Go, West.....

Has it really been a year since our Alaskan adventure?  Wow, yes it has!  Well, we have some beautiful photos from that trip and some wonderful memories, but it's another year and time for yet another adventure.  This time we are headed out west to visit some of our gorgeous national parks.  Come along with us and see some true national treasures.

We left Jonesborough headed for Nashville and an overnight visit with Jon and Melodie....this view seemed like a wonderful start to this great adventure....

We had a fun and relaxing, but short, visit with Jon and Melodie....I don't think I've ever laughed so much while playing Spades.  And the chili....can we just say "YUMMO"?!

The next morning we headed to the airport and our flight to Denver.  Kudos to Southwest....much more leg room than on the flights with another airline last year....made it more comfy and less stressful.  We arrived in Denver on time and after a LOOOOONG shuttle ride (we're talking 90 minutes, here), we arrived at the Downtown Sheraton for our night's stay. 

Nice hotel located adjacent to the Pedestrian Mall, which we enjoyed exploring a little.  The vibe was a blend of hippie and yuppie - rather interesting, to say the least. 

Starbucks and Krispy Kreme....the perfect combination?

After a yummy dinner at The Hard Rock Café, we made our way back to the hotel and met with Marissa, our Globus tour director.  We also met one of the other couples traveling with us on this journey, Colin and Jill, from Australia!  Actually, most of our group opted to fly into Denver and ride the coach to Rapid City, SD where the tour actually started.

The next morning we were up bright and early (bag pulls and a buffet breakfast - our new routine for the next two weeks).  We were pleased to discover that our coach was a 2017 Prevost that was just getting broken in....only had one tour before us!  The not-so-good thing is that Willie's back went "out" as he got up from breakfast this morning....ouch!  TENS unit and Alleve to the rescue....what a trouper!

Already we are enjoying the landscape...the wide-open spaces, so to speak.  And these hot air balloons were a nice surprise....

.....and lots of windmills.....

We stopped at the Wyoming Welcome Center (my first foray into Wyoming) for a bit of a break....stretching our legs and seeing some of what Wyoming has to offer.

 Looks like Willie is resigned to his "fate"....or is he pouting....

 

Ahhhh, but the openness of the terrain.....and the colors! 

And for those of you who know me....well, you know if there's a pretty flower around I've got to get to at least try to get a picture of it!  I spotted this beauty at our lunch stop in South Dakota...

I didn't get a picture of our lunch, but Willie and I both agreed that the nachos we had at Broncho's were the best we've ever eaten!  If you're in that area, stop in and say "hi"....and order the nachos!

And the beauty just keeps coming!

Even our rest stops were filled with beauty....just look at that sky and those clouds! 
After arriving in Rapid City we checked in to our hotel....The Rushmore...and then met the rest of our tour group.  Can hardly wait for tomorrow and another day of discovery! 

P.S.  This post is a little "light" on photos....but just wait!!!