Summer Road Trip 2018 – Joeann's View

For Bub’s birthday, we took off on a three week, 4336-mile road trip across 8 western states, staying in historic hotels, soaking in hot springs, and finding tennis courts along the way. Many of the hotels also had stories of the ghosts that haunted them. His 97-year-old mother, Jean, lives in Chadron, NE and we planned it so he could spend his July 1st birthday with her. And, of course, missing the July heat in Tucson was a nice benefit!

This post will continue to be populated with more links as I post stories about each stop, but the links below will get you started….perhaps some of these will make a nice 2019 summer road trip!

Our first stop was the Keeling Schafer Wine Tasting Room to pick up a case of their outstanding Shiraz Cochise County Keeling Brothers wine for the trip. Well provisioned…we hit as many backroads as we could….searching out the proverbial “roads less traveled” or, at least ones we had not been on before. We were not disappointed.

Towns, Hotels and Hot Springs:

Zuni, NM

Since 1897, within the Pueblo of Zuni within the Zuni Indian Reservation in Western New Mexico, the founding Vander Wagen family has lived and served the Zuni Community.

More detail on our stay is here.

505.782.4547 PO Box 446, Zuni, NM 87327

Inn at Halona

Chimayo, NM

- Rancho de Chimayo Established in the 1800’s

Las Vegas, NM

The original Las Vegas! We spent 3 fun days here, relaxing, shopping, playing tennis and soaking!

Here’s the story.

The Plaza Hotel Built in 1882. Room 310 is said to be haunted
Montezuma Hot Springs

Estes Park, CO

Stanley Hotel Built in 1909 Where the movie The Shining was filmed! Haunted for sure!

Cheyenne, WY

The Historic Plains Hotel Built in 1911. A taste of the old west.

Chadron NE

The Historic Coffee Home

Thermopolis WY.

Built as the Callaghan Apartments in 1918 and now The Plaza Hotel operated by Best Western. The hot springs here were perfect!

The Plaza Hotel
More about our visit to Thermopolis

Pray, MT

Chico Hot Springs Built in 1900. One of my favorite hot springs in the US.
The Restaurant at Chico Hot Springs offers the best gourmet eating in Southern Montana.

Fort Benton, MT

Grand Union Hotel 1882 Haunted by a cowboy who was shot trying to ride his horse up the front staircase.

We finally got to traverse The Going to The Sun Road through Glacier National Park. It’s only open about 6 weeks out of the year. Our previous trips had been when there was too much snow to make it over. Quite the road!