Destination: American Southwest
Dates: July 23- Aug 1, 2018
Reason: Vacation
Day 1 July 23, 2018
After Julia made a business trip to Scottsdale, AZ earlier this year we decided to make a trip of touring the Southwest, specifically headed to the Grand Canyon. It had been 20 years since I visited, and Julia had never been, save for her brief time in a hotel on her work trip. I was especially excited for her to experience a lot of new things. She had never truly been on a long car tip either.
We left our house at 6:30am, half an hour later than intended. Julia’s parents had agreed to graciously stop by our house each day to take care of the pugs, and even offered to stay over most nights.
Anyhow, we hit 74 up to Indianapolis, then cut over on 70 to St Louis. In southern Illinois we were behind a truck that had a cannon as cargo on its flatbed.
Julia saw the St Louis arch for the first time right around 11:30am. After we were noodled around a bit the Jeep’s GPS we parked in a downtown garage, ate a quick sandwich, and walked to the Arch. I had forgotten just how big it really is. She was also impressed. We putzed around the base for a bit, got some pics, then visited the museum and visitor’s center under the structure. We decided against going up the arch since the elevators are so cramped.
We walked across the street afterward and did a brief tour of the Old Courthouse, where Dred Scott and his wife were denied their freedom, despite having been living in a free state. It was only after our vacation ended that we discovered the Arch and Courthouse had recently been redesignated as Gateway Arch National Park, which made it the first NPS site we visited on this trip.
After that we went to Tower Grove Park, to find the Muckerman Children’s fountain, a water feature named after one of our friend’s families. The park itself was gorgeous, spacious, and showcased many antique structures and architecture. We sent pics of the fountain in honor of Josh.
3 ½ hours later we arrived at our Comfort Inn in Springfield, MO (after seeing Six Flags St Louis from the highway, as well as a short construction delay). Dinner was across the parking lot at the Whole Hog Cafe, a delicious barbecue joint. We followed it up with drinks at the Ruby Tuesday next door and watched the Reds walk-off a win against the Cardinals. Then it was time for bed since the next day involved a lot of driving.
Day 2 July 24, 2018
On the road by 7:30am. We had a small breakfast at the hotel, gassed up, and continued south and west on I-44. We crossed into Oklahoma; Julia was asleep and missed the state line. Before this day, I had only been in Oklahoma briefly, and Julia had never been.
We experienced a change of scenery as we cruised across the state. Red soil dominated and the land was hilly at first, then became extremely flat. We got gas between Tulsa and Oklahoma City (a toll road, by the way) and stopped at a truck area just west of OKC for lunch, which was sandwiches again. We switched over to I-40 in OKC.
The road west from OKC to Amarillo, Texas, was flat, flat, flat. We saw dust devils, fascinating Julia. And more cows than I’ve ever seen in my life. One ranch had a foal, something new to Julia. Approaching the Texas border, there were giant wind turbines everywhere.
We hit a super scenic rest stop in the Texas panhandle. Lots of arroyos and scrub brush. Julia was super excited for the new scenery and geology. Signs at the rest stop warned of rattlesnakes but fortunately we didn’t see any.
Arrived in Amarillo just before 5:00pm. We found our AirBnB, called the Rock Island Rail Trail, to be clean and tidy. After a short nap we went to dinner at the Big Texan steakhouse.
The place is famous for its ‘eating challenge.’ A person must eat a 72oz steak, baked potato, side salad, shrimp cocktail, and a roll in one hour. Our friend Josh (of Muckerman fountain fame) accomplished the feat, so we visited as an homage to him. Neither of us participated in the challenge, but we did have some true Texas steak. Also, the beer was good. While we ate we did get to witness someone win the challenge.
We returned to our AirBnB, did a small load of laundry, and enjoyed some wine left by the hosts before we went to bed.
Day 3 July 25, 2018
The car was loaded and we left the AirBnB at 9:00am. A short stop for gas and ice for the cooler and we were back on I-40 headed west. It was only about an hour until we hit the New Mexico border and everything about the earth around us changed. We transitioned from really flat farmland to abrupt hills covered in scrub. As a parting gift Texas showed us a ranch with hundreds- maybe a thousand- of cows, all bunched together. Julia also saw a live longhorn for the first time ever.
