To Colorado We Go

For the last two school years, Scotty and I have been trying to be more intentional about making plans for school breaks. Our kids’ fall break was this past week, and as it grew closer, I started bugging Scotty to go out of town. I didn’t know where to go, but we did some searching and decided to hit Glenwood Springs, Colorado. 

Scotty is really great at planning road trips. He loves maps, and he always finds great places to go. In our martial teamwork, he does the navigating and plans all the stops, and I do the packing. Then I just climb in the car and let him whisk me away on an adventure.

We took our time getting to Glenwood Springs and made a lot of stops on the way. Here are some of the places we visited en route:

Stop 1: Historic Coke Ovens, Carbon County, Utah

Nope, not that kind of Coke.

And not that kind of coke, either.

Coking is a process of burning impurities out of coal to make a more efficient fuel. 

This old coke oven facility is cool and creepy. There are kilns as far as the eye can see, and a few old buildings that are, sadly, quite vandalized. I really hate to see the vandalism - it just makes me feel yucky. 

Sometimes when I visit places like this, I feel inspired for the setting of the horror novel I will someday write. 

It's a cool place to see, though, and there is a restroom and a little playground there.

Stop #2: Jackass Joe’s, Thompson Springs, Utah

This is one of those alien beef jerky shops in the middle of nowhere. It has some fun photo ops. It’s not a must-see, but our kids liked stopping in, and it’s right off the freeway.

We had some good laughs in the shop

Stop #3: Sego Canyon Petroglyphs, Thompson Springs, Utah

Petroglyphs are another thing I hate to see vandalized. Don’t vandalize the historic vandalism, folks! But one set of the petroglyphs in this canyon are pretty well preserved. 

This set has a little bit of vandalism where people have carved things in the rocks

This set is well-preserved (probably because the petroglyphs are higher up, but that doesn't always stop people)

Stop #4: Colorado National Monument, Mesa County, Colorado

First, let’s address what a National Monument is. I used to think the word “monument” just meant a plaque or statue, so if I were to visit a National Monument, it would be to read a single sign or look at a single structure or shrine, but that’s not always the case. A lot of National Monuments are large parks or canyons, so don’t let the word Monument deter you. 

Also, note that National Monuments are included on National Parks passes and in the passport books. 

Colorado National Monument has a lot of easy viewpoints, so if your kids, like mine, don’t want to hike or even really get out of the car (lazy turds), this is a good option to get them out into nature.

(I, too, appreciate an easy viewing location).

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The journey from home to our hotel in Glenwood Springs with these stops took about 12 hours. Otherwise it's about a 5.5 hour drive from Salt Lake, so it's a great road trip option if you need to get out of town. I'll tell you more about how we spent our time in Glenwood Springs in some future posts (whether you like it or not).