Traveling through the Rockies - Colarado and Utah

We’ve been driving the past couple of days since leaving the Frisco/Breckenridge area. The first night we stayed in Steamboat Springs Colorado. When I came through 25 years ago on a similar trip I took with Aunt Sue, Steamboat was a small ski village. It now has a WalMart and McDonalds and just isn’t the same. We were disappointed by the build-up but coming through the Rocky Mountains when they are just dusted with snow is a magnificent sight. This is where they must have written “Oh Beautiful for spacious skies . . . .”

Some of the things we’ve noticed out here that are so different from home is that in the Rocky Mountain District of McDonalds they only give you one hash brown for $1.00 not two. Sterling is disappointed in this newest trend but on the flip side, Liquor is available every convenience store, drugstore, gas station, etc. Too bad neither of us drink Not just beer and wine either, but hard liquor. We also both weigh less in the Rockies which is good for me, not so for skinny son Sterling.

We played some scrabble and enjoyed another Chinese Buffet last night in Vernal Utah which is the border town coming out of Colorado. The entire area is full of large fiberglass dinosaur which I totally loved. I wish I could have one in Wolfeboro. They are so totally playful to say nothing about this being the foothills of the Dinosaur National , Park. They have a city ordinance which eliminates sleeping in WalMart parking lots in Vernal. We pushed on because of the cold. Our little gas heater is having trouble keeping us warm when it falls below 35 at night. One more good reason to move on.

Leaving Vernal this morning, about 10 miles out was a great little shop that I totally loved! I’ve been in this business for 26+ years and I don’t find many shops that really excite me much anymore, but Gypsy Mama was totally cool. Loved the bright colors, the creativity of the women who owned this shop, loved the funkster junk, and even loved the ultra-rich Carmel-corn she sold at $4.00 per bag. This was the first shop I’ve been in that motivated me enough to take the check book out. I bought 4 things to bring home to my shop and would have bought FAR more if I wasn’t heading south and west. I’m sure there will be other buying opportunities.

We’re about 90 miles from Salt Lake City and the scenery is beautiful. Gonna rest my fingers so my eyes can soak in the snow capped mountain peaks and the amber waves of grain.