Before this day, I had only spent about 30 minutes total in New Mexico. Everything we saw and did here was brand new for both of us. (Except wildlife: we spotted a coyote trotting along the highway and a pronghorn antelope wandering on a ranch.) I-40 took us by a lot of picturesque landscapes, all the while following in parallel with the original Rt 66. We passed large, rocky buttes, scrubby mountains, tall mesas, and swatches of desert grass. Cactus dotted everywhere. We also managed to find a tiny gas station in the middle of nowhere that had no bathroom.
Shortly after noon we arrived in Albuquerque. Being fans of the Breaking Bad tv show, we searched for several filming locations. The White’s house was our first stop, and the owners had a fence and sign put up telling people to be respectful. Next was Hank and Marie’s place, then to the hot dog stand. But, I put the address into the GPS incorrectly, so we went a long way out the way for nothing. We did find the Pollos Hermanos restaurant and stopped for lunch. In reality it’s called Twisters, and serves burritos.
Back on the road west, I had a bathroom emergency (see: burritos) and we stopped not far from Albuquerque. Disaster averted, we headed to Gallup, NM. A Hampton Inn just off I-40 there was our destination. After we checked in we left to find a Walgreens because Julia had a toenail that needed some Neosporin. From there we went to the El Rancho Hotel for dinner. The place is a Route 66 original, constructed in the 1930’s by W.C. Fields’ brother, for use by film stars who were on location for Westerns nearby. They had photographs and signatures from all the Hollywood royalty that had stayed there over the years. Humphrey Bogart, Lucille Ball, Mae West, Lee Marvin, Ronald Reagan… Many more. We had drinks in their old-time bar and met a weird old man who had been to Kings Island in the 80’s. He brought it up before we did!
With drinks and dinner done, we returned to our hotel via Rt 66. Then we went to bed to rest up for all the hiking to be done the next day.
Day 4 July 26, 2018
Our anniversary!
Unrelated, but fun fact. Arizona doesn’t observe daylight savings time. So when we left Gallup at 7:30am, we arrived in Arizona around 7:15am. It didn’t take us long to get to Petrified Forest National Park. We noticed the landscape changing yet again, this time with more red rock and badlands. At the park we hit the visitor’s center and picked up some magnets. Then we commenced on the road through the park.
First few stops were overlooks of the Painted Desert. Beautiful, beautiful for miles. Julia was in awe of the tranquility and silence. On that same stretch we stopped at the Painted Desert Inn, a defunct hotel turned rest area/ice cream parlor. Constructed by the CCC in 1937, the pueblo inspired building has amazing views of the desert below. We hit a couple more overlooks, then headed for the Petrified Forest itself, on the other side of I-40. On the way we only briefly saw the old Route 66 homage since it was under construction.
Across the highway, we kept our eyes out for antelope, but had no luck. We stopped to see the Puerco Pueblo, a Native American settlement village that also contained some petroglyphs. After seeing more petroglyphs, we found a pull off amidst the badlands where we could walk and climb. We trudged along a mudflat and climbed a small hill. Then we headed for Blue Mesa, where we finally saw lots of petrified wood. I realized that I was getting sunburnt and traded my tank top for a t-shirt. On the mesa we took a hiking trail that led down into the badlands. It turned out to be a steeper trail than we anticipated. Going down was easy; coming up, not so much. Julia had a devil of a time without her inhaler.
After that climb we rested for a bit. Then we visited a site where a whole petrified log formed a natural bridge. From there we hit the outbound visitor’s center at the Rainbow Forest, skipping the Agate House because it was a longer hike. The only wildlife we saw in the park were lizards and crows.
Our next stop was at the Barringer Meteor Crater, just outside of Winslow, AZ. I drove in. On the road from the highway to the crater, we drove through a ranch where the cattle roamed over the road. Julia thought it was really cool and got pictures of the cows.
