Make it a Driving Adventure!

March 11, 2020March 11, 2020
by kevin

Every year, as we host our Summer and Fall Rocky Mountain Photography Workshops, we make the trip up to Colorado from our home base in Austin, TX. While I live in Austin, I KNOW Rocky Mountain National Park really well, and I love traveling up there ever Summer and Fall.

Rather than flying, we drive. It is always a wonderful trip, with many “usual” stops we make along the way. Regardless of where you are coming from, remember driving might be a fun option to consider instead of flying! Take pictures along the way!

Here are a few spots we like to stop on our route up:

Coleman, Texas has this little drug store, Owl Drugs. We love stopping there for a late breakfast or an early lunch because it’s like stepping back in time, to an era where drug stores often had a soda fountain / cafe in the store!

As we get near Sweetwater, TX we see lots of these wind farms generating electricity! You can’t miss them. They’re everywhere!

One of the landmarks I always notice along the way is this enormous, multi-silo grain elevator in Plainview, TX. Note the scale, compared to the train engine. That thing is huge.

Before we get to Amarillo, we pass beautiful Palo Duro Canyon! Always a great place to stop for some photos at sunset time.

Once we get to Amarillo for our first night stay, we sometimes stop by the Cadillac Ranch. That’s right, those Cadillacs are buried in the ground!

Every time you visit, the Cadillac Ranch looks different! People spray new graffiti every day!

Part of our “routine” is to stop here for dinner at The Big Texan Steak House. They are famous for offering the “Free 72oz Steak” if you can eat the whole thing with sides in under an hour. No, I have not tried to do that. 🙂

Lots of tourists eat here. It is definitely a “tourist destination” but the food is good.

I am always fascinated by this abandoned gas station in Texline, TX.

As we pass through the corner of New Mexico, we like to stop at Capulin Volcano! It’s a pretty perfect volcanic cone with a road that takes you to the top!

Mount Capulin Volcano, New Mexico
(no worries, it’s dormant 🙂

You can hike down to the center of the extinct cinder cone of Mount Capulin.

You can hike the trail around the rim of Mount Capulin. Spectacular views in all directions.

Parking lot at the top of Mount Capulin.

You can see for many miles. It is so peaceful up on top of Mount Capulin!

Heading on through New Mexico, we are soon in Colorado.

We often stop briefly at Garden of the Gods, in Colorado Springs.

There are lots of wonderful hiking trails around Garden of the Gods!

We often grab lunch at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post. Their gift shop is huge!

You know you’ve reached Estes Park, CO (elevation 7522′) when you see potato chip bags look like this. 😉

Our driving adventure concludes in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado. But that means we transition over to our magnificent photography adventure in Rocky Mountain National Park!

Wherever you may be traveling from, consider driving as a way to experience the journey quite differently from the view at 30,000 feet from an airplane window!

I hope you’ll join us this year!
Happy Travels,
Kevin Gourley

Convert “Maybe” to a “Yes” and Join the Adventure!