Mighty Trip 2026 - Part 1

Colorado Springs

Introduction

Hi-Lo! On Thursday, June 4th, my family and I are starting our very first one month road trip!!! I plan to write blogs every week and hope to get every single detail down so you folks can read them. If you folks are interested in road trips, National Parks, and camping, then this is the perfect blog to read. If not, that’s okay; just read it, and I guarantee you that it will change your life forever. I am going to list the National Parks that we are going to, but I am not going to spoil everything because I want it to be a surprise. First, we are going to New Mexico, and from there we will arrive in our first National Park, Mesa Verde. Then Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Then finally Rocky Mountain! From there we will drive to Utah, which has 5 National Parks that we are going to: Zion, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Bryce, AKA The Mighty 5! Then we will go to Arizona to see the one and only Grand Canyon and also Glen Canyon! Last but not least, we will once again arrive in New Mexico to our last National Parks, White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns. Then we will finally come back home to our house in Texas.

Week 1

Hi folks! This is the first week of our one month road trip, and I am so excited to share it with you. So as you know, on Thursday morning we left to start our journey. We drove for 30 minutes to our very first pit stop of the trip, where I threw up after eating a Canadian Bacon Egg McMuffin. Here’s a tip for road trips: If you know you are motion sick, then you should definitely bring some non-drowsy Dramamine, which you can buy at Target for about $5 to $6. After about 1 and a half hours, we arrived in Wichita Falls for my parents to work at a public library, while my brothers, Surya and Deva, and I just chilled a bit and read some books at the library.

Once my parents finished their work, we got back on the road, and I immediately fell asleep because I had Dramamine that was not non-drowsy. In the meantime, my parents had already bought lunch from Taco Bell, and they ordered me a Chicken Chalupa, which, in case you didn’t know, the Chicken Chalupa from Taco Bell was my favorite; now you do. So we kept driving for 2 to 3 hours straight until we arrived at Amarillo.

We ate dinner at our hotel in Amarillo and then jumped into the swimming pool. We got to spend about an hour and a half in the swimming pool. After we showered and changed into our pajamas, we watched X-MEN and fell asleep.

The next day, which was Friday, we woke up, quickly got dressed, and headed out of the room to eat breakfast. The breakfast was a buffet, but I just ate cereal without milk because I did not want to get motion sickness and throw up. After my family and I finished eating, we got in the car and drove for roughly 4 hours straight on Route 66, the Mother Road, until we reached our lunch place in Albuquerque. We originally planned on staying there, but we decided to drive even longer so Saturday could be a scenic drive.

Fun Fact : Route 66 was celebrating its 100th year this year, 2026. U.S. Route 66 was built in 1926, 2,448 miles long and spanning across 8 states from Chicago to Santa Monica.

Anyways, we stopped at Sawmill Market to eat lunch, and the food there was AMAZING!

I ordered New Mexico veggie rolls, which said they were spiced, but they tasted kinda sweet if you ask me. Once we finished our lunch, we got some ice cream from a Korean ice cream shop. I got orange flavored ice cream, and I know I already said that the food there was amazing, but the ice cream was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! After we finished our ice cream, we got in the car again and drove to Farmington, which was a few hour drive. When we reached Farmington, we went to Berg Park and chilled a bit. At Berg Park, there was a splash pad and an actual park.

My brothers and I played in both the splash pad and park. And then we played in a nearby river.

After 30 minutes of fun, we had to drive to Chipotle to get food and drive to our hotel, which was only 2 minutes away from Berg Park. After we showered, we ate our delicious food and watched Jumanji 2. We fell asleep very quickly because we were all so tired from the long drive.

The next morning we woke up and did not eat breakfast at the hotel because we had to pay money, so on the way we stopped by McDonald’s and ate breakfast there. I got an Egg McMuffin with Canadian bacon. We drove for about an hour until we reached Four Corners Monument, where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado all meet. So we took pictures there and ran from state to state.

After Four Corners Monument, we drove to Mesa Verde National Park.