She was very impressed by the size of the crater. We made sure to hit all the viewing platforms and read the informational plaques. The wind whipped our hair into wild designs. We hit the gift shop on our way out for a magnet and some astronaut ice cream. The sky was ominous as we departed, and rain was in the distance.
It only took us about 40 minutes to get to Flagstaff, but the scenery changed again. We reached pine forests and peaked mountains. No trouble finding our hotel, a brand new Fairfield Inn, and we checked in at 4:30pm. We took showers and got ready for dinner.
For our anniversary, I had made reservations at a hipster joint in downtown Flagstaff called the Tinderbox Kitchen. They had a table waiting for us with a little welcoming placard! The food was very good; I had salmon and Julia had paella with shrimp. We had white bean hummus to start. She drank a pinot noir and I had a watermelon gimlet. I had planned for us to go to the Lowell Observatory afterward for star and planet gazing, but it was too cloudy and they weren’t offering telescope viewing. So we returned to our hotel and hit the hay.
Day 5 July 27, 2018
I intended for us to get to the Grand Canyon super early (7:00am-ish), but our bodies said, “no.” We got up and out of our hotel closer to 6:30am. After some traffic on I-40 west of Flagstaff we cruised pretty easily to the park. Elk crossing signs got Julia’s hopes up but we didn’t have any luck. Parking was surprisingly no trouble for us.
We stopped briefly at the visitor center, then walked to Mather Point. Julia got her first look at the canyon and it blew her away. This early in the morning, the crowds were small, so we took it all in and got a lot of pictures. Then we began walking the Rim Trail. We hiked a great distance, reaching the Geology Museum. The walk was long, sweaty, but filled with scenic overlooks and the opportunity to get a little ways off the trail. Julia made friends with lots of squirrels.
From the museum we got on the shuttle bus. It took us to the Grand Canyon Village. We considered doing the Hermit’s Rest Trail, but the shuttle was much too crowded. Instead we headed down the first several hundred yards of the Bright Angel Trail that takes you down into the canyon. Julia got pretty nervous, but when she found out we were on a trail that mules also go down, she fell in love with them. We learned about “Brighty”, one of the famous mules, and it became a nickname for Julia when we’re out hiking.
She grabbed a quick sandwich from the El Tovar Lodge and we checked out the Kolb photography studio. After that we hit the gift shop there and rode the shuttle back to the visitor center. Julia was super tired and fell asleep until I poked her to point out an elk hanging out near the road. She snapped awake and grabbed some quick pictures.
Back at the Visitor’s Center, I got a bison hot dog from a food truck and we headed out along the Desert View road. We pulled off at several stops, including one where someone had driven their car off the edge of the canyon. Our last stop was the Desert View Watchtower. We climbed to the top and took in the views.
On the road out of the park, we cut east to Cameron and then north to Page. The scenery changed dramatically. At first we were in a pine forest, then scrubland, then badlands, then desert with enormous red rock formations. We passed a haboob, with sand and dust swirling around in the near distance. Julia was in awe of the landscapes, especially when the road jogged to go over and through a large mountain. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any wildlife.
On the way to Page we stopped at Horseshoe Bend. The hike to and from the overlook was more arduous than we thought at first. Very sandy, very steep. The view was incredible though! Amazing colors.
We got into Page around 6:30pm and found our hotel, a Clarion. Neither of us were impressed. We ran to a nearby Wal-Mart for more toe stuff for Julia. Our romantic dinner was at a Taco Bell, as we watched the sun set over the desert. We did see a few hares, hummingbirds, and many bats while we ate. Then we returned to the hotel and turned in for the night.
Day 6 July 28, 2018
We couldn’t wait to leave the Clarion. The walls were thin and poor Julia was kept up all night by our neighbors talking loudly. Also, we were right next to the laundry and ice machine.
Our first stop was a gas station, then we headed for Antelope Canyon. We didn’t realize that you can’t do a self-guided tour of the canyon, so we risked it by showing up at the tour office (Navajo Tours), but they were booked for the day. The guide suggested we come back right at the tour time in case of cancellations. At this point though, clouds were rolling in with distant thunder, so chances of seeing the canyon at its finest were pretty much shot. Deciding to skip Antelope, we quickly threw together a new plan.
