I’ve just returned from a vacation with my parents. I mean come on, how cool is that? I turned 52 last weekend and my parents drove from Illinois to visit me in Colorado Springs. Then I crashed their road trip vacation and visited the Grand Canyon for the first time. From there we detoured off to Taos, NM, my second home away from home, for some relaxation at a mountain view Airbnb and a morning soaking in the hot mineral springs in Ojo Caliente.
What a special week!
Today I’m sharing a photo summary that you just might find helpful next time you’re looking for vegan food in Colorado Springs and Durango, CO, the Grand Canyon, AZ, and Taos, NM.
But first, this. On Facebook, I dedicated my birthday to raise funds – $520 – for Luvin’ Arms Animal Sanctuary. We raised $735! If you’d like to donate, please go directly to Luvin’ Arms and donate here (thank you!).
Okay, back to the vacation.
Mom and Dad spent a couple of days with us in Colorado Springs. Since we keep a vegan home and they are not vegan, we served vegan breakfast each morning and then dined out for lunch and dinner. And by breakfast, I mean bread. I mean homemade sourdough bread.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
We went to Trinity Brewing where I got the chickpea salad over a bed of greens.
McCabe’s Tavern for the grilled grapefruit salad with tofu.
Sunday we hiked the Rainbow Gulch trail
and rewarded ourselves with a birthday brunch. I had the vegan breakfast bowl (beans, Spanish Rice, pumpkin seeds and cashew sour cream) with sesame-crusted tofu at Adam’s Mountain Cafe.
Sunday night they had pizza, Dave had vegan pizza, and I had a salad with Bambino’s house made vegan sausage and pineapple (I added some veggies).
And then mom, dad, and I hopped in the car for a road trip to the Grand Canyon!
We stopped for a Wolf Creek Summit photo.
And then we stopped at the half-way point.
DURANGO, CO
I got this veggie-packed salad at Gazpacho’s New Mexican Restaurant.
Eleven hours later…the Grand Canyon!
We stopped at several sites on the Rim and then we were famished. We checked into our hotel and walked down the street for dinner.
GRAND CANYON, AZ
The beans are vegan at Plaza Bonita so I ordered a taco salad with refried beans.
We grabbed lunch at the Maswik Food Court after touring all the spots on the Hermit’s Rest side of the South Rim. I grabbed a prepared salad from the cooler and ordered a bunless veggie burger to put this tasty meal together.
We went for “Haute” on our final night and dined at the historic El Tovar Lodge.
I started with tofu (because I was sorely missing tofu!)
and the vegan portobello mushroom (yep, the word VEGAN is on the menu!)
And then it was time to road trip to Taos, NM. We stopped in Gallup, NM and I enjoyed this fresh salad at Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe.
And then we were in
TAOS, NM
I built a bowl (beans, pozole, veggies and red chile) and enjoyed a cookie (yep, vegan!) at Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe.
Lunch at Station Cafe 3 one 6: Salad with beans and a cucumber pico de gallo.
And our last meal in Taos was at Taos Pizza Out Back where, I’m pleased to announce, they switched out the non-vegan vegetarian cheese for vegan cheese! Hurray!
One thing you may have noticed: no breakfast shots from the road. I travel a lot and I always travel with vegan smoothies and raw fruit and veggies for snacking. Soooo, you’re on your own for figuring out breakfast! 😉
Did I mention that Dave joined us in Taos? The morning my folks hit the road back home to Illinois (boo hoo), Dave and I went out for a final hike along the Rio Grande.
I’m home and happy. And grateful that at the age of 52 I was able to hop in a car with my mom and dad for vacation.