Mesa Verde National Park is a mountain in Colorado. In Mesa Verde, we went to the Visitor Center to learn more about the Native Indians and got our National Park passports and got them stamped.

After that, we did a 1 mile trail that at one point showed the Native Indians’ homes and storage places; the entire trail took about 1 hour to finish.

After we finished the trail, we got in the car and drove down the mountain to Durango Mountain. As we went downhill, Surya and I felt motion sick, so we took a break at the end of the mountain for 15 minutes, then hopped back in the car to drive to Durango Mountain. From Durango Mountain to Silverton, a small town between the mountains, we took the Million Dollar Highway, 550 highway. Once we reached Silverton, we took a small pit stop at a nearby gas station for gas and restroom breaks. After the short pit stop, we started driving to Ouray to stay there for the night. On the way, we took a lot of scenic pictures and photos with myself and my family. I also learned that Ouray is also named “Switzerland of America” because it looks a lot like Switzerland.

After we finished all the pictures and scenic views, we started driving towards a dinner place in Ouray.

When we got seated, I realized we were the only ones in the entire restaurant. I also realized that the dinner place was part of a hotel and that we would be staying at that very hotel to spend the night.

Once we finished our dinner, which was just pizza, we went to the front desk to get our room keys and room number. The front desk also told us that our room was a bit far away, so we might want to take our car a bit closer to where we were staying. So we all got into the car for the last time that day and drove to our hotel room. Our hotel room was on the second floor, so we got a balcony. My dad lost the key to the room, so he had to go get another one from the front desk while me, my mom, and brothers waited for him outside our hotel room. Once my dad returned, we got inside the hotel, changed into our nightdress, and went to sleep.

The next morning we woke up, got out of bed, and started brushing our teeth when my dad announced we could go to the pool. So we all hurried up and changed into our swim dresses and jumped into the pool. My mom didn’t come because apparently she had thrown up at 3:00 a.m. in the morning and was feeling sick. We had fun in the pool for about an hour.

Then suddenly my mom came to the pool. I asked my mom why she came, and she told me my dad told her to come to the pool. After about another 30 mins, we went to eat breakfast in our drenched clothes. And once again we were about the only ones there. After we ate, we went back to the pool, but shortly after, we went to the hot springs. The hot springs felt like a hot tub, but even hotter. When we finished playing in the pool, we went back to our room and showered one by one. After we all showered, we went to our car and started driving towards our next stop, Colorado Springs. We would stay there for a week in an Airbnb, so that my parents could do their work and attend meetings. While we were driving, we saw a sign that said Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP on your left. So my dad took the left, and we drove to Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

There was a short 0.2 mile trail to the Visitor Center from where we had parked. My mom did not want to come because she was still feeling sick. So me, my dad, and my brothers started walking. Once we had reached the Visitor Center, we bought a magnet, and Surya and Deva wanted a toy, so we got that too. After that, we got our passports stamped. Suddenly my mom came and surprised us. She told us she walked the trail to see us. Then we went to the Visitor Center balcony to see the Gunnison Point viewpoint.

Suddenly we saw a snake slithering in the bushes.

After we took pictures, we started walking back to the parking lot. We were about 5 minutes into the trail when we spotted a small green snake.

My dad said if there is a baby snake, there must be a mommy snake. My dad went first, and the snake moved a bit. Then Surya jumped over it, and it moved a bit more. Then, when Deva jumped, he screamed, so the snake moved fully into the bushes. When I went, I was scared, but a little relieved that the snake was not in the path anymore. We kept walking until we reached the parking lot after that. Once we reached the parking lot, we got into the car and started driving nonstop until we reached our Airbnb in Colorado Springs. Before we reached our Airbnb, we picked up some Chipotle and then drove to our Airbnb. Once we reached the Airbnb, we ate our food, watched David, showered, and then slept in the rooms we chose.

