Kelly's Shangri-La

We drove and we drove and we drove and finally, we arrived at a much anticipated destination:  Kelly's home in central Indiana. 

Kelly has been a dear friend since High School.  Her creativity and inventive spirit shines through her family and their beautiful property that I like to call Kelly's Shangri-La.

Signs of Indiana

After a lengthy drive through the flat lands of Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and the bottom tip of Illinois, we were very relieved to reach Indiana!

St. Louis Souvenir

Joey B. was very happy to find a souvenir tailored to his name.  It's very appropriate since he will be visiting relatives that he hasn't seen in a long while.  A little name reminder may come in handy.  ;)

St. Louis Gateway Arch

Kansas

Yes Dorothy, we are in Kansas and there is not much to see here.  Hey, wait!  There's an oil rig and look at that pretty sunset.  I guess I was wrong, there's lots to see in Kansas.  Yawn.  Keep driving.

Driving

And now, we enter the incredibly boring part of the trip.  Kansas.  Flat.  Long.  And the potential for really nasty weather.    I am keeping my eye on the weird clouds in the sky and keeping my fingers crossed that no funnel clouds form.

We have already survived one nasty little storm just outside of Denver.  Lightening, hail, winds, and rain.  It was short lived; but, helped us realize that we have no future as storm chasers.

Moe's Original BBQ

Good food & a bowling alley to break up driving boredom.  Outside of Denver, right next door to the Gothic Theatre.

Glenwood Springs

Glenwood Springs, CO.  What a lovely town!  As an anniversary gift to each other, we stayed one night at the Glenwood Hot Springs.  This hotel has an outdoor mineral hot springs pool and they boast that it is the "world's largest."  

From their information booklet and various plaques around the hotel, I learned that the hot springs were a frequent visiting location for the Ute Native Americans. The Ute believed the springs cured illnesses and named it Yampah, meaning "Big Medicine."  

In 1881, the Ute signed a treaty with the US Government and were relocated to a reservation.  They retained hunting rights in the area and often returned, even as the white man's presence at the hot springs increased.  In 1888 a bathhouse was constructed and the white man officially took over.

Grand Canyon

Before Lake Powell we spent a day in the Grand Canyon.  As it was my first time seeing the Grand Canyon, I was taken aback at the size and scope of this natural wonder.  It was very beautiful and mesmerizing.

Happy Anniversary!

18 years ago today, I married my BFF.  We are celebrating in Glenwood Springs with a little R&R at their hot springs pool.

Arches National Park

From Lake Powell we headed to Moab, Utah and visited Arches National Park.  We were not expecting the expansive views that this park provided.  The views in this park were

simply breathtaking.

Lake Powell

We travelled to Page, AZ and relaxed for a few days at the town's man made lake, Lake Powell.  Warm water and beautiful views made for an enjoyable day at the lake.

Antelope Slot Canyon

First Stop: Vegas!

On the first day of our road trip, we drove 10 hours to Las Vegas.  We enjoyed the heat and recharged our batteries by staying mostly poolside.

We strolled around after the heat died down to take in the Vegas sights.

Road trip!

I realized the other day that October will mark the 24th year of my California residency.  I moved to San Francisco in 1989 from Chicago.  Everything I owned was packed into a mailing box or suitcase and away I went on my new adventure in California.  

During these past 24 years, I have never driven back to the Chicagoland area.  I've always wanted to  embark on this journey and now, 24 years later, the time has come to explore the sites between California and Indiana, my birth state.  With a luggage holder on top of our Prius, the 4 of us load up and away we go....