Trip'08.. to Pagosa Springs

Today, we went to the Grand Canyon. Need we say more?

Well, okay. I'll elaborate just a tad. It was a long day - we got up at 5:30am to allow for plenty sightseeing along the way. We went from a crisp and breezy sunrise in Williams to a warm sunset in Pagosa Springs.

Before going into the actual park that morning, we found the famed IMAX theatre and caught the first show. The scenery and presentation of the movie was quite impressive. Still, nothing can replace the awe of what we actually saw once we drove up there and got out of the car to take a look. The couple places we walked around were near the visitor's center and all the way on the East side of the park at Lipan Point.

The rest of the day was also memorable, though. We went through the Navajo Nation and stopped several times to check out their expertly-crafted wares. We also saw the Little Colorado Gorge, Monument Valley, and Four Corners. 160 was a great drive. Somewhere out there we went through a couple nifty red dirt sandstorms. The road out of Durango changes considerably from the rock desert into high-mountain forestry. On these long drives there's almost too much to appreciate all at once. God sure did create an amazing, beautiful Earth.

We ate dinner at a Mexican place downtown in Pagosa Springs. They served us positively the biggest plates I have ever seen at a restaurant. I definitely came away impressed. Also - their version of spicy in Southern Colorado is apparently more of a New Mexico version than a California version - everything was habanero hot! :)