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Custer State Park & Ft Hays

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Mother nature was in a much better mood and gave us blue skies for most of the day. I also finally had a full nights sleep and a bit of a lie in (lack of sleep = miserable ginge)

This morning was all about Custer State Park. As it’s coming to the end of the season, some of the trails were shut, however what we did see didn’t disappoint. This place is absolutely stunning. The fall colours against the vivid blue sky was magical. We had a lovely walk around one of the lakes which gave me lots of reflection shots. Nikon was definitely snap happy today.

Custer SP is a wildlife haven. I think I could easily spend a few days here with the Nikon hunting out the animals. We saw prairie dogs, white tailed deer, wild turkey, long horned antelope, begging burros and of course.. buffalo 🐃 these photos will follow when I get home (lucky you!!) if ever you get chance to come here, you must try and make a day of it.

After a beautiful morning we had a stroll around downtown Rapid City, and ended up back in the local brewery (thanks Santa) the sun was out and I was finally able to try and tan my ginger skin.

This evening we headed to Fort Hays, the site where Dances with Wolves was filmed, for a chuckwagon style dinner. This was fabulous! A tin plate with a baked potato, brisket and apple sauce just slapped on, followed by lemonade in a tin cup. After dinner we were treated to a show by the Fort Hays Wranglers with their Western Music Variety Show.

Tonight we’re sharing the hotel with a group of Germans. Thinking I should put my towel out now to reserve a place at breakfast 🍳

TTFN x

Crazy Horse & Mt Rushmore

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Mother nature was still in a bad mood today. Following a 4 hour drive (with a cheeky stop at a typical American ‘gas’ station) we arrived at Crazy Horse. Luckily I managed to grab a photo before the clouds decended and the work in progress monument was gone for the rest of the visit. I have to say, I wasn’t overly impressed and found the whole thing quite boring. It is basically a construction site; has been for years and will continue to be so for a very long time. The museum passed a bit of time, but this place really wasn’t for me.

On our drive to Mt Rushmore (somewhere I have been dying to see!) we were very lucky to see a couple of mountain goat (basically a sheep with long legs) thank God for the Nikon and the long lense.

Mt Rushmore didn’t disappoint (OK.. Blue sky would have been amazing but you can’t have everything) the detail and craftsmanship to go into all 4 presidents, they were just amazing. You can take a walk towards the bottom and look up at their faces to give you a different perspective and this is something I definitely recommend you make time for. How they managed to produce what they did, it’s so hard to believe. As well as the obvious, the surrounding area is also beautiful and a wildlife haven. We saw a variety of birds and I finally managed to photograph a chipmunk (once it stayed still!!)

Luckily the hotel tonight provided a happy (two) hour, for free! Wine in a plastic cup, classy as always.

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅

Last night I had to show ID to get served, could not believe it, and I was one of the youngest on the table. Tonight we went to another local brewery… 620 b.c IIPA 7% really nice. Also had Procrastination Porter, unsure of %, very strong taste of burnt toast but still lovely.

Denver & Rocky Mountain NP

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The morning started off in Denver. Unfortunately due to another long day of travel we didn’t get to spend long here. We visited the Capitol Building and Union Station (I stocked up on coffee as massive lack of sleep is really catching up now..!) but it is definitely somewhere I would like to return to.

Just before we arrived in Rocky Mountain NP we stopped off in Estes Park, and finally got my first Subway (steak and cheese obvs)

Into Rocky Mountain NP and unfortunately the weather wasn’t on our side as large parts of the park were closed due to snow and ice (thank God for snow boots) what what we did manage to see (through the thick patchy fog) was beautiful. We were really lucky to see a large herd of Elk and to hear the Elk call. What a privilege to see these beautiful animals in their environment. Again another place I would love to revisit to properly explore (Colorodo I’m coming back for you!)

Another long journey and we have arrived in Cheyenne! Santa is already snoring 😴 so here’s to another night of no sleep!

TTFN x

Black Canyon to Denver

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Unfortunately not much to report on today as it was mostly travelling.

We did however spend a small amount of time (due to thick fog and not being able to see anything!!) in the Black Canyon of Gunnison. For the first time, I felt sick when looking down into the Canyon. Imagine the Empire State building; if you put that at the bottom of the Canyon it would only reach half way up. It was absolutely stunning when the fog eventually cleared and the photos really don’t do it justice, or show how deep it actually was! The fall colours were beautiful that surrounded the park.

After the Canyon we set off on the very long drive to Denver (thank God for iPlayer downloads and Safeway snacks) but the scenery was stunning, surrounded by the snow capped mountains.

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅                                    Had an Oktoberfest beer, unsure of %  came with an orange, thought what the friggin hell is this! Got rid of it, tasted OK.

 

Durango to Silverton

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We started the morning off right.. In a proper American Diner with a massive pancake and a stupid amount of coffee refill.

Today was all about the Durango to Silverton railroad, climbing to just over 9000ft in a train that’s been running for the past 130 years. After a quick introduction by one of the conductors (who was the spitting image of On the Buses Blakey) we set off through the San Juan National Forest. I managed to spend the majority of the 3.5 hours journey in the open air cart so was able to fully take in the gorgeous views of the rivers, snow capped mountains and every single autumn colour on the spectrum. What more could you want! The photos really don’t do it justice at all.

