Bidding Farewell to "Colorful Colorado"

At last our summer in Colorado was coming to an end.  We still had a long list of things we wanted to do and places we had hoped to visit, but time ran out faster than the list.  However, Justin's internship there went well, so well in fact that they invited him back for next summer.  (We'll have to see how that works out with his ROTC training schedule.)  So we optimistically tell ourselves that we'll be back again next year to finish off that list.  It's a cautious optimism though, since really our plans for our future seem to be ever-altering and adjusting.  We're to the point where we hardly bother trying to guess where we'll find ourselves next, but rather just trust that wherever it is, it's for our best.

All that in mind, we knew that we had to leave as soon as the internship ended to head back to Utah and finish up some make-up drills before school started for Justin.  His last day was a Friday, and the way we figured it, that gave us the chance to leave Colorado Springs Friday and make one little stop on the way back to Utah.  We had wanted to visit Colorado National Monument, just outside of Grand Junction, for a long time, and this was probably our best chance.  I spent the last few days in the Springs packing and cleaning, and shortly after Justin was released from work Friday afternoon we cleared our apartment and said goodbye to Colorado Springs.

We spent the night in a hotel in Glenwood Springs that night, and the next morning we drove into Colorado National Monument, reassuring ourselves that this would really only take a couple of hours to do it justice.  My first thought on exiting the car is that it might really only take 15 minutes.  How did I not think this through enough to realize that it would be blazing hot in August out there in the desert?  I don't know, but it was miserable hot.  Truthfully I was feeling ready to call it right there, but I'm always grateful, after the fact, for a husband who is undeterred by my crappy attitude and insists that we forge ahead.

We found the trail head where several hikes we'd read about started, and after some deliberation selected a hike and started down the trail.  We were about 5 minutes into the hike before we realized that Vivian was in need of a diaper change and there wasn't a place aside from the middle of a sandy trail anywhere in sight where we could conduct one.  On the way back to the car I felt some irresistible urge to argue with my husband about the hike we were getting ready to do.  Maybe we can blame this on the pregnancy?  The heat?  The smelly diaper?  I don't know,  but he blames it on me being deaf and inattentive while he was trying to review all the options with me earlier.  Fair point.  Either way, we got the diaper changed, agreed on a hike, this time with my full participation, and set off towards Devil's Kitchen.

The hike proved to be a little bit harder than we'd expected, mostly because it was so hot out there, and I move super slow when hiking pregnant.  

From the trail head

Approaching Devils Kitchen

The view of the sky from inside of Devils Kitchen, just to show how narrow it was inside of there.

My people at the entrance.

 Once we got up to Devils Kitchen it was really pretty, and a very interesting narrow little sandstone feature.  However, I was pretty much terrified of letting Vivian out of the back pack, since there were openings in the rock wall that opened up to cliffs with hundred foot drop offs on the other side.  I wasn't totally sure that I could maintain safe control of my toddler in that environment.

Vivian sipping water from the camelback while still strapped into the back pack. 

Justin exploring one of the openings in the rock wall

He wanted to inch even further out to get a better shot of the scenery on the other side, but I freaked out and insisted he abandon that plan.

Justin exploring yet another hole in the rock wall.

Justin finally talked me into letting Vivian come join him, with promises to keep a hand on her at all times.

She loves hiking with him.

...and the feeling is pretty mutual.

Eventually Justin was able to talk me into making my way up to one of the bigger openings to see out the other side and get this picture.

As it turns out these two spent hours hiking around in there, exploring together.  Justin followed through, and held her hand the entire time.  

We stopped for a snack break.

This was a bit much to try and tackle with Vivian, so he made the climb up there alone.

After spending way more time than we had anticipated on a single, short hike, we finally headed back to the car, to continue through the monument on the scenic drive that skirts the canyon rims.  

We made multiple stops along the way, and basically took about twice the time we expected to make it to the visitor's center on the other side of the monument, where we had plans to stop for a very overdue lunch.  We packed up our food and went for what was supposed to be a very short hike to a picnic area, that turned into a long hike that took us nowhere.  Everyone was tired, hungry, and crabby at that point, and the feeling was doubled when it became obvious that we'd be best off turning around and hiking back to the visitor's center picnic area.  

Trudging back to the visitor's center for lunch

After lunch we loaded back into the cars, and stopped outside of the monument for our picture at the sign.  Vivian doesn't appear in this one.  She was so exhausted that we determined that it was borderline mean to wake her up again for this picture.

This is the phase of the pregnancy where I still just look fat, not pregnant.

After that we left Colorado, and made our return to Utah.  It's good to be back, but we're looking forward to hopefully another summer next year back in Colorado.