May 15

9:45-- Left our friends' house for Garden of the Gods (18 miles)
We spent over an hour walking around the famed gardens and taking photos. We probably should have budgeted more time. We got to a local micro-brewery about 20 minutes too early to buy souvenirs for my coworkers, but our tight schedule meant I couldn't wait around. It was off to southeast Colorado to meet up with my side of the family.

1:15 PM-- Lunch in La Junta (111 miles)
After spending time in the mountains of Utah and Colorado, it felt odd to be out on the plains. As we drove along US 50 I enjoyed looking at the older buildings in the towns we passed through. At one time they must have been bustling places, and now the smaller towns look like shells of their former selves. I wish I could have seen the main intersections of Rocky Ford and Fowler in the 1920s to 1940s so I could see what they looked like in their glory days.

2:24-- Arrived at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Park (21 miles)
The original "fort" was originally a trading post and not a military installation. The reconstructed fort used a period description to make it look like it did in the 1830s. Park personnel dress in period costumes, and rangers are available to give tours (there were bus loads of elementary school pupils there). We spent a little under two hours here but could have stayed another hour or so.

5:06-- Arrived at our motel in Lamar (48 miles)
Lamar is the biggest town around, but that isn't saying much. We mistakenly went to a nearby Mexican restaurant that was not the best one in town (as recommended by the desk clerk). The prices were reasonable, but the food was mediocre at best. I was hoping to find a diamond in the rough (I guess we got quartz). On the way to "downtown" Lamar we passed by a building that was the world's only gas station made of petrified wood (it's now the world's only used car dealer made from petrified wood).