Jake and Maggie

Travel

Michigan

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There were few things sweeter on this trip than spending time with friends and family. And this stop (family) was no exception. We were welcomed with open arms into Rachael and Richard’s home, and we couldn’t have felt more at home. A restorative time after so much traveling, ample room to spread out with our brood, evening conversations over tea and provisions for the road.

You guys (if you’re reading — even if you aren’t reading) are the best. It was sad to say goodbye, but you know where to find us on your next road trip. And we’ve always got spare rooms with your name on them.

Chicago

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We went to Chicago for a few days to see friends. It was nice. It was our first big city since D.C. over a month ago. It was jammed with traffic (so some of our plans evaporated to avoid it), but it was still good to see our friends (Joshua and Kirby) for a little while. We stayed in an enormous hotel which felt like an indoor city. It was built in 1971 and the architecture feels that way (sort of has that George Orwell / Aldous Huxley feel). We also went to Millennium Park in downtown. We had fun.

Garden of the Gods

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The year after we got married, we visited Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs on a road trip to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. We had no kids.

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And we took some really dark pictures of ourselves. Now, 12 years later, we had the opportunity to come back to the same place with 4 kids (3 pictured here) and make new memories.

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Great Sand Dunes National Park

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On our way from Santa Fe to Boulder, we decided to stop in at another national park that we’d heard legends about. We settled into a hotel in a pretty underwhelming little town, which shall go unnamed (in case any of you have family in Alamosa, Colorado), and immediately headed out to see the Great Sand Dunes.

This was so much more breathtaking in person than we thought it would be. We didn’t realize that we’d have to traverse a little rushing river to get to it, but it was worth it.

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Santa Fe

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There have been times on this trip when I’ve felt like we’re all set to move on to the next destination. We’d enjoyed the experience of a city, but we don’t need to put down any roots. I knew, however, when we landed in Santa Fe that we could stay around for a while. It was the first place on the trip where I was sad to leave. We had a blast Santa Fe. We’ll be back.