A Day in My Life - Day 21 @RRBC_Org 2023 #RRBC 30-Day #Blogging Challenge @YvetteMCalleiro #ADayInMyLife #RWISA @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #travel #RoadTrip #Oklahoma #Texas #NewMexico #Colorado #Kansas #Nebraska #SouthDakota #NorthDakota #Minnesota #Iowa

Hello, beautiful readers! I have reached day 21 of the #RRBC 30-Day Blogging Challenge. I woke up to this beautiful certificate in my mailbox. Thank you for motiving and encouraging us to stay the course, RRBC!

Today is Sunday, which is beach day for me! It was quite windy, but since it was too cold to go last weekend, I was not missing my vitamin sea today. For those who haven't read my other post about my beach days, I stay at the beach from morning until the sun goes down. So, all that is left by the time I get home is showering and washing my hair, blow drying it, cooking dinner, and eating while watching a show with my son.

So, let's talk about my next trip, which took place in 2018. This year, we visited the Midwest for 24 days. We flew to Oklahoma and did a loop through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa.

My parents have a friend who lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, so we decided to start our adventure there. We visited the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum as well as a bit more of Route 66.

 

 

Then, we traveled to Amarillo, TX to see the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. We had fun walking among the red rocks.

 

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, we went to the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks. These rocks were sand color. We did a lot of hiking, which is always fun for us. (Yes, my son and dad hiked all the way to the top of where they are pointing.)

 

In Farmington, NM, we visited the Aztec Ruins and the Bisti Badlands. We learned about the Aztec civilization that had lived at the ruins and walked in their footsteps for a bit. The Bisti Badlands are miles and miles of desert and hills. My dad and I hiked that area while my son and mom stayed in the air-conditioning.

 

 

Our next stop was the Mesa Verde National Park near Durango, Colorado. Here, we learned about a village that built their civilization in the side of a cliff. 

Then, we went to Colorado Springs and drove up to Pikes Peak, an elevation of 14,115 feet. The views were spectacular! 

 

Then, we hiked through the Garden of the Gods, where we returned to enormous red rocks.  

 

 

Our next day took us to the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. We rode a cable car across the gorge and walked the bridge. 

 

We went to the Seven Falls and climbed to the top (with a few breaks in between).

 

 

Our next stop was Mt. Evans! Unfortunately, a fog rolled in as we were driving up the mountain, and it became too dangerous to make it to the top. Luckily, we found a safe turnaround spot, but suffice it to say, it took a bit to bring my heart back to a normal rate. We got a few pictures at a lower level, though.

 

 

Then, we were off to Denver, Colorado, where my son got to tour the Mile High Stadium. He was a huge Broncos fan for a while. (I have finally converted him to a Dolphins fan!) This was a great stadium, and I love that they built a mini-stadium where the original stadium once stood.

  

The next day took us to Gering, Nebraska, but we stopped in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for lunch and visited the Nelson Museum of the West. We also saw the biggest cowboy boots I've ever seen.

 

In Nebraska, we visited Scotts Bluff and walked some of the trails that Native Americans and pilgrims once traveled. 

 

Then, it was off to the Black Hills National Forest in Rapid City, South Dakota. We visited Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

 

We also went to Custer State Park, where my son participated in his first hay ride and country ho down.

 

In North Dakota, we visited the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Theodore Roosevelt Park. 

  

In Minnesota, we enjoyed Minnehaha Park and Minneopa State Park. We rented a quad-cycle and then laughed as we had to dismount and push it up a hill. We enjoyed the waterfalls and cooled off in the pond. And we saw our fair share of corn fields.

 

 

In Iowa, my son experienced his first train ride at the Boone Railroad Station.

 

Our next stop was Topeka, Kansas, where we visited the Ward-Meade Historic Site and Botanical Gardens and the Brown vs. Board of Education Historic Site. My son was able to learn more about segregation and how this law changed education during this visit.

 

And then, we drove back to Oklahoma to catch our flight home.

Have you ever visited any of these sites? Would you like to visit any of them? I'd love to hear from you.