The next morning we woke up, got ready, and ate breakfast, which was just regular cereal from Costco that we had brought from our Texas home. After I finished my breakfast, I started playing with Surya and Deva. We were playing this game where we slide down the stairs and do it over and over again. Then I played pool with Surya and some Pac-Man with Deva. After playing for a while, my mom called us to eat lunch, leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. We got to sit outside and eat while enjoying the view.

In the meantime, my mom made stone art out of rocks, representing our family.

After we ate, we watched TV shows until our dad told us to get in the car because we were going to Garden of the Gods State Park. When we arrived, we went on a trail. We were only 5 minutes into the trail when I got really dizzy. My mom volunteered to stay with me, while my dad and brothers continued the trail. After 30 minutes of resting on my mom’s lap, I was feeling better enough to walk the trail until we reached my dad and brothers. When we reached them, we climbed the rocks and took photos.

After that, we walked back to our car and drove to Taco Bell to get dinner. I got the Crunchy Taco Supreme, I know I said I loved the Chicken Chalupa Taco, but I really wanted to try a crunchy taco. When we arrived back in the Airbnb, we ate our food, showered, and slept.

We woke up really early the next morning so we could go to the zoo.

Fun Fact : Cheyenne Mountain Zoo ( the zoo we were going to ) is the 2nd best zoo in North America. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is at an elevation of 6,714 and is home to over 750 animals.

After I woke up and got out of bed, I brushed my teeth, got ready, and went upstairs to help my mom prepare our lunches to eat at the zoo. My dad could not come because he had to attend meetings and do his work. So my mom took my brothers and me to the zoo all by herself, even though she had a job interview the very next day.

When we arrived at the zoo, the very first thing we did was see the monkeys and gorillas.

Then we went to the hippos. Deva heard how the hippos sounded and started replicating that sound, which caused my mom to laugh so much.

After that, we saw lions.

Then we went to the giraffes. My mom paid some money for lettuce so we could feed the giraffes. After we fed them, we bought another round of lettuce and fed them again. We also got to pet them.

After we fed the giraffes, we washed our hands and went to a picnic area to eat our lunch. Since I did not eat breakfast that morning, my mom packed leftovers so I could eat that if I was hungry. My brothers ate the PB & J I had packed myself that morning. After we ate, my mom let us get Kona Ice at the truck that was nearby. After we finished, we bought tickets for the winch and got on.

On the way up, we saw bears. When we got to the top, there was a playground, and my brothers played there for a while before we headed down. Once we got down, we went to see the elephants and fed them water.

After we fed the elephants, we went to the cafe because my brothers were hungry and my mom wanted a coffee. So after my brothers got their muffins and my mom got her coffee, we left the zoo and headed back for the Airbnb. When we got back to the Airbnb, we plopped onto the couch and started watching TV because we were so tired from the very long day at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. After 2 hours, we got our dinner, Panda Express. After we ate, we showered and watched Pixels. Then we went to sleep because we were so tired from the long, exhausting day.

The next day we woke up and got ready. After we got ready, we ate breakfast. Right after we finished eating breakfast, my mom told us her interview was in another half hour and to be quiet. My mom specifically told me to take care of my brothers and to make sure we were not being too loud. Half an hour later, my mom left to a quieter place to attend her interview. In the meantime, my brothers and I watched some TV shows. Then I left to go practice Python from my Coding For Kids Python book. After 1 hour of that, we ate lunch, leftovers from yesterday night’s dinner. When we were eating, my mom came back from her interview and told us that after we finished our lunch, we could watch TV. So after we ate, we watched TV again until our dad told us to take a break and go play outside. So we all went outside and started playing this game where you have to throw a rock down the driveway, and it has to skip as much as it can. If you get the highest number of skips, you win. Of course, I won every time because I was better at it than Surya. Then our dad told us to stop because the rocks we were throwing might hit a car. So then Surya and I went into the backyard to play the rock skipping game. My dad said it was fine as long as it did not hurt anyone. So Surya and I made sure we were very careful while playing the game. After a while, we went back inside, and our mom told us that we were going out for dinner. My mom told me she needed to comb my hair. After she combed my hair, Surya and I got in the car and waited for my dad, mom, and Deva. 10 minutes later, we were all in the car and headed to the dinner place, Red Leg Brewery.

