Elopement Story, Part II: Days 1 2

I was a teacher and Christopher worked seasonally doing asphalt jobs, so winter was the best time for us to do our elopement because he was off work and I would have winter break from school. We decided to head to the Southwest to explore the beautiful national parks and tie the knot among the giant Saguaro cacti.

Day 1: MO --> CO

We got up around 1:30 AM, got ready, filled our coffee cups, finished packing the car, and off we went! Our first destination was Southfork, Colorado. This was our "big" drive. It was around 14 hours without stops so we knew it would be a long day. We had no other plans when we reached our destination other than to get something delicious to eat and get a good night's rest. We stopped only for gas and food and once to circle back to a mural we wanted to get a better look at although there were other places we came upon that we wished we would have had more time to explore. Southfork is the cutest little ski town and was established in 1992. We had booked our stay at the Chinook Cabins, located right in the center of Southfork.

(Southwest Cabin at Chinook Cabins- Southfork, Colorado)

Christopher went inside to check us in when we arrived and he was greeted by the sweetest woman who offered him valuable information on a few of the local favorites. I highly recommend chatting with locals, no matter where you go! Some of our favorite experiences have come by word of mouth of a local. Each of the Chinook Cabins have a theme and it only seemed right that we stay in the Southwest themed cabin. We checked in, got ready and made our way to Two Rivers Tavern for dinner, which was recommended by our Chinook host. Because of the snow, staffing was limited so we ate on the bar side with who we were sure were all locals, as it seemed they all knew each other. We loved the cozy vibe the bar offered with its' welcoming staff and warm wood stove. We had fried pickles, a brisket sandwich and homemade hot links and of course Coors Banquet. "When in Rome." Everything was perfect! After a long day of driving we were ready to head back to the cabin and call it a day.

Day II: CO --> The Grand Canyon, AZ

Wake up: 5:45 AM

We wanted to get an early start because this would be another long day of driving with a stop at Four Corners before reaching our final destination of the day.

Our host at the Chinook Cabins recommended both Doc's Outdoor Sports as well as Rachel's Keep on Keepin' On for breakfast. We wanted to grab a couple of souveneirs as well so Doc's was our first stop after filling up for the day's drive. If you are planning on staying in Southfork for recreation then Doc's is your one- stop- shop for all outdoor activities! If you're just looking for a souvenier and a small bite to eat, they've got you covered there too. We found the perfect souveniers and even grabbed a coffee and pastry before heading over to Rachel's for something a little heartier. Rachel's is a food truck and her set up is so unique and the food is AMAZING! Chris and I each got the Southwest Burrito and it was almost too much food. It didn't help that we had just had the pastries from Doc's, but even without those, I don't think I could have finished it. I wish so badly I would have taken a picture of Rachel's for myself. I grabbed one from her page so you can see just how cool her place is even though I don't feel it fully does it justice. You MUST go see it for yourself!

(Photo courtesy of https://rachelskoko.com/)

After grabbing burritos we decided we needed to get started on our drive. There had been a big winter storm come through just before we had arrived and the road conditions through the mountains were less than ideal, but golly did it make for a beautiful drive!

We winded back and forth along the switchbacks, occasionally stopping at a lookout to take in the views. We drove through some of the cutest little mountain towns and watched as people skiied and snowboarded down snow covered slopes. It didn't seem like we would ever get out of the mountains which left me with a mixture of being totally content, yet anxious to see the red, orange and yellow hues of the vast desert.

We continued to wind through mountains and noticed the slow recession of snow as we made our way to the dry side of the range. We had made it to the desert! I was so excited. I had always wanted to visit the Southwest region of the states and here I was. I had made it and I was ecstatic! We stopped to fill up once more before finishing our drive to Four Corners Monument.

The Four Corners Monument was not at all what I had expected, but not in a bad way. It was completely hidden away with nothing else in sight. This made for beautiful views on all sides of the monument. Because we had gone in December there were very few visitors so that made it nice for us as well. The monument itself is surrounded by vendor booths filled with locally made Native goods. Christopher and I purchased a smaller souvenier but also loved the paintings and ended up walking away with a canvas painting from a man named Whitesinger. He told us the painting was inspired by the nearby Canyon de Chelly. It is beautiful and currently displayed in our dining room.

(Four Corners Monument)

(Looking back at The Four Corners Monument- like I said, truly in the middle of nowhe

(Land surrounding Four Corners Monument- Dec 2022)

I LOVE the way the desert sands and skies create the most beautiful scenes.

These beautiful views surround the entire monument. I have never felt so small in the world at this particular point. Arriving at the Grand Canyon however made me feel even smaller.

Once we left Four Corners our destination for the evening was a cozy cabin at The Bright Angel Lodge located at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon which was about four hours away.

(View from Desert View Watchtower Lookout Area- South Rim Grand Canyon)

We arrived to Grand Canyon National Park with about an hour left of daylight. There were several scenic outlooks along AZ- 64 and we wanted to check them out as we made our way to Grand Canyon Village. The views were breathtaking. It was like something we had never seen before.

*If you are planning on visiting the South Rim of The Grand Canyon make sure and fill up your car in Cameron before getting on AZ- 64. There is nowhere else to fill up or grab snacks until you are inside the park.

(Desert View Watchtower)

(South Rim Grand Canyon NP)

We also checked out Moran Point and Grandview Point. A couple of the lookouts were closed due to the snowy conditions, but we were more than pleased with what were able to access. I would love to go back and check out the Tusayan Ruin though!

Once we arrived at The Grand Canyon Village, it was pitch black. This may have been my favorite part of all of the places we visited- no light pollution. The stars shine so bright and the skies appear clean and clear.

Christopher got us checked into our cabin but finding our cabin was a bit of a challenge. It was so dark and the numbers of the some of the cabins were not displayed in a way you could see them so we ended up driving in circles until Christopher finally got out and went walking through the cabins to find ours.

The tiny cabin was so cozy and conveniently located near trails, shops and resturaunts at Grand Canyon Village. Once we got settled into our cabin, we ventured out to find dinner. We went to The Bright Angel Lodge and stumbled upon Fred Harvey's Burger where we each had the signature Fred Harvey Burger. We visited the gift shop and grabbed a couple of souveniers before heading back to the cabin to call it a night.