Even as we were heading to Las Vegas, we didn’t know where we were heading next. We knew we wanted to visit Fort Collins, Colorado, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. It sort of made sense to do Santa Fe first, then Fort Collins on the way home. But going to Santa Fe meant going back through Flagstaff, Arizona, and repeating a route sort of bothered me. Plus, our friends in Fort Collins weren’t available the weekend we’d arrive on that route. So, we decided to get there by Friday by zooming through Utah and Wyoming.
Karissa (and the kids) had never been to Utah. I’d only been to Salt Lake City and the northern part, so being in Southern Utah was new for me. It was amazingly beautiful. Sort of what Arizona would look like if it had water and green plant life in the red rocks. We spent the night in Fillmore, which is about as central in the state as you an get. It was the capital of Utah for 5-6 years in the 1850s before Salt Lake City. It’s in MIllard County. Both are named after Millard Fillmore. We didn’t do much in Utah except spend the night and eat at a McDonald’s Playplace, but taking in the beauty leaves us wanting a return trip someday.
Montana brought another new landscape. Tons and tons of flat plateaus, which I think are called buttes, dotted the horizon. The rocks were no longer red – switching to tans and browns. We spent the night in Green River, and again, didn’t do much sightseeing.
We’ll arrive in Fort Collins tonight to see our friends for a few days. Then move a bit south to Denver to see my Uncle and Aunt in Boulder and explore Colorado’s largest city.