When an opportunity to work in Colorado came up following the release of state lockdowns, Dan and I were still a bit hesitant to fly. We turned our initial job-site visit into a 3-week road trip, which I also made a video of.
*scroll to the end for overall road-trip tips and a list of locations we missed this time!
New Smyrna Beach, Florida to Shreveport, LA (14 hrs)
Shreveport, LA to Roswell, New Mexico (11 hrs)
We wanted to get as far from the East Coast as quickly as possible, because there isn't much worth seeing besides New Orleans, and mid-pandemic when most places are closed just wasn't the time for that. We knew we would run into a lot of speed bumps with Google lagging on new hours of operation for everything service related (restaurants and hotels) and whether they were even open or not. We stayed a very short night in Shreveport, drove all day and did the same again in Roswell, at which we couldn't stand being in the car any longer. Here we stayed in the Comfort Suites because we just needed something simple, reliable, that we knew would have solid safety procedures in place.
Roswell tips:
-the gimmick'y alien stuff could be a pull for some, for me it wasn't so..
-worked well for an overnight stop bc there is good food there
-otherwise, I could pass on Roswell
Roswell, New Mexico to Sante Fe (3hrs)
After driving a laughably short distance from what we had just driven, we stayed at La Fonda on the Plaza. This adobe style hotel is gorgeous and definitely worth the stay if you're in this city. Lot's of New Mexican details make this hotel very beautifully unique. State measures were still very strict at this point (reduced capacity, no restaurant/bar patrons allowed inside a closed room). La Fonda on the Plaza does have a rooftop bar that was open and we were allowed to have a drink atop (tables were very very far apart). Sante Fe would normally have a lot we would love to do, so I hope we get to make a stop there on another road trip.
Sante Fe Tips:
-stay at La Fonda on the Plaza!!
-food in New Mexico is alllll incredible! eat at food trucks, get tamales, be adventurous trying things!
Sante Fe, New Mexico to Taos, New Mexico (2hrs)
Taos is an awesome dense little forward-thinking town with a lot to do and see that are different from home in Florida. New Mexico had very strict covid measures in place. Here we stayed in Dan's uncles airstream parked in front of their house (so we could visit from afar), which is technically in Arroyo Hondo (away from the town). New Mexico is desert, so even in 100-degree daytime summer temperatures, the nights get very cold (read: ideal climate). In and around Taos, there are many different hikes and campgrounds that people visit during the day. One that had car access to the Rio Grande. If you have 4wd there are a ton of dirt roads out of Taos that were so much fun to explore. We could drive from Taos into Colorado entirely on dirt back-roads that we never saw another car on. Exploring here might have been some of my favorite of the whole trip because it was the easiest to find really local feeling spots, there was plenty room to drive around and see the incredible scenery, we saw so many wild animals (team of wild mustang, coyote, prairie dogs) and there was so much space to fly our drone!!
Taos Tips:
-do a hike
-find trails to drive on
-visit hot springs (there are many)
-(if summer) jump into the Rio Grande (it'll still be freezing but soo soo worth it).
Taos, New Mexico to Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado (2hrs)
I didn't even know this existed!! We saw a sign for it after taking the back roads we had discovered out of Taos and into Colorado. It's super popular and very set-up for tourists. Normally, you'd pay a (maybe $15?) park fee to enter. Since we weren't expecting to hit this spot, we got here in the late morning. The sand was already blazing hot, we were getting attacked by bugs, and we didn't have nearly enough water to actually hike the dunes. We couldn't even get near them. They're massiiiivee. I would love to go back here and get up high for sunrise or sunset photos, but it's something if you just want to visit without much planning, you'll end up just sticking by the little river that runs between the parking lot and the dunes (still gorgeous scenery).
Great Sand Dunes Tips: (if you want to go for real)
-bring water!!!
-wear breezy loose clothes that cover your skin and are comfortable for a looong walk/hike
-don't skip sunscreen
-wear shoes that are comfortable, they will get so sandy also esp if you're hiking up the dunes
-hat and/or sunglasses because it was bright AF out there
-bug spray is going to be your best friend
-we were there in June (hot hot), so if you're going in winter I'm sure it's super cold with all that sand!
Colorado Sand Dunes to Ouray, Colorado (5hrs)
Ouray is a really old little mining town between the mountains. It has a lot of personality, but I didn't think it really had much to offer in terms of things to do, however, most places were closed or closing early. I loved the hotel we stayed in here (St. Elmo Inn) mostly because of its history. Miners would stay here in the late 19th century and it's now been restored as a Victorian Era hotel.
Ouray Tips:
-make it more interesting than we did and hike here
Ouray, Colorado to Moab, Utah (3-4hrs)
There is so so much to see and do in Moab. It seems like everyone in the city is here to do something active. From hiking, to seeing the nearby national parks, 4-wheeling, biking, it's an athletic people's town for sure. We drove into Canyonlands National Park a couple times and there are marked drive, bike, and hike trails. You can drive a long way into the park with incredible views and trailheads before you have to pay a fee to ENTER enter the park.
Arches National Park! This is a must-stop destination for everyone. Whether you want to hike, walk, or drive though there are plenty of dramatic views inside, and lots of areas to park. Some of the arches are near the parking lots (like the ones we went to) and some you have to hike further to see (like the Delicate Arch + others). We were staying right in the heart of Moab which is a short drive to the park. I wanted to take pictures some of the arches during sunrise, so we didn't get very deep inside. This is a place I would love to spend more time in because it's just so massive.
We got really lucky because people weren't really traveling yet, there were maybe 4-5 other people who came in and out of this area in the whole morning we spent there.
