Telluride

the next day we started our drive home. 

 we stopped for dinner in Telluride and walked around a little. we had been there to go skiing about 9 years ago but we had never seen it in the summer. it is a very small town set in a canyon and it is surrounded by large mountains. it is very charming and beautiful. 

 it was about 5 pm by the time we left Telluride and started heading home. we had planned on stopping at Four Corners but when I put it on my map on my phone for directions, there was an alert that said it closed at 5. we had no idea that it would close and were a little disappointed we wouldn't be able to stop there.  it got really stormy and started raining really hard which slowed us down quite a bit. 

 we were going to attempt to drive all the way home but the rain put us behind schedule and we were getting really tired. my parents had just bought a cabin in Strawberry, AZ a couple weeks prior and they were there that night. it was conveniently on the way home and we decided to stay there for the night.

we drove through Winslow and I had to get a picture "standing on the corner" as referenced in the Eagles' song "Take it Easy". there was actually a statue with a plaque on the street corner and a flatbed Ford in front. they must get a lot of tourists coming through just to stop for a quick pic. the city was pretty dilapidated besides that and it reminded me of Cars and how all the cities that were once bustling on Route 66 became rundown after the freeway moved. 

 we got to my parents cabin after midnight and once we got in we went right to sleep. in the morning my parents showed off their beautiful new cabin and we told them about our trip. it seems we brought the rain with us because it started pouring. 

Jason is not one for selfies but I caught him taking one wearing my dad's racoon hat :) 

 my parents took us for a short ride on their Ranger so we could see the area. 

 we stayed there a few hours and then drove home. I am glad we decided to stop at their cabin and it was a great way to end our trip! 

we were glad to finally be home after being on the road for so long. in 3 weeks we traveled to 8 states (9 including Arizona) and drove about 6,800 miles. we saw a variety of landscapes including beaches, mountains, forests, rainforests, plains, and cities. after both of our road trips (6 weeks driving around the country) I feel I have a much greater understanding of our country then I did before. we live in a beautiful place with so many incredible things to see! I hope I can continue to have adventures like this throughout my lifetime.