Wednesday, June 11
For Austin and Amelia’s wedding, Noah and I began the trek to Colorado two days early for two reasons: saving money on flights and exploring new counties and states. Our first day of travel took us from Des Moines to Farmington, Colorado, via minivan, airplane, and rental car. Before departing from the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, we started by a new favorite restaurant, Cobble Hill.
Their recently-updated lunch menu brought a new set of entrees compared to our last visit. Noah went with a small portion of the Lamb Bucatini Pasta, which featured ground lamb along with roasted tomatoes, parmigiano-reggiano, poblano chilies, and watercress. He focused on the pasta, lamb, and cheese, and completed the majority of his dish. I had the Cobble Hill version of McDonald’s cult-favorite McRib sandwich; while solid, it wasn’t as enjoyable as the Carolina pork sandwich I enjoyed a month ago.
An iPad always makes airport waits more tolerable.
While at the airport terminal, waiting for our delayed Cedar Rapids-to-Denver flight, Noah picked out a bag of gummy bears from the “Original Gummi Factory.” While I’ve historically been a fan of Haribo’s equivalent product, the Gummi Factory bears were impressively tasty. We collectively consumed way too much sugar before finally boarding the plane for Denver.
Noah folded his boarding pass to make a “computer.”
The delay caused us to miss our connection to Durango and doubled our planned layover. While I would have rather arrived in Durango earlier, the small silver lining was we had time for ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s in the Denver airport. Noah opted for the pink (strawberry) ice cream, along with a sprinkle cone, while I picked scoops of Cherry Garcia and Chocolate Therapy for their waffle cone special.
After a somewhat turbulent flight, we landed at the Durango-La Plata County Airport around 7:15 p.m. local time. We deplaned to the tarmac, waited for our gate-checked car seat, then secured the rental car and began the drive to Farmington, New Mexico.
While we originally planned to eat at a local Farmington BBQ place, a fast food stop along our driving route seem like the best option. Blake’s Lotaburger, a New Mexico-based chain, fit the bill. We stopped by their Aztec location for dinner. While Noah was extremely tired, once our order was ready, he really enjoyed the corn dog, apple slices, and milk. My cheeseburger with green chile was quite satisfying, as were the thin-cut fries served on the side.
Noah rebounded to eat his entire kid’s meal.
Thursday, June 12
Standing on the corner of four states.
Our first stop for the day was at the Four Corners Monument, where visitors can stand in a single spot which encompasses the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. While Noah may not have entirely understood the concept, he was cooperative for pictures. His most enjoyable moments came from shopping at the vendor stands surrounding the monument, where members of the Navajo tribe setup shop to sell anything from souvenir magnets to pottery to jewelry. I encouraged Noah to pick out a necklace for Amanda, and he was pretty proud with his selection of a purple necklace.
Noah and his purple necklace, for Amanda.
Our next destination was Cortez, Colorado, for lunch at Burger Boy Drive-In. This establishment was a true drive-in resturant, where diners parked in spots surrounding the small building and waitresses came to windows to take orders. Instead of eating in our rental car, we got out to sit in one of the few small tables outside of the building. Noah again ordered a corndog; we shared some French fries and onion rings; and I had a cheeseburger. All of the food was cooked-to-order, and the old-fashioned vibe combined with excellent service and tasty food for a positive experience.
Another day, another corn dog.
We were back in the car for our first hike of the trip, at Hovenweep National Monument, near the Utah/Colorado border. This somewhat off-the-beaten-path site had only a handful of visitors when we visited, making the trail easy to navigate and 800-year-old Native American ruins very accessible. Even though it was sunny and 90+ degrees, Noah loved the half-mile tour which provided views of the 11 ruined buildings at Hovenweep.
Noah poses in front of the Hovenweep Castle.
Our day continued with a pleasant drive through Utah. We stopped by the visitor center in Blanding to pickup a Utah map and a few postcards highlighting the area. We again stopped in Monticello for an ice cream treat at the “Shake Shack.” While the atmosphere was a far cry from the much more famous hamburger place with the same name, the thick shakes were priced right and offered a nice break from the driving monotony.
Noah was excited about his vanilla shake.
Noah wanted to do some more hiking, so we called an audible and replaced a planned dinner stop in Moab with a trip to Arches National Park, a few miles to the north and right along our route to I-70 and later Grand Junction, Colorado. The park was tremendous – we navigated four hikes, ranging from a few hundred yards to a half-mile in length, seeing sites like the “Balanced Rock,” “Double Arch,” and “Delicate Arch.”
Noah liked the big rocks on the ground.
Noah and I under the “Double Arch” formation.
While the park was busier than Hovenweep, it was still far from overcrowded, and the extra people allowed a few photos to be taken of Noah and me together. With more time and planning, we could easily spend the better part of a day at Arches National Park. It’s on my radar for a future family vacation.
Noah poses near the top of our climb to the Delicate Arch overlook.
Noah tried his hand at photography, taking this photo among others.
We left the park around 7:30 p.m., and Noah fell asleep almost immediately and stayed asleep for the entire drive to Grand Junction. While Noah was reluctant to get up and out of the car for a quick dinner stop at Chick fil A, he eventually acquiesced and ultimately enjoyed his chicken nugget kids meal.
Noah tried to sneak a quick nap while waiting for our food at Chick fil A.