As an alternative, I found a route that would take us up into Utah through part of Monument Valley. It turned out to be an awesome detour! Julia got to see Utah for the first time (outside of SLC airport) and we came across incredible landscapes. Giant buttes, mitten formations, red mesas, and horizons that stretched for miles. Canyons, arroyos, and sudden elevation changes. We hit a couple of sections of back road that were open range, with cows and horses hanging out right by the road. At one point we saw something truly bizarre: a burro by the side of the road being harassed by two dogs while two other dogs watched them from the shelter of a nearby rocky overhang.
We stopped for lunch in Mexican Hat, Utah at a gas station. While we filled up on gas I ate a hot dog. Leaving there we saw the rock formation that gave the town its name. After that we finished our detour and headed for Four Corners.
At Four Corners we paid the fee, waiting in line, and got our picture while standing in all four states. I used the facilities which were less than desirable. Next, we headed for Cortez, Colorado, our destination for the night. On the way we called my dad to wish him a happy birthday and talked for a while about the beauty of the west.
A tiny house was our AirBnB for the night. Julia was completely enamored, and had been looking forward to this night the most. Truly her dream come true! After checking in, we lounged for a bit, then drove into town for dinner. We ate at a brewery. I had green chili stew and Julia had a cheeseburger, all while we sampled great beer. The Rockies were playing the A’s on tv.
Back at the tiny house we had a little more beer and sat on the porch watching the sunset over Ute Mountain. A cat was roaming around, hunting for mice. The owner of the tiny house stopped by, chatted, and gave us some banana bread. We noticed a few stars coming out, so we sat out a while longer looking at the night sky.
Day 7 July 29, 2018
Julia was super sad to leave the tiny house behind. But we cut out around 7:30am, stopped at a gas station in Cortez (Julia got a pair of cheap sunglasses; she had broken 3 pairs already on the trip), then made our way to Mesa Verde National Park. Our first stop was the Visitor’s Center. We signed up for a 10:30am tour of Balcony House because it was the most convenient. After buying our customary magnet we headed into the park.
I don’t think Julia was prepared for the steep climbs and sharp drop-offs as the road wound up the mesas. She was very nervous the whole time, although she did appreciate the views. We stopped at several overlooks to get photos of the Mancos valley below.
Our first real stop was at Park Point, the highest elevation in the park (8,200 feet). It serves as a wildfire lookout station. The relatively easy climb to the summit was made a little harder by the thin air.
Next we decided to get right to the loop that contains Balcony House. We did stop at Cliff Palace to get some photos, and it was Julia’s first introduction to the Pueblo cliff dwellings. After that we went to Balcony House.
Before the tour notes: the day prior, while we were stopped at the gas station in Mexican Hat, an Italian tourist on the road with her family asked to get a photo of our license plate- Hug a Pug- because her family loves pugs. By some twist of fate, that same family was on our tour at Mesa Verde.
The tour started promptly at 10:30am, led by Ranger Brent, who we called Ranger Dreads because of his hair. He was kind of a butt. Anyhow, the tour started with a short hike down the cliff, but then we hit a trial by fire: a 32 foot climb up a wooden ladder propped against the cliff wall. Both of us being terrified of heights, this was quite the ordeal. 32 feet may not seem like much, but beyond the base of the ladder was a 600 foot drop to the canyon floor. We managed to pass the test, defeated our fears, and made it up.
After a quick walk through a corridor we stopped and Ranger Dreads gave us the rundown of the ruins and the people that inhabited them. We moved room to room, section to section. I tried to ask a couple of questions, but was sort of blown off by Dreads (that’s why he was kind of a butt.)
The end of the tour was the ultimate ordeal. A narrow ledge above the canyon, sans handrail, led to a small tunnel that we crawled through, which led to another couple of ladders that had to be climbed, in between which we had to scale the vertical cliff face using only a slimsy handrail! That nearly did us in.
We stopped at the Spruce Tree House ruins next and went through the museum, learning more about the Ancestral Puebloans. Leaving, we saw someone left a dog in their hot car and reported them.