After a tonne of cinders burning my eyeballs (anything to get good photos!) we arrived in Silverton. A typical mining town full of quirky shops and places to eat.

After a mooch around Silverton we headed to our destination for this evening – Montrose. A beautiful winding drive surrounded mountains and a abundance of trees (thought we saw a bear; unfortunately just wishful thinking as it was a massive shadow)

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅                                      No brewery tonight, so he made up for it by having 4 pints of Samuel Adams.

Mesa Verde to Durango

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Poo hotel decided to give us a wake up call 2 hours early.. Not a happy ginger. Breakfast wasn’t as poo this morning, had some oatmeal after I managed to work out how the hell their microwave worked.

We set off for Mesa Verde and our guide decided it would be a good idea to play some Country music.. It was bearable until a 10 minute version of American Pie came on.. I can’t even tell you how close I was to getting the CD (actual dark ages!!) and frisbeeing it out the damn window.

Mesa Verde was totally different to any of the parks I’ve ever been to. Unfortunately we encountered rain and lightening and knowing what my current track record is for breaking technology, I didn’t get as many photos as I had hoped. The park is absolutely steaped in history and it’s amazing to think how these people lived all those years ago, and what they achieved with such little resources. The outskirts of the park also had an enormous amount of trees and seeing the changing colours really makes it feel like Fall (have to use proper terminology whilst I’m here!)

Arrived in Durango where we will spend the night before boarding the train to take us to Silverton. Had a quick browse round the museum but didn’t find a fat controller (except Santa)

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅                                      We ate and drank in Steamworks Brewery tonight. Santa tried 2 beers…

1. Colorodo proud 5.6% crisp and hoppy.
2. Conductor 9.1% a nice sweet beer. Heavy in alcohol.. Lovely! Still can’t quite decide what is in this beer, probably dream about it later.

IMG_20170930_211642_838

 

Arches & Canyonlands

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Woke up ridiculously early again; stupid body clock still hasn’t adjusted yet. Unfortunately poo hotel also provided poo breakfast. Nothing better than a slice of toast that takes over 5 minutes to do and is covered in margarine.

We arrived at Arches NP early to beat the crowds and the park offered another wow experience. So much space for your eyes to stretch out and really appreciate the natural and beautiful arches. Unfortunately we didn’t get chance to visit the iconic ‘Delicate Arch’ but we did manage to spend a few hours with the ‘North and South Window’ and the ‘Double Arch’. I made sure I gave myself enough time to just sit and appreciate what hundreds and thousands of years has produced. One thing I didn’t expect when nature called however, was to be peeing in a shed into what looked like another Canyon below.

After Arches and a spot of lunch at Dennys we set off on our jeep tour of Canyonlands. Thank God for a decent pelvic floor! Again.. Lost for words. What made it more special was we were able to get up close and personal with the views we saw yesterday from Dead Horse Point. We were treated to dramatic landscapes, countless mesas and buttes, beautiful colours, gorgeous skies and of course, sunburn.

After the excitement of today we headed into Moab for food. Tackled a burrito the size of my face and was not defeated.

Back to poo hotel and hopefully will get a better sleep tonight, finally getting a lie in as well!!

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅                                    He’s actually awake!! Visited the Moab brewery for a pint of Johnny’s IPA, 7% in a can. Liked it so much, brought one back to the room. Also had a standard draught (unfortunately less than 4% as is custom in Utah) but still typical American IPA; crisp hoppy taste but refreshing after a long day as a tourist.

 

Salt Lake City to Moab

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Today’s wake up call was 6am. After minimal sleep (thanks to Santa’s multiple episodes of cramp) and a cheeky free breakfast (with accidental cream instead of milk on the cereal) we set off to explore SLC.

We start in the Capitol Building which was beautiful inside. I have never seen so much marble; the even had a marble baby changing table!! Getting here early meant we pretty much had the place to ourselves which is always a bonus.

We then moved on to meet ‘The Sisters’ (they’re not related, that’s just what Mormons are called) at Temple Square. I wasn’t particularly prepared for this part.. Hearing extracts from the Bible wasn’t what I had originally signed up for.. But the buildings they took us into were nice. We visited the Tabernacle and I have to admit, the acoustics were pretty amazing. The Sisters dropped a pin into a plastic beaker and you could hear it on the other side of the room without the aid of a microphone.

After a long drive we arrived at Dead Horse Point. It’s not very often I’m lost for words, but wow wow wow. In my opinion, it was even more spectacular than The Grand Canyon! The views were absolutely incredible.

We finally arrived at our hotel in Moab this evening. Unfortunately the room smells like actual poo.

TTFN x

 

SANTA’S SESH 🎅

Guess what.. He’s sleep again (and it’s only 21:40 here!) Another 2 beers added to the list, he’s loving the IPA.

 

We’ve arrived!

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So we’re 7 hours behind you at home; currently feeling like I’m post nights and looking rough as a dogs arse.

Never flown with Delta before but they were fab. Really good selection of films, nice food and the staff were lovely. Special shout out to the people in front of me who took in-flight exercise to a whole new level.. There really is no need for you to squat and lunge in the aisle.

We have a night in Salt Lake City and exploring here tomorrow.

TTFN x

SANTA’S SESH 🎅

We plan on visiting a Brewery a night (if there is one in staggering distance) to keep Santa happy. RedRock brewery was the watering hole for this evening. I have asked him for a review but he’s gone to sleep… Obvs!