At Red Leg Brewery, you had a variety of options to choose from and eat. There was pizza, chicken, lobster, and for the adults, a bar. I chose a shrimp taco from the lobster place and also mango lemonade. Surya got lobster mac and cheese, watermelon lemonade, and Deva got plain mac and cheese and watermelon lemonade. My parents ordered chicken wings and drinks. After we ate, we played for a while. Then I left to go sit down, and my brothers played. Suddenly we heard a familiar scream; Surya was crying because when they were playing, Deva’s head got bumped into Surya’s mouth and he started bleeding. So I ran and got ice from the bar, and my mom helped Surya recover from his injury. Then my family and I left to go to an ice cream place nearby. At the ice cream place, I got a strawberry matcha flavored ice cream.

When we went back to our Airbnb and tried unlocking the door with the code we were given, it didn’t work. We tried several times and called the Airbnb owner, but it still didn’t work. Finally, my dad tried, and it worked! After we all got in, we showered and went to sleep.

When we woke up the next morning, my mom told us that she would be taking us to the Space Foundation Discovery Center. So once we got ready and ate breakfast, we all left, except my dad because he had work he needed to finish, and drove to the Space Foundation Discovery Center.

When we first arrived there, we got to 3D print with those 3D printing pens. I printed a flower, but it was kinda messy. After that, we went to fly drones in the Drone Zone. I have to admit, I am pretty good at driving drones.

After that, we did a scavenger hunt to find all the Star Wars bobble heads that were hidden throughout the entire Space Foundation Discovery Center. After that, we went to drive mini Mars rovers on a mini Mars environment kinda thingy.

After that, we collected our prizes from the front desk for completing the scavenger hunt. Then we drove to UPS to take a printout of my National Parks Pass. Then we went back to the Airbnb and watched TV for a while until my parents said that we were going to go to Pikes Peak.

Fun Fact : While certainly one of the most famous mountains in the country and the second most visited mountain in the world, Pikes Peak stands at 14,115 feet, towers 8,000 feet above Colorado Springs, but it is still not the highest mountain in Colorado.

So we started driving up Pikes Peak for about an hour and a half until we reached the very top.

At the very top, it is famous to eat a donut, and then while coming down, it would expand in your stomach. So we bought the donut and some hot chocolate to drink.

After that, we went to the gift shop and bought an ornament. Then we came back down, drove to Taco Bell, went to our Airbnb, ate dinner, showered, and went to sleep.

The next day I woke up and got ready. When my dad gave us breakfast, he told us that my mom was having another interview. So in the time being, me and my brothers finished breakfast, then started playing. After that, I left them to practice Python. After I had practiced for about an hour, I realized that my brothers were watching TV shows and decided to join them. Once my mom finished her interview, she started packing and told us that we were leaving today. I helped pack too. Then we loaded everything we took out from our car back into our car. After we loaded everything, we got in the car and started driving to our next stop, lunch. We decided to go to Denver for lunch. In Denver, there was a very similar place to Sawmill Market in Albuquerque named Edgewaters.

I decided to get ramen. I immediately regretted it. I did not like it because … it just didn’t taste good. So I shared the pork chops with my dad and brothers while my mom ate my ramen. Then afterwards we got ice cream. I got a mint chocolate chip ice cream with sprinkles on top.

After we all finished our ice cream, we started driving to Estes Park.

When we reached Estes Park, we went on a short walk, then went to a dinner place to get food. I shared it with my mom. My family and I also tasted elk.

It tasted like goat meat. To be honest, I did not want to try it at first, but then my dad convinced me to try it, and I liked it. After that, we roasted marshmallows at a nearby fireplace and made s’mores.

Then we drove to our hotel, showered, and slept after the long, tiring, and exhausting day of driving.

In Part 2, we will explore the wonders of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Mighty Five of Utah. See you in Part 2!