The Road to Colorado

Back on the Road
Well, we enjoyed Moab way too much. That was an area that we will definitely remember. Perhaps we will be able to visit again someday, but probably not for a long time.

Now we were anxious to get back on the road and keep moving southward. With a burdened car full of possessions, a sombrero, and an adventurous spirit we pushed forward to see what awaits us on the road to Mexico.

We drove closer to a curious message on a rock.

Hole in the Rock
It said Hole N"The Rock. The first thing that was odd about this message was the N followed by a double quote. Grammatically this message has problems. The sentence leads you to believe the message is Hole In The Rock, but if you follow the rules for the English language, the second word should start with an N because the double quote follows it rather than precedes it. And why wasn't the more-proper single quote used? And why isn't there a space before or after the double quote?

We racked our brains trying to figure out which vowels we should substitute for the inappropriate double quote. Finally we admitted defeat and drove closer to inspect the odd message.......

We got too close and were enveloped by the absurdity of this roadside attraction.

This place was out of control. It seemed to lack a cohesive theme, not even a single thread of consistency wove the elements of this place together. There was strange stuff strewn about everywhere. Some things seemed historical, other things seemed alien, and some things were downright bizarre. In the middle of it all was a petting zoo. My mind was reeling. It was madness.

Rattlesnakes
This area is full of rattlesnakes. Previously while driving, we went to some rest stops that had signs warning us to stay on the paths due to rattlesnakes. You gotta take the whole rattlesnake thing seriously out here.

Nicki found this box... Oh No, wait! Nicki is not content to just stare at this box. She wants to open it. She's ignoring the caution message. Oh no, this isn't good....

Ho ho ho. Hardy, har, har. Gafaw. Gafaw. Groan

....let's move on.


A Home N" the Rock
At the core of all the tourist tinsel and absurdity, and oh yes a petting zoo...lies a true gem that should not be overlooked - a home inside the rock. You can see it in the picture below.

This home was built by Albert and Gladys Christensen in the 1950s and is the primary attraction at this location. They blasted the hole in the rock and built their home into it. It is still preserved just as they lived in it back in the 1950s and 1960s.

We took the tour that took us into their home. Here we are about to enter the cave home (through the gift shop of course.)

Unfortunately they wouldn't let us take pictures of what the home looked like inside, but it was quite impressive. In fact, it was fascinating.

This endeavor was a huge undertaking. This couple put some blood sweat and tears into this project. They broke free of the norm and created this super-cool habitat. It maintained a comfortable temperature, it was spacious and it was practical. But most of all it was extremely creative. They didn't do it to make money or to attract attention. They just wanted to live in a hole in a rock.

After their death the place was sold to Utah investors and became the primary attraction of the outrageous potpourri of oddities that we saw today. But if you peel back the layers of advertisement, consumerism, and tourism - and rewind time a few decades - you'll find simple, sincere motives mixed with strong creativity.

To me, that was the priceless gem that we found buried deep within Hole N"The Rock.


Back on the Road
The deserts of Moab soon gave way to greener landscapes. The air was warm and the car was purring along enjoying the flatter landscapes.

We had reached Colorado!

Colorado
Somewhere in some government-funded boardroom, a decision plagued a group of executives: How do we describe Colorado to the world in one word? Which word would be best?

If you can recall from an earlier post, Utah chose to boast about elevation. Well, I drove through Utah and nothing about it's elevation impressed me. I never woke thinking I wanted to come back to Utah because of it's elevation.

Well, as you can see from the picture above this section, they chose Colorful...

You know what? I think that works. In Utah you see a lot of cool things, but as far as colors go it's mostly a lot of shades of red and brown. So for the suits of Colorado to brainstorm Colorful is actually quite brilliant. It worked for us. We did notice that the landscape was getting more colorful. Plus the word Color is in Colorado. Brilliant.

Somewhere in some government-funded boardroom, a group of executives ended a meeting and went their separate ways. Some straight to the water cooler, some directly to their mahogany desks, and others walked briskly to their personally reserved parking spots.

They should take the rest of the day off. They nailed it that day.

Going to New Mexico next.........