Fina's Birthday

We celebrated Fina's birthday this week with our traditional Birthday Breakfast!

The living room looked like a library
 later in the afternoon.

2023 Points West Wrap-up

This is it. Nana and Papa's last leg of their 2023 Points West Tour. We leave Moab, UT in the rearview mirror and head for home. Thanks to advice from our Moab innkeeper, we took UT-128 out of Moab to rejoin I-70. It takes about 15 minutes longer than the direct route but is so worth it. You're traveling along the Colorado River down at the bottom of some magnificent cliffs for 75% of your time on this highway. And once you get into the Rockies along I-70, it's even more grandeur to punctuate the last leg. We can't seem to get by Frisco, CO without stopping at a favorite breakfast/lunch spot, Bread+Salt. We arrived home late afternoon. What a run! Today's photos start here. To review this entire trip, go back to our post of June 20th and come forward day by day. Or, if you don't mind going in reverse chronological order, just keep scrolling down...

Along UT-128 leaving Moab.

East of Moab along I-70.

In Frisco, CO

Petroglyphs and a Potash Mine

It was mostly a relaxing day for Nana and Papa. Hung around the BnB after a wonderful breakfast. Lunch in town was simple, and in getting there we discovered Moab's Backyard Theater. Then came a short trip out Utah-219 highway to see petroglyphs (up to 1500 years old) and anything else of interest. Well, the Intrepid Potash Mine certainly was of interest! Lastly, a fabulous meal at Desert Bistro and a dip in the pool. The day's photos start here.

Moab's Backyard Theater

 

Petroglyphs.

Hoppers at Intrepid Potash.

Jug Handle Arch

The rail line runs just uphill from the road
and climbs left to right.

Desert Bistro

A few more shots of Sunflowers Hill Inn

Moab and Arches National Park

I can't overstate how fun the drive is from St. George, Utah all the way along I-70 through the Rockies. The geology and topography are stunning. We made it to Moab, UT by late afternoon and settled into our room at Sunflower Hill Inn - a great little BnB in Moab! We had a wonderful dinner at Sunset Grill perched high above Moab. The history of the restaurant is fascinating: originally the private home of the man who discovered uranium in the area in 1952, Charles A. Steen. We closed out the day with a wonder-filled drive through Arches National Park. After 4pm entry is free and no entry time is required. The day's photos start here.

That's I-70 in the middle left west of Moab, UT.

The common "Great Room" at Sunflower Hill Inn.

The view from Sunset Grill.
See the patio furniture along the bottom edge?

"U-92" (remember the uranium reference) 

Arches National Park

On the porch at the inn.

Las Vegas

The Regusci/Foster gang had a heckuva time in Las Vegas! Dinner with the Pope and a full day of pool time! Nana and Papa scoped out a speakeasy called 1923. The pics start here.

 

Tehachapi, Again

The trip from Nipomo to Vegas was pretty boring. We did have a fun breakfast in Tehachapi at Kelsey's Cafe. The photos start here.

The Weekend

The big trip on Saturday was to meet Jon, Heather, and their twins at Vincent Winery. Two hours flew by! Earlier Saturday morning, Jamie visited the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum to get a set of photos of their model railroad (click here). Sunday brought a trip to Oso Flaco Lake, always a fun, manageable hike. All the photos start here.