10 things I learned on Manventure 2014

1. If the repair shop says your tire should be ok on the trip, they may be right or maybe not.

2. Don't trust your phone to update between time zones properly or you will be up an hour before everyone else.

3. Keep close track of how much beef jerky your 11 year old is eating or he will have a belly ache for a full day.

4. The easy trail at the Grand Canyon is not that easy.

5. The easy trail at the Grand Canyon is the same one the burros use.

6. Burros poop. Burros poop a lot.

7. If my iphone says it has 35% battery left, it lies!

8. Dirty clothes take up much more space than clean clothes. I think it is due to guy filth.

9. There are parts of Colorado where no one lives and no one drives. Google helped us find that area late Friday night... Thanks Google.

10. The boys survived even though they were somewhat deprived of internet access and screens during Manventure 2014.

Home!

Manventure 2014 is officially over.  We made it home safely and boy does it feel great to be here!

Day 8: Durango and Silverton Railroad

Here are a few pictures of the trip yesterday on the Durango and Silverton.  It was an amazing ride and I highly recommend it.  One more item crossed off the bucket list.  We did not go all the way to Silverton, but that is OK.  Short post here.  Trying to get back to Missouri today.  Enjoy the pictures!

Day 7: Four Corners, Mesa Verde and Durango, CO

We got an early start today, Christopher and I got an earlier start than we should have, my phone was in the wrong time zone when the alarm went off.  We got on the road and stopped off at the Four Corners.  The picture below shows each of us in a different state.  Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

We then saw that we were passing Mesa Verde National Park.  And instead of heading home like we should have, we decided to stop and see what it was all about.  What an amazing place.  The cliff dwellings are completely amazing.  Never seen anything like it.

We ended our day in Durango, CO which just happens to be the home of the Durango and Silverton RailRoad.  So we are going to take a little train ride before heading home.

Day 6: Prairie Dogs, Bearizona and Grand Canyon

Today was a huge day.  We went to Bearizona first, but it did  not open until 9am, so we explored a bit and found a prairie dog colony out in a field.

Bearizona is a drive through wildlife park that was very well done.  Bears, big horn sheep, wolves and other assorted animals you would have found out west.

We then made the 60ish mile drive to the Grand Canyon.  Great day for viewing the Canyon.  We had very few clouds and it was only a bit hazy.  For this to be the off season, I was surprised at how many people were at the canyon.  The place was packed.  I would hate to make the trip during the prime tourist season. Excellent Day!

Day 5: Meteor Crater, AZ

We had a great lunch at Joe and Aggie's in Holbrook, AZ.  Food was great and our waitress was entertaining.  We then went to the local Museum in Holbrook at their old courthouse.  The museum was decent and we found out the jail in the basement had been shipped to Arizona from St. Louis and installed before the Courthouse was built.

After the museum, we headed over to the famous Route 66 landmark, the Wigwam Motel.  We did not stay here because their office did not open at a decent hour.  So we headed on to the 

We then made a stop by Meteor Crater, AZ to tour the giant meteor crater.  That is one monster hole in the ground.  It was very impressive and I am glad we stopped there, but I think I would not stop to revisit it.

We ended our day in Williams, AZ at the beautifully restored Lodge motel on Route 66.

Day 5: Standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona