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This is the third article in a series of 7 called Road trip from Phoenix to Mount Rushmore. Check out the introduction to this series in “Day 1, Rim Country Arizona; New Mexico; Pagosa Springs, Colorado.”
On Day 3, we got up pretty early in Colorado Springs, and got out and saw Garden of the Gods and a few other places that were mentioned on Day 2.
We had the best Donuts ever at Dad’s Donuts and coffee at Loyal Coffee, and headed out.
This day of driving was planned to be short at only 3 hours, because we wanted to see Rocky Mountain National Park.
Stops #1-2: Scheels, OO-de-Lally Coffee
As we drove, we decided to stop by Scheels, and again for coffee (morning coffee was had quite early, so several hours had passed) shortly after. Both stops were between Colorado Springs and Denver.
We stopped at Oo-de-Lally Coffee based on its proximity to the interstate and its reviews – I believe we asked Siri for a coffee shop along our route via CarPlay and this was what she gave us.
The shop was large, and had a second floor of seating. The vibe was quite unique (for a coffee shop) and cutesy – it was filled with flowers, swings, scripty sign decor, and Jesus. So if any of that is your thing, then I’d highly recommend just to come and see it. Otherwise, I’d take it or leave it. The coffee itself was just okay, I’d say average small business coffee.
Rocky Mountain National Park
A critical piece of information about Rocky Mountain National Park is that unless you are planning to get there extremely early or toward the evening, it requires a timed entry pass. This makes it a little difficult to plan a leg of a road trip, especially if you’re trying to follow these 5 guidelines to make the trip easier and more enjoyable.
My approach, which did not work, unfortunately, was to wait until the day we would be driving past the park to get a timed entry pass. The rationale for this was that stops on the two previous days had taken us off schedule.
It’s important to note that timed entry pass availability can change daily. When I began planning the trip, there were none available for the day we would drive through. The day before we would drive through, I checked again and passes were available for the 9:00, 11:00, and 12:00 hours.
But like I said, I chose to wait, with the plan of looking again once we were about an hour out. I was half right – we initially thought we would be near RMNP around 9:00 AM, but we drove by it closer to noon thanks to a late start and a few stops.
But I was also half wrong – there were no timed entry passes available at all the day we went by. I checked before we started for the day, and again when we were almost there. I’m not sure if this is because they all sold out, or if they become unavailable the day of.
So, sadly, we did not get to visit – but RMNP might be part of a future trip.
Stop #3: Buc-ee’s and Rain
On the north side of Denver, we stopped at Buc-ee’s, unbeknownst to our oblivious daughter who absolutely loves the place. We managed to distract her from all 42 of their billboards along the interstate, and then she got busy with a book or a game and we had to call her attention to it as we pulled into the parking lot.
It was at this point, as I took care of the dog while they finished shopping inside, that we began to worry (again) about rain. The clouds were rolling in fast, and they were dark. But it looked like we might be able to thread the needle and get to Cheyenne before it rained.
And for the most part, we did…
Day 3 Final Stop: Cheyenne, Wyoming
With one eye on the forecast and radar, and another on the road, we narrowly avoided the rain and storms – until we got to our Airbnb in Cheyenne.
At that point, the clouds were dark, and rain began sprinkling from them as we unloaded the truck. We hurried to get everything onto the covered porch, and made it inside only a minute or two before the skies opened. And with that, came lots of rain in a short period, along with lots of dime-sized hail.
I googled local news outlets and checked for storm warnings. If you’re not familiar with severe storms, it’s extremely important to be aware of them if you’re on the road. You do not want to be caught in hail, a tornado, or a dust storm if you are on the road or on foot – the consequences could be severe.
When I was confident the storm was over, I went outside to look for hail damage. Fortunately there wasn’t any, but the truck was covered in leaves from surrounding trees.
One of the leaves clung to the driver’s side mirror over the next few days and became a running joke. It probably would have stayed until we got home, but our daughter removed it.
T-Joe’s Steakhouse and Sierra
After the storm, it was still raining, and we drove to T-Joe’s Steakhouse and Saloon for dinner. The steaks were pretty decent, and cooked exactly as ordered. It seemed like a new-ish restaurant, and the host was likely the owner based on her conversations with another table. It was next to a truck stop, so there were a lot of truckers having dinner. It looked like the “saloon” side had quite a nit going on – a large liquor selection, pool table, slots, and more.
It was the classic steakhouse you might remember from the 80s or 90s – same decor, same food, same customers – definitely worth a visit, even if just to recall some memories from those times.
After dinner, we stopped at a Sierra because there aren’t any close to home so I wanted to see what their stores are like. If you aren’t familliar, Sierra is the TJ Maxx or Marshall’s (it’s actually owned by TJM) of the outdoor gear world.
Unfortunately, I didn’t see a good deal on anything that interested me, except a pair of shorts that were the wrong size and a sleeping pad I don’t need (yet).
The Omelette House and The Boardroom in Cheyenne
In the morning, we grabbed breakfast at The Omelette House, and coffee at The Boardroom in downtown Cheyenne. The Boardroom was a well-thought-out business that had something for every part of the day – it specializes on coffee, which was decent, but also charcuterie (hence the name) and ice cream.
Phoenix to Mount Rushmore Day 3 Summary
On day 3 of our trip from Phoenix to Mount Rushmore, we started in Colorado Springs and ended in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We learned it’s important to:
- Get a timed entry pass for Rocky Mountain National Park and stick to a schedule to get there on time, instead of waiting to see if a pass will be available once closer
- Be careful of severe storms that may produce hail or tornadoes
We checked out Garden of the Gods and enjoyed legendary donuts at Dad’s Donuts before leaving Colorado Springs, checked out Bucee’s north of Denver and Scheels south of Denver, and went to a decent local steakhouse in Cheyenne after the hailstorm.
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