An Anniversary Vacation for Abby and Richard
Photos by Abby S. M. Barron and Richard R. Barron
On our first vacation together in 2003, Abby and I drove a cool high road called the Mokee Dugway. After that, and to this day, one of our nicknames for each other has been some permutation of Mokee, Dugway, or Mokee Dugway. Sometimes we answer phone calls from each other, "Mokee mokee!" Last year I discovered a motel in Bluff, Utah, called the Mokee Motel, and I told Abby we had to stay there. So this vacation, celebrating a year of being married, is named Mokee Mokee. By the way, we found the Mokee Motel to be among the nicest, most comfortable, and friendliest we have ever visited.
Our first stop was the new rest stop along Interstate 40 in the Texas Panhandle...
Our first night was in Santa Fe, where we were crestfallen to find our favorite Chinese restaurant, Ten Ten, had become a truck salvage lot. Instead we had fantastic Chinese food delivered to our motel by a place called Little House.
The next morning, we drove the Chama Valley and into Colorado, not shooting much, but instead just enjoying being together. We did, however, stop to shoot some nicely golden trees by the roadside in a valley...
By late afternoon, we were fortunate to be at Mesa Verde National Park in time for sunset at Square Tower House...
You can see a few of my images from this visit here...
On Friday we made our way up to the
Moab, Utah, area. We had a very
nice drive through Arches
National Park, where we
got married last year, but Abby wasn't feeling well enough to hike,
so she insisted that I hike up to Delicate Arch anyway to shoot it at
sunset. Despite Abby's absence, and a sea of tourists, it was a
worthwhile endeavor. You can see my images from this hike here... 
Abby felt better on Saturday, so on the first leg of our drive home we drove the 22-mile road to the Needles Overlook, which I had always skipped in the past because I usually hike in the Needles district of Canyonlands, which is nowhere near the overlook. I think Abby and I were both surprised and delighted by what we experienced looking out over the vastness of this place, one of my favorite in the world. It was an excellent way to introduce Abby to Canyonlands...
Anyone looking at these images must surely see the love and intimacy that arcs between us. There is no place I would rather be than on the road, standing in the golden sun at the end of the day, with a camera in my hands and Abby by my side. -Richard
All content Copyright 2005 by Richard R. Barron
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