camping under the stars!

for this westward crossing, we have been traveling at such a pace that hotels have been our best option when arriving late in the evenings. we knew we wanted to stay in the park at the grand canyon, and Kate was awesome enough to make us a reservation a month ago for a camp site. we called for a late arrival, but were pushing to get there by 7 to register, before the office closed. I was so nervous because we arrive a little after 7, but it was no problem registering (phew!). we only figured out a few hours later that we had crossed another time zone, so gained an hour in our favor. I sure do like gaining hours traveling west more that I liked losing them traveling east!

we set up camp super quick, and headed up to the rim lodges to catch the sun setting, and grab some dinner. we walked around taking in the breathtaking canyon in the evening light as long as we could, then settled into a restaurant for din when I was about to gnaw my fingers off.

with a sense of accomplishment in arriving at our planned destination for this trip, we were both happy and at ease. it has been a long journey in a short amount of time! we ordered a bottle of wine, toasted Kate and sanjiv's 2-year anniversary, and proceeded to chat like a bunch of schoolgirls for hours. it was a fab evening, and so nice to be sharing it with such an important friend!

the night was topped off by pulling our sleeping pads and bags out of the tent, and sleeping under the stars for the night. there was almost no moon, the stars were bright as can be, and we even caught some "shooting stars" from the persiad meteor shower. of course I was asleep in 3 minutes flat, but not before I made my wish on a shooting star. ;)

...ain't it grand?!

with great anticipation, we made it to the grand canyon national park late Sunday afternoon. our first stop coming in from the east entrance was the desert watch tower. a favorite viewpoint of mine, because it is also the first part of the south rim you can see from the river. ;)

words definitely fail to express that first view of the grand canyon, especially to be sharing it with my best friend Kate. it was such a journey for us, and this is the destination we had been driving towards. truly a moment I won't ever forget. :)

archeological roadside stop!

driving out from canyon de chelly towards the grand canyon, we followed one of the smaller routes (I was pretty done with interstate 40!). it wound us up and down, into and out of deep canyons. super gorgeous drive! on the higher planes headed into tuba city, we even encountered a small dust storm.

just outside of tuba city, there was a sign leading to "dinosaur footprints", and we couldn't resist. we took the detour, and were met by a nice native American woman indicating there was no charge, and she would show us around. what did we have to loose?

just off the parking lot, there was a petrified mud flat with a bunch of genuine Dino tracks. pretty cool. the nice lady was explaining that she wasn't any kind of a scientist, but enjoyed telling us a lot of "facts" that were a bit dubious. ha. we continued the tour, and she showed us the "up fossils", or exposed fossils. the rocks were interesting looking, and I was happily snapping photos. it was about the time that she presented us with the "human foot prints" that I thought Kate might loose it. ha. I give Kate, who works in a natural history museum working with credible fossils for a living, a lot of credit for nicely expressing that we had to be going, and got us back to the car without laughing.

hell, i'm not sure what the actual science of the place might really be, but Kate bought me a pretty turquoise bracelet from the nice lady before we left. lol. worth the stop!

Kate's training canyon... canyon de chelly

for our first stop in AZ, we headed north to Canyon de Chelly. a little bit of a detour, but a gorgeous park with a lot of history. it is a long canyon, with few entrances or exits in which there has been a long history of native american settlements. it is still inhabited native lands, so visitors are able to view the canyon from a northern or southern rim drive, but only allowed to hike down in one location (I did this years ago, but we didn't have the time that day).

the viewing spots offered quite an amazing perspective on the canyon. we were able to see tall towers of rock, with surreal patterns from millions of years of erosion. there were also farm plots and ruins visible on the bottom of the canyon. this was a whole new landscape for Kate (in training for the grand canyon), so we took our time taking it in.

...and finally, crossing into AZ!

on our final leg of the trip together, we set out in the morning headed west to Arizona. our ultimate destination for the day being the grand canyon!! :)

geordie's old stomping grounds (Gallup, NM)

we both really enjoyed the drive west that evening, and were speechless most of the time taking in the landscape around us. there were moody clouds hanging over the endless mesas and painted rock hills and jagged mountains. the fields were glowing green (from the moody light), and we seemed to be chasing trains all afternoon.

we arrived in Gallup, NM just as the sun was setting, and watched the rocks around us glow as if they were in fire. not too shabby!

after a few moments to relax (one of the only nights we arrived at the hotel by 7pm!), we contacted our buddy Geordie who grew up around Gallup for a dinner recommendation. he sent us on our way to "Virgie's" for some authentic new Mexican food. It wax a really laid back local kind of place, and Kate and were both thrilled to get some delicious food smothered in new Mexican green chiles. really hit the spot.

Geordie had also sent us with a cryptic message to ask for the owner of the place, and let him know that he owed Geordie $15. we were a bit suspicious of the message, but figured we had to deliver it. ha. Charlie Chavez, the owner, came out to chat with us, and we all had some good laughs, at geordie's expense, of course. it was delightful to be so welcomed at a place so far from anywhere we knew! :) and Charlie was clear about the fact that there wasn't a shot in hell Geordie was gonna get the $$ (old inside joke, apparently! ha).

