Road Trip Back Home
Leaving my final travel PT contract in California felt oddly familiar. In my mind I was simply done with the 3-month stint and on to the next exciting contract. Packing up and cleaning out from my short-term living situation at Bo and Alexa’s home was just another closure to a new beginning! A new adventure awaited! Except this time Megan was permanently in Minnesota and no one was riding shotgun. The uncertainty of the future slowly crept into my thoughts, with nearly all travel plans suspended and all PT job opportunities back home halted. There was a glimmer of hope however before I believed to be making my trip home alone. My dad decided last minute to join me for the road trip! So, we made the most out of our days and took our time exploring together before self-quarantining at home.
Sand Harbor Lake Tahoe
My dad and I began our journey in the foothills of Sacramento at Auburn Valley Golf Course where we walked nine holes to get back in the swing of things after 8 months of hibernation. With rental clubs it turned out better than we had anticipated! Before settling into our Reno hotel, we made a brief side tour to Sand Harbor, which is probably one of the best Nevada State Parks. Sand Harbor is situated on the northeast corner of Lake Tahoe and provides stunning views of the lake along with spectacular beaches leading into crystal-clear water. A must see if you are ever at this part of Tahoe!
The sandy beach at Tahoe.
With a view of the mountains!
Enjoying the last minutes of daylight and watching the sunset.
Sand Harbor
The sandy beach at Tahoe.
With a view of the mountains!
Enjoying the last minutes of daylight and watching the sunset.
Sand Harbor
Moab
After cruising into Salt Lake City for a night we made our way down to southeast Utah, hopeful that some of the parks had reopened. Our jump off point was Moab, but due to restrictions we were only able to catch glimpses of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks at their respective entrances. Luckily, thanks to the in depth searches my dad had done on Utah, we were not out of options for exploration yet! Our last gasp was Dead Horse Point State Park, and they were open for business! And wow did it take our breath away. On a prominence sitting roughly 2,000 ft above a canyon carved out by the Colorado River we trekked around the Dead Horse Point Overlook Trail. Our jaws dropped with each separate view and yours will too!
Quick pit stop in Moab!
Dead Horse Point State Park
Enjoying the amazing views the Colorado River has carved out!
Walking the Overlook Trail before hopping back in the car!
Quick pit stop in Moab!
Dead Horse Point State Park
Enjoying the amazing views the Colorado River has carved out!
Walking the Overlook Trail before hopping back in the car!
The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa
Making our way to Grand Junction, CO we stumbled upon The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa. This course has been ranked in the “Top 50 Most Beautiful Golf Courses in the World” by Golf Advisor and it did not disappoint. We knew we had to play all 18 and it turned out that we nearly had the course to ourselves! The round took longer than usual as we got lost in the grandeur of the high desert mesas and pink sandstone cliff faces, not to mention gazing at the exquisite homes perched in between the holes. I won the front 9, but my dad came roaring back on the back 9 to beat me overall and continue his streak… All competitiveness aside we had a blast, and everyone should play this awesome course!
The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa.
Crushing some golf balls
Taking in some of the stunning mansions that are perched on the cliffs.
We determined it’d be okay to live here part time.
Beautiful scenery making for a very challenging course.
The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa.
Crushing some golf balls
Taking in some of the stunning mansions that are perched on the cliffs.
We determined it’d be okay to live here part time.
Beautiful scenery making for a very challenging course.
Colorado National Monument
It turned out Grand Junction had even more to offer! The next morning, we backtracked slightly and started our 26-mile excursion on Rim Rock Drive through the Colorado National Monument! This high desert/canyon park had a ton to offer but we were on a slight time crunch, so we ended up doing just two short hikes. There are multiple spots you can stop at on this crazy winding drive to grab amazing panoramic pics or just relish in the pure beauty of nature. We even got to see some big horned sheep right next to the road! Our first hike was the Canyon Rim Trail, which is maybe a mile, and our last hike was the Devil’s Kitchen Trail, which is about 1.5 miles, but we got lost overshooting the “kitchen” and turned it into 2.5 miles! It became some great father-son bonding time.
View from the Canyon Rim Trail.
Touching the top of Independence Monument!
A view of the coke ovens formation!
Saw a few Big Horned Sheep halfway through the park!
Exploring the Devil’s Kitchen.
View from the Canyon Rim Trail.
Touching the top of Independence Monument!
A view of the coke ovens formation!
Saw a few Big Horned Sheep halfway through the park!
Exploring the Devil’s Kitchen.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
One and a half hours east on highway 50 we next sought out the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to see if coming back at a later date would be worth it when the park would be fully operational. We did not have high expectations going in as the scenery leading up to the park was nothing special. But it blew us away. The canyon is stunningly jagged and comes up on you very quickly. We would definitely come back here to roll along the south and north rim drives or even to raft the Gunnison River. Unfortunately for now the park was closed at the south rim visitor center, so our only two overlooks came at Tomichi Point and Gunnison Point.
View of the Black Canyon from Tomichi Point!
And then the view of the Black Canyon from Gunnison Point!
View of the Black Canyon from Tomichi Point!
And then the view of the Black Canyon from Gunnison Point!
Another 2 hours into our drive east we came to the Monarch Pass (a little over 11,000 ft in elevation) and subsequently the Monarch Mountain Ski Resort, one of the oldest resorts in Colorado. The pass itself provided a gorgeous view of the southern Rockies but then that was about it… Turns out if you are this far south in Colorado it is a very uneventful drive compared to powering through interstate 70! We missed all the mountains except one- the fourteener Pikes Peak, which sits just outside Colorado Springs where we stayed the night.
On our way through the Monarch Pass!
We missed the big mountains and only saw Great Plains the rest of the way!
On our way through the Monarch Pass!
We missed the big mountains and only saw Great Plains the rest of the way!
Kansas City
We crushed 8 more hours of our trip through the great plains of Kansas to arrive in wonderful Kansas City! First stop- Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Oh yes, we said it. All the brisket, ribs, and burnt ends one could ask for, plus all the great sides to go with it. Not quite as good in take-out form, but ya gotta go here.
The next morning my dad and I got to meet up with our awesome extended family and see how everyone was doing in these weird times! It was fantastic to see more familiar faces along the way on our very solitary road trip. Hopefully in the near future our get-togethers will be more celebratory!
Saying our goodbyes, my dad and I made the final haul home. It was a road trip I will cherish and remember forever, especially under the circumstances that we were in! Who knows when any of us will go on another long road trip, but it will happen again? For now, I am excited to be reunited with Megan and our families in Minnesota! This is not the end of our blog. There are many more adventures to unfold! I think Megan has said it best- “We are no longer traveling physical therapists, but cool physical therapists who travel.”