq, can't think of the name right now but we're definitely going to hit that place. One more stop in New Mexico, Albuquerque today then headed out first thing in the morning.
Santa Fe is quite the awesome little town. Looking at the average weather here and the surrounding views I've taken a liking to this area, not as much as Utah, but I could handle finishing off my years in the area!!
Go up Moonflower Canyon.
It's RIGHT THERE IN TOWN! In 5 minutes you are in another world.
By Superflux 
Date 08-10-2015 21:59
Edited 08-10-2015 22:09
Do NOT drink from the local vineyard!
A) it is blended wine,
B) they do not/could NOT blend it enough...
I missed that. I will check it out next time!! Will be dragging the whole family back up that way. Was actually looking at land in the area, just need to see what is available for income, business and so on.
I'd do that!! Or whatever else I can do. Options still on the table!
Sounds like a good walk-about.
Surprised you didn't post any pics.
Tyrone
I have to resize everything and we're not done yet. We're about halfway thru our around the block tour. Down in New Mexico now so still have several days of photo opportunities!!