Acoma ("sky city")

about an hour west of Abq, we made a little detour south to see Acoma, otherwise known as "sky city". sky city is a native American pueblo located high atop a Mesa that has been occupied since the 13th century. it is still an active community, and you have to take special tours up there, and out of respect, you can not take pictures of the pueblo without permission (a paid permit).

unfortunately, we arrived 30 minutes after the last tour of the day, but it was well worth the detour to see the amazing landscape.

the stunning desert landscape was really unfolding in front of our eyes throughout the entire day, and Kate and I were both awed and blown away. Kate, being here for the first time, and me, overwhelmed with the feeling I was returning home to the west I have grown to love so much.

lunch in Santa Fe, NM

from Abq, we drove north to Santa fe to wander around for a few hours. when planning the trip, I had grand plans to make it up to Taos, and out to the four corners on the way to arizona... but we quickly realized we had to make some decisions, and let go of some of the more distant places. we have been traveling pretty fast, and packing a lot in as it is!

but anyhow... Santa fe is too beautiful to miss, so we made the trek. we arrived around mid-day, and wandered the old town square, and admired all the native American crafts at the governors market. we found a little place with a balcony above the square to get some lunch, and cool off for a few. it was a hot hot day, and scorching in the sun!

after browsing some more shops and outdoor markets, we loaded back into the car, on our way to the western border of new Mexico and Arizona.

petroglyph national monument

the petroglyph national monument is just outside if Albuquerque, so we decided to get an early start and check out the park (before it got super hot).

we began at the little visitors center (I was bummed there was no program or movie, ha.), and learned there were several self-guided hikes we could take. we opted for the one that was a little longer, opposed to hopping in and out of the car at designated sights.

it was interesting to hike into the canyon, and discover the petroglyphs in the hills. nothing is marked, so you need to keep your eyes on the rocks. it was also nice to walk for a little bit, as the road trip has really been mostly time in the car! we discovered what we could until it was just getting too hot, and returned to the air conditioned car. ;)

rolling into Albuquerque

we had a good chunk of miles to travel from Amarillo, but crossed another timeline, so managed to arrive at the hotel by 8pm. this was early for us for us! our days have been filled end to end, and we have been settling in late.

we look on yelp a bit, and looked online for someplace to walk around and grab a bite to eat. it was after 8pm, but figured since it was Friday night it shouldn't be a problem. our hotel was close to old town, but when we asked the lady at the front desk, she recommend we head to central street in downtown. sounded good. short drive, we parked near a lot of places, and walked. turns out it was a big clubbing and bar district, and it was a strange scene. some people roaming, but not a ton. mostly clubs / bars. no good looking food to speak of. we decided to get out of there, and head to a brewery somewhere north.

the "chama river brewery" was a bit tricky to get to, but worth the trouble. the food was outstanding, and c were also pretty tasty. Kate had the really rich stout (even I liked it!). , and I had the Jackalope IPA and Hopricot. both very tasty! :)

Cadillac ranch

after lunch, we walked around a few blocks on 6th street, along old route 66. there were some awesome vintage and antique stores. It was a mixed blessing that we don't have room in the car for too much stuff!

just outside of Amarillo, there is one of America's quintessential roadside stops... the Cadillac ranch. a field on the side of the highway with 8 old Cadillacs doing nose dives into the ground. the cars are covered in spray paint, and everyone who visits seems to leave their mark. some folks leaving as we arrived gave us 2 cans of spray paint, and kate and I dove in!

from the highway it doesn't look like much, but up close the cars are pretty cool, and it really was a ton of fun to spray away anywhere we liked! :) there aren't too many places in the world that encourage this kind of behavior. i felt like a rebel. ha.

big Texas!

rolled into Amarillo around lunch time, and the nice man at the visitors center gave us some recommendations for lunch. while we try to avoid the tourist stops as much as possible, there was a new microbrewery operating at the "big Texas"... and I couldn't resist. it was all tourist and then some, so we opted to sit at the bar, and enjoyed some big steak sandwiches for lunch washed down by the "rattlesnake IPA , which was quite tasty.

the bar was right next to the shooting gallery, so before we hit the road again, I had to shoot some stuff. ;)

driving day... OK-TX-NM

in the planning, we knew we were going to have to put in a fairly dedicated day of driving to cross from the south east into the south west. today was the day. we gave ourselves a little bit of a slower morning to catch up on some rest, then just hit the road. we made it into TX around noon, and the landscape was big and flat!

AR to OK

after our visit to the refuge, we were hot and sweaty, and were ready to settle into the air conditioned car to make some miles west.

we meandered down the scenic routes in AR for a while, then committed to interstate 40 west for the haul to Oklahoma City. an audio book of david sedaris' "me talk pretty one day" kept us company, and amused for much of the trip. we made a quick stop on the road for subway sandwiches, and rolled into OKC pretty late, but managed to find a brewpub for one beer before turning in. long day, I was definitely road tired!

turpentine wildlife refuge, AR

just south of eureka springs, Kate had found a really Interesting place to stop called the "turpentine wildlife reserve". their mission is to save "big cats" that are being mistreated or need permanent homes. there were over 100 lions, tigers, panthers, bobcats, leopards, as well as a few bears.

it is a mix of emotion to see these animals in cages and contained outdoor spaces, but very heartwarming to hear all of their stories, and know that the love and care they are getting in this place far surpasses their other options. these are all animals that are not able to live in the wild due to human interaction in their lives, so some space to run, buddies, and 10+lbs of fresh meat a day doesn't seem like such a bad second.

we took a guided tour around the refuge, and the staff was really knowledgeable about the animals, and seemed to have such a connection to all their personalities. really a special place!