Amat Victoria Curam-Day One: July 12 2011

We felt like we were getting ready to travel into space, like the astronauts of the challenger mission. Our scheduled departure date was side tracked (July 1st) when one of the travelers became unable to travel in our little space mobile. The new date was July 10th! OOPS not gonna happen. The much needed radio of the 4runner went out. Can't depart without that! Okay Okay July 11th, it's perfect right? Everybody loves 7-11. Nope. The Thule cargo box foundation became useless not allowing us to depart until we got a new part. Well everything happens for a reason and we were happy to spend the extra time with family and friends but July 12th was our final departure date.

After planning, packing and preparing we pulled out of town when we ran into yet another obstacle. Are you kidding me? July 13th? Nope not going to happen. When traveling 5445.6 miles it is important to keep in mind the GVW (gross vehicle weight) of the car, the 4runnner maximum GVW is 5,250lbs and our weight was 5,340lbs. Not a big deal at all we can just ship one of the smaller travelers, stuff her in a box, she weighs the exact difference we needed to get down to. That's one solution but then Clayton would be lonely. When we got down to the appropriate weight it was really time to hit the road.

We spent the day traveling through the beautiful Rocky Mountains enjoying the scenery, taking in both the sun rays, the hail, and all the Texas license plates (Don't mess with Colorado!) . After 7 hours on the road we landed in the quaint and welcoming town of Creede, CO, home to the Miles Family, Ashley's dear friends. They were great hosts as they took us to Kip's for dinner for fish tacos and a much needed cold black beer (stout). We finished the night with a stroll through town to visit their new BBQ stand as they packed us full of good food for tomorrow. It was great to visit with such wonderful friends who were more than willing to help us prepare for our next stop: Zion National Park, Utah...ta ta for now as we enjoy our last comfortable bed for the next week...or so.

Total miles for the day: 270
Miles Per Gallon: 20.1 (surprisingly!)

Victory Loves Preparation

2 rocket boxes on the top! 

                                     The VIP (very impressive packer) + One ant-sy traveler

                                                               Love you Mom!

                                           What a beautiful tier...or should we say tear

                                                               Love you guys and Mom!

                                     Why not take a pic? The riveting  Rocky Mountains.

                                                         An afternoon shower.

                                     The Collegiate Peaks (CSU on left, CU on the right)

                                      Rams are smart enough to stay away from the road.

                                                       and the amazing Miles family!

The CSU grad was still looking for Creede....



Hot Shot Fireman Matt, Marvelous Mary Beth, the 2 travelers and Kips delicious food and drink! yum.

The new BBQ stand in Creede. Come check it out!