Arches tips:
-if you're on a time crunch, know what arches you want to see before you get there so you can plan your day
-pack food and water bc there isn't any to buy inside
-can't see any of this park without actually buying a ticket and entering (that I know of)
-plan for extra time in moab there's so much to see in and around it
Moab, Utah to Denver, Colorado (6hrs)
This part of the trip doesn't make much sense, but this is how the timing worked out for when we needed to be meeting for work in Colorado. So, we didn't do much exploring by foot as we had to drive a million places. I really wish we could have camped like we planned to (packed a tent and all the cooking/sleeping gear and everything) but, there were burn-bans all across every state we were in, due to dry weather. Everywhere along the Arkansas River in Colorado was super dramatic, very gorgeous, and I wish we could have camped but, it was way too cold at night to camp sans-fire (and plus that's no fun anyways).
Denver, Colorado to Zion National Park (10 hrs)
pit-stop in Leeds, Utah
At this point we were making our way back further west and we found a random trailhead while driving in Leeds, Utah called Red Reef Trail. There was supposed to be a waterfall in here to hike to but it was such a dry summer already that it was completely dried up. There was a little parking area and we were able to change and hike to get out of the car for a bit.
Leeds, Utah to Zion National Park (40 mins)
Leeds was a break from driving on the way to our actual next destination: Zion National Park. An absolute outdoors-person's dreamland. This was my second time at Zion and the most useful thing to know is that if you get there early enough, you can drive around and find different park areas for different trailheads. We were able to park near the Zion Canyon Overlook Trail (which is probably the most dramatic view ever). It's an easily walkable hike but still very interesting since you're walking along edges and the views constantly change, until it opens up to the dramatic overlook. I've always wanted to do Angel's Landing and I've done The Narrows on a previous trip, so both of those are must-do hikes if you can fit them all in!!
Zion Tips:
-pack food and lots of water, there isn't much inside the park (where you want to be anyways)
-easily orient yourself with the park by driving Mount Caramel Highway (12 mile long road through the park that connects the South and East entrances)
-choose a hike you want to do most and drive there early early, be AT the park before it opens, and you can get first-come-first-serve parking near the trailhead
-The Narrows: good mid-day hike, canyon creates shade, you hike/wade through freezing water, shoes will get wet, the length of the hike depends on how far into the narrows you want to go (further you go, the less people you will see)
-there's usually a shuttle system running if you do have to park farther away
Zion, Utah to Las Vegas, Nevada (3hrs)
On our way out of Zion we were deciding where to go next. We were supposed to start heading back East, but we had an extra day before the car needed returned and just couldn't pass up Vegas (why though?). Who knows, we were feeling wild, even though we knew it would be really strange vibes with the pandemic. But, I saw it as an opportunity to *try* and take nighttime Vegas photos since I knew we wouldn't be partying, also, we could book the Bellagio with credit card points, so we did.
Obviously, we stopped at In-n-Out...
Vegas was.... definitely weird. There were the glass/plastic splash guards up between where each person would stand to gamble. They were recommending masks be worn, but not enforcing it. All we did here was eat ramen, take the night photos I wanted, watched a couple rounds of the Bellagio fountain show, and then held our breath as we returned to hangout in the room.
Las Vegas Photography Tips (a short window of opportunity):
-get to the location you most want to shoot around 15-30 minutes before sunset (for me, it was the welcome sign) and get set up!!
-Vegas lights turn on right as the sun is setting so, once they're on, shoot away!
Las Vegas, Nevada to Amarillo, Texas (13 hrs)
From Vegas we pretty much B-lined home to Florida. We stopped at Cadillac Ranch, only because it was on the way. It's free and very touristy (especially mid-day). But it's fun for the novelty if you don't expect too much from it. People don't spend much time here, so if you mosey around you'll get pics without people in them. We spent about 40 mins there tops. It's a good way to rest your legs and get fresh air while on a long drive, for sure.
Cadillac Ranch photography tips:
-be very patient and OBVIOUS about taking a photo, maybe because we had a camera or because I was in bright red, people just kind of moved out of the way as there are 8 other cars stuck in the ground that people can meander away to.
-don't bother buying spray paint.. it ends up getting littered all over the ground. If you really want to spray something on the cars, there will be tons of cans with plenty of paint left in them scattered around the cars.
-people are painting constantly so, if you're gonna hop/lean on a car (and you care about your clothes), I'd pat it with your hands first to check that it's dry!!
Amarillo, Texas to Dallas, Texas (5hrs)
that's it! We stayed a night in Dallas and drove all the way from Dallas back to Orlando to return the rental car.
if you made it this far, you're a trooper! I made a video of this road trip, the first video I got to use our drone with!!
overall roadtrip tips:
-Check park rules and be respectful, no one can fly drones in most (any?) of the national parks and they will fine AND ban you if they see you or find footage of you doing it!
-I wish we would have checked burn-ban rules before leaving; we would have packed way lighter had we known it would actually be impossible to camp.
- Keep 5-gallon jugs of water in the back to refill a water bottle with. Saves plastic, money, time, and is just overall so convenient when you drink water constantly.
-Love's & RaceTrac gas station/truck stops are super useful bc they really cater to truck drivers. They tend to have the healthiest options for snacks/mealtimes when there is no real other choice. I often would get packs of hummus and veggies or peanut butter and fruit. The bathrooms tend to be cleaner & free air for low tires.
-If you plan to explore off-road at all (even just dirt roads), it's definitely worth it to just rent a 4wd to not have to stress when you actually encounter a suspicious patch. Make sure to FILL UP gas and always have plenty water (and snacks) stocked.
saved spots that we missed this time, for the next trip:
-Bonneville Salt Flats
-Escalante Desert
-St. George Volcano
-Valley of Fire
-Grand Canyon
-Lake Powell
-Monument Valley
-Mesa Verde National Park
-White Sands New Mexico
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