The final stop for Mesa Verde was at Far View cafe for lunch. After that, we hit the road for Crestone, Colorado. On the way there we hit a small part of the Rockies, going over Wolf Creek Pass, and hitting the highest elevation for Julia so far (11,800 feet). She was nervous the whole time. After that we hit valleys and plains all the way to Crestone. We did see a bison farm, and the Great Sand Dunes National Park off in the distance.
Our journey into Crestone (population 127) wasn’t easy. The GPS had a heck of a time with our location and especially with the timing of our journey. Our biggest regret from the trip is that we didn’t think we had time to go to the Great Sand Dunes, thanks to the GPS, when in reality we could have spent several hours there.
Anyhow, on our way into the small town we passed a yak farm and hit some awful gravel roads while we found our AirBnB. If we had followed our host’s directions instead of the GPS, it would have been easier. Lesson learned.
After we checked in we headed into town and (surprise) ate a local brewery. We had some conversation with a group of Bosnian-Russian Orthodox mountain climbers from Indianapolis who were headed up the Crestone Needle the next day. We also talked to the bartender, who informed us that hallucinogenics were widely accepted in town. (Crestone is a spiritual epicenter, with many, many different religious practices observed.) When it got dark we hit our brights on the Jeep and made it back to our funky loft-style AirBnB.
The loft was as strange as Crestone itself. It had no curtains on the windows. Like everything else in the town, everything was “organic” this, and “homemade” that. Final note on Crestone: the bartender proudly bragged to us that his daughter didn’t have a Social Security number.
Day 8 July 30, 2018
I woke up feeling weirdly nauseous, but medicine and cool mountain air took care of it quickly. We left at 8:30am, saying goodbye to the weird town of Crestone. I chose a route that took us through Breckenridge and Denver in the hopes that we would get some good mountain scenery. Just south of Breckenridge we hit a mountain pass (Hoosier Pass) that took up over 11,000 feet again and Julia finally got to see some snow on the peaks. The roads weren’t bad at all.
Breckenridge is a really cool, hip town that we agreed we’d need to return to. We stopped to use the restroom and marvelled at how accessible it is. When we return we’ll spend a day or two there.
We stopped at a McDonald’s just west of Denver for a small lunch. We passed through the long Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70, saw Lakeside amusement park, and the city in the distance. Julia took over driving once we were in the plains east of Denver.
Nothing happened all afternoon. I took a brief nap, during which Julia saw some antelope, and we got to our stop, a Comfort Inn in Colby, Kansas, around 6:00pm. Dinner was the attached restaurant, accompanied with a very nice conversation with a driver for Coors named Donald. After dinner we hit the hot tub to relax.
Day 9 July 31, 2018
Breakfast was at the hotel at 7:30am, then we hit the road. We filled up on gas before we left. The gas station was next to a playground with a weird cement gorilla. Julia got some Starbucks. Before 10:00am we saw a live badger in the median and a Great-Horned owl on a road sign. The drive was so, so boring. In the middle of Kansas Julia took a nap and shortly thereafter we stopped at McDonald’s for lunch and switched driving.
She took us through traffic in Kansas City, during which we saw Worlds of Fun in the distance, and the Chiefs and Royals stadiums up close. I got us into St Louis, our stop for the night, around 5:00pm. We got into our AirBnB, a chic downtown apartment, but found some questionable stains, so we were upgraded to a loft apartment. Julia took a shower and then we took a Lyft to the Cardinals/Rockies game. Oddly, our Lyft driver had chauffeured Joey Votto around in April. Even weirder, I remembered the story from Reddit, so knew all about it already! What a weird coincidence.
The Cardinals lost 6-3 so we were happy. We got back to the apartment and Julia realized she lost her J-shaped necklace somewhere.
Day 10 August 1, 2018
We left the chic apartment and St Louis at 7:00am. Julia napped as I took us through southern Illinois. Across the border, we stopped at a gas station/Burger King in Terra Haute. Julia got a Whopper and took over driving. Smooth sailing back to Cincinnati, no traffic. On I-275, just north of I-74, the other side of the highway was jammed to a standstill.
At home we greeted the dogs; we had missed them so much.
Robinsons on the Road 