Driving From Cortez, CO to Mosca, CO

After spending the day in Mesa Verde National Park we stayed overnight in Cortez and the next morning made the four hour drive to Mosca to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park. It’s a pretty drive weaving in and out of canyons, through national forests, rural farmland, and several small towns.  Here are scenes that we saw along the way.

 

a flag display in Durango, CO

This was the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend so we saw many flags on display. 

 

 

 

 

We drove through Pagosa Springs which was a lovely town!  There is so much to do there. I had read about it when researching our trip and wished that we had had more time to stop.  It's a destination place by itself.  

 

 

 

 

 

Wolf Creek Pass

The Great Divide 

 

We saw bison for the first time on the trip. 

 

time for more adventure 

 

As we drove towards the dunes (on a very hot day) those snow covered mountains looked refreshing. 

 

This was Memorial Day weekend and the line of cars to get into the park was LONG! I'll share about our time there next. 

 

 

driving Cortez to Mosca 

Driving From Estes Park to Montrose, CO

One of the things I loved about this trip was the different wide varieties of scenery we saw as we traveled around.  It changed often and was always breathtaking!  The drive from Estes Park to Montrose, even though a big chunk of it was on I-70, was beautiful.  Here are photos I took on that drive.  

 

While leaving Estes Park we drove by Longs Peak and Lily Lake.  

 

 

We were hoping to see a bear on this trip, but we never did.  I took this photo at a gas station we stopped at of a mama bear and her two cubs.  It made me smile.

 

We passed through several tunnels as we drove throughout Colorado.  We loved each one! 

 

It wasn't long before we were back in snow covered mountains.  We drove through/near several popular ski resort towns. 

 

the Eisenhower Tunnel 

 

ski slopes 

 

Vail was beautiful! 

 

 

 

I had to Google it.  Yes, No Name, Colorado is a real place.

 

snow mountains again in the distance  

 

arriving in Montrose

 

 

a video of our drive 

 

We spent two nights there visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. I'll share about that fun time next.

Work Trip to Mexico

A few days after Christmas we headed out on a work trip to visit some of our IMB families who serve in Mexico.  We had a wonderful time, and as you can imagine, I took a few hundred photos.  I'll spare you all of those but will try to give an overview of our trip in this post.  

 

We flew direct from Guatemala City to Mexico City.  It was a little over a two hour flight.

 

boarding our flight in Guatemala City

 

flying over Mexico City 

It is enormous!!

 

landing in Mexico City

 

We then took a two hour bus ride to Puebla.

 

David and Ben on the bus.

 

After arriving we had a meal with these fun missionaries.

 

The next morning we visited Wal-Mart to pick up some food and snacks.

 

We then spent much of the day with the English family.  They are currently doing a year of language study before heading to Guatemala later this year to serve on our team.  After many months of phone calls and video calls, it was really nice to finally get to talk to them in person.  They are such a sweet family and will most definitely be an asset to the work here in Guatemala. It was Tyler's birthday so that made our visit more special.

 

 

We made individual homemade pizzas for lunch.  It was a fun activity especially for the kids.

 

 

We ended the day having supper with the Lightseys.

 

 

The next day we were up early to make a 2.5 hour drive to see the Parks.  The scenery along the way was beautiful!

 

We passed through a few of these tunnels along the way.

 

 

our family with the Parks

 

We enjoyed exploring their city with them.  They have a river walk area that includes a zoo.

 

We visited the Central Park, the local market, and also spent time in their home.

 

Before leaving, we rode the cable car up the mountain and back down.  It takes you to a park area on top of the mountain.  It is a fun, popular activity to do in their city.

 

We were all excited!

 

headed up the mountain in the cable car

 

so fun!!

 

 

The next day was New Year's Eve.  We joined the English family for church and then ate lunch together.

 

 

We spent part of the afternoon walking around the Central Park.

 

 

A family photo as we waited to ring in the new year.

 

We went for an evening walk and also explored a local mall. 

 

The last sunset of 2023 was breathtaking!!

 

We had a pizza supper at the hotel and watched some of the midnight fireworks from the window of our room.

 

On New Year's Day we started an eight hour drive to visit two other families.

 

Volcano view as we drove out of Puebla.

 

Somewhere along the way we stopped for a roadside picnic lunch.

 

I love seeing the cactus in Mexico!!

 

It was such a beautiful drive!

 

 

We stopped for the night and enjoyed a pizza supper.  We were also able to watch some of the college football bowl games from our motel.

 

Ready to get back on the road the next morning to finish our drive.

 

a family photo along the way

 

 

visiting the Koons

 

hiking with the Armstrongs

 

 

driving back to Puebla

 

We made two more visits in Puebla before returning to Guatemala.  We met the Jones family for afternoon blizzards at Dairy Queen.

 

 

Our last visit and meal was with the Conners. We love them, and it was a great way to end our visit to Mexico. 

 

The boys at the Mexico City airport ready to fly home to Guatemala.

 

We went to encourage some of our IMB missionary families, several of whom we currently supervise. In the end we left feeling greatly encouraged ourselves. We also left with a deeper love for Mexico and a stronger relationship with the missionaries who serve there. I’d say it was a very productive work trip!