We went to the Fort Collins area of Colorado before, about 6 years ago. For that trip, we took I-80 through Wyoming because it is the fastest. It wasn't bad, but it was boring enough that we decided we wanted to try a different route, even if it did take longer. We discovered US-40 goes over the top of the Rockies, while I-70 has almost a 2 mile long tunnel under the Rockies. At the mention of a tunnel, the kids were hooked and looked forward to that almost as much as staying in a cabin with their cousins. So, we took I-70 out so we could go through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel. It would cost us extra time, but we were okay with that.
Aaron planned our route to include stops about every hour. At least every other stop was a park where the kids could play for a few minutes. This was the best idea ever! A few minutes at a park did so much to help the kids deal with sitting in the car for hours. There were only a couple of times where we went a few hours with just quick bathroom stops rather than park stops, and we could tell the difference.
We stopped for lunch at an adorable pond-themed park in Meeker, CO.
We expected to reach I-70 within an hour after lunch. An hour or so later we realized that we were headed north rather than south and were about to join up with US-40 (again). We still don't know what went wrong. We were following google maps directions and the GPS and both of us thought we turned correctly.... but obviously we went the opposite direction after lunch!
So, we regrouped. Aaron and I knew the kids' hearts were set on the tunnel, and we discussed whether to try to drop down to I-70 now or to go that way on our way home. Ultimately, Aaron set the GPS for Denver and we headed south yet again. We merged onto I-70 about 10 miles before the tunnels.
It's a very weird experience seeing this gigantic mountain towering above you and knowing you are about to go under it.
The tunnel was awesome. We all loved it. I don't recommend zig-zagging across the desolation (and construction) of middle Colorado, but in the end it was worth it. I'm so glad we didn't skip out on the tunnel.
On the way home, we took US-40 over the Rockies. It was so beautiful and, again, worth the extra hour or so compared to driving through Wyoming. The road was narrow and winding and I was glad Aaron does the driving. In addition to trees (many, many trees!), lakes, rocks, snow fields, and blue skies, we also saw this herd of elk right next to the road.
After we got down out of the mountains, the road wound us through a string of small towns. This lake town was cute. Zeke loved the boats. It reminded both me and him of quintessential New England harbor towns. Aaron and I decided this trip that US highway driving is the way to go. You may not go as fast as you do on the interstate, but there is so much more to see as you pass through the little towns on your way. Also, it's easier to make a quick stop in town because you can see the park, grocery store, or gas station rather than trying to figure out which exit to to use.
We went just slightly out of our way in Vernal to see the Vernal Temple. It was beautiful.
The kids really did great on the road. They colored a bit, watched movies, ate some fun snacks, and played 'I spy' or 'I'm thinking of something....' with us. And we're still playing the license plate game.
One other funny thing we learned this trip is that our GPS can't be trusted. We set it to home as we left Estes Park. Of course it wanted us to go to Wyoming, so we muted the directions. We figured it would eventually decide to follow the route we were on. Well, that darn thing kept re-routing us to Wyoming until we turned off US-40 in Heber about 3 miles from home. We were in disbelief. But it definitely kept us entertained!
