This post is long overdue but I was absolutely excited to experience my first Spring Break in the U.S. mainland! Ron and I initially planned to go to Las Vegas, NV for several reasons: visit my best friend Fiti, visit the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, and just tour the city. However, we decided to go there some other time since we only have a few days. We wanted to stay longer if we are going to Vegas.  It took us about a week to decide where to go instead and plan our activities. We decided to go to Denver, Colorado!

For our mode of transportation, we decided to try Greyhound Bus. We thought that it would be fun to do a road trip. Our round trip fare total (including tax) was about $230.00 for the both of us. It was definitely cheaper than flying. Not only we get to see a lot of things, this bus line offers free Wi-Fi on board and individual power outlets.

From Lubbock, TX, our first stop was in Amarillo, TX. We weren’t able to explore the city since we were just making a short stop for the bus to refuel and for us passengers to get some breakfast. The Greyhound Bus Station is small, so there aren’t many things to see. They have a food place inside that Ron and I were able to have some cooked food for breakfast.

Our second stop was in Raton, NM. We stayed here for about 45 minutes since there was a different bus driver who will be driving us to Denver. Raton was such a peaceful place that we were able to visit an art gallery and a small shop.

The Old Pass Gallery is a unique art gallery where they sell paintings and jewelries. Although you won’t see so many paintings, you will love the diverse and well-selected offerings of native and Southwest art. This is a must-visit to those who loves art! My favorite piece was the Navajo Spinner by Karen Howl (featured below).

Across the Old Pass Gallery is a store filled with colorful items. They sell various things from souvenir items to bags, jewelries, and snacks.

From Raton going to Denver, we either listened to music, talked to each other, slept, or ate some snacks. We saw acres of fields, wind mills, rock formations, snow-covered mountain tops, deers, and houses of different styles. Our third stop was Colorado Springs, CO that we only went there to pick up passengers headed to Denver.

We finally arrived in Greyhound Bus Station in Denver around 7:30PM. We took Uber from the station to Quality Inn & Suites by Choice Hotels located in Denver Stapleton, which is about a 15-minute drive. If you are traveling to Denver on a budget, I highly recommend staying here. The staff are very accommodating and friendly, the breakfast is great, and there are so many nearby restaurants! Ron and I rested for a bit then went outside to get some dinner.

This was by far the best road trip I had not only because of the number of stops we did, but the fact that I traveled with my travel buddy!