Tag: road trip

The Long Journey to a Total Eclipse

Once upon a time, I said I would never go out of my way for an eclipse again. I had been so exited leading up to the 2017 eclipse. It was the first time in my life that a total solar eclipse would happen in Georgia and one of the spots for totality was in Sky Valley where my folks have a place. I had fond memories from growing up of partial solar eclipses at school, with our little shoe box to “watch the moon cover the sun”. There were also great times watching lunar eclipses, but a solar eclipse was much more novel, and a total solar eclipse near you was extremely rare.

So, we planned for over a year for the 2017 eclipse. My folks hosted a party, and I took the kids out of school. We packed family and friends onto the property. We had tents, telescopes, and people all over the open field there in Sky Valley. It was a beautiful day as we watched the moon start to cover the sun. Everyone was filled with excitement even to the point of talking about the 2024 eclipse that would be just a few states away. As the sky was getting to a weird dusk-like color, literally minutes before totality, a bank of clouds moved in and covered the eclipse. We prayed, begged, and wished with all our might for that cloud to quickly move. We got some more darkening and some sounds of nightfall (like crickets and such). And then it started getting light again. The field was filled with sighs, tears, bewilderment, and frustration.

Ironically, a friend texted me from the Sky Valley overlook (just a few miles away) with her picture of perfect totality and exclaimed “Wasn’t that amazing?!” And then our clouds rolled away–their task of destroying our joy was complete. I know this highlights my privilege, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that level of disappointment. After our dreams that day were crushed, it was hard to be excited about any future eclipse.

Photo Courtesy of Brittany Mitchell

However, after we rolled into 2023, the idea started drawing me back in. I was back and forth about it for a long time. Toward the end of 2023, Lizzy’s boyfriend (now fiancée), Jacob, offered to let me crash at his apartment in Louisville, and the desire to attempt the total eclipse again took full hold. As we got closer to the eclipse date, I started planning and realized that Louisville was not in the path of totality. Jacob was going to have classes on the day of the eclipse, so there was no reason to drive to Louisville. I started looking for the right eclipse spot and realized there were lots of great choices just a few hours from my brother in Nashville. Unfortunately, as we got closer to the eclipse, the weather forecast was looking worse every day. I decided we’d just have to find a location on the fly, based on the weather that day.

Come the weekend before the eclipse, I gave up on the chase. I had been sick for weeks with unexplainable hives that were driving me crazy (and the significant amount of allergy meds made me exhausted). The weather forecast looked bad for anywhere we could drive to. I “knew” it was going to be a disappointing repeat of my last total eclipse experience. Thom took it all in stride and said he would go at the drop of a hat if I changed my mind. All I could see was that we were going to miss work, spend a bunch of money on gas, sit in terrible traffic…and it would all be for nothing.

I guess a tiny part of me still had a glimmer of hope, because early Sunday afternoon, I pulled up the National Weather Service site and saw there was now a forecasted hole in the cloud cover right over Paducah KY, which was in the path of totality.

So, we suddenly jumped into action. We packed, took showers, and had an early dinner with the boys before driving to Nashville. We had a beautiful sunset drive over Monteagle and stopped at my brother’s for the night.

During our Sunday drive, I used my phone and “old-fashioned” maps to hone in on the best potential spots to see the eclipse–looking at all the towns falling in the predicted break in cloud cover, checking mileage, and noting how long totality would last. Early Monday morning, we got up and went into the unknown. We set our sights on Paducah KY, as it was the first town that would be in totality. Paducah was only going to have 1 minute 34 seconds of totality, so we hoped to push further into the zone if time (traffic) allowed. We had two potential “best case scenario” targets: Cape Girardeau MO (4 minutes 6 seconds of totality) or Carbondale IL (4 minutes 8 seconds of totality). They were both about the same drive from Nashville, but were off different expressways once we got past Paducah.

After we got through Nashville’s rush hour, we stopped at Dunkin’ for breakfast (since we don’t eat or drink in the Mustang). That stop (and our later lunch and gas stops) were so different from a normal day. Instead of people just standing in line and keeping to themselves, everyone was talking to each other, sharing excitement about the event, and asking where everyone was from and where they were going for the eclipse. It was electric and alive in such a refreshing way.

Back on the road, we had more traffic than expected. I figured most people would have lodging reservations and would already be in place just hours before the eclipse. However, I think the weather forecast had caused many people to make last minute adjustments. Looking at traffic, Cape Girardeau looked more problematic due to more bridges (which seemed to bring about the worst traffic). Thus, we set our sights on Carbondale and settled into a music podcast interrupted occasionally by GPS alerts stating that there was an “unusual” amount of traffic.

When we finally made it to Paducah, we howled with delight as we knew we were at least in the totality zone. Now the goal was just a matter of getting a longer totality (in an area without cloud cover). We enjoyed several cool bridges in that little stretch of Kentucky.

We crossed over the Ohio River into Illinois and got super excited as every mile was pushing us deeper into the totality zone.

The sky was completely clear above us; I finally started to believe it was going to work out this time. However, we did see clouds in the distance. I got busy on the National Weather Service site and, for a moment, embodied my childhood dream of being a storm chaser. Of course, today I was chasing the anti-storm (aka clear sky). The weather in Carbondale was starting to look iffy and traffic was making that destination improbable anyway. So, I found a new potential spot in Marion IL. They were set for 4 minutes 6 seconds of totality, located right off the interstate, and had lots of shopping center parking lots (for ease of pulling in and setting up without trees). As we pressed forward, we started seeing crowds sprawled out with blankets or chairs at every gas station or restaurant near the interstate. Even the travelers were getting in place, and all eyes were on the first phase of the eclipse. We finally pulled into Marion and chose a field next to a gas station right off the interstate with plenty of room for us and the telescope.

We alternated between watching the partial eclipse through our glasses and fiddling with the telescope. In turned out to be quite the challenge to bring the sun into focus. It seemed so obvious–the sun is huge–but using the solar lens or eclipse glasses meant that you either had complete darkness or the full sun and no in-between. We got it lined up a few times, and that was cool, but it would quickly drop out of view. So we stopped fighting that fight and just enjoyed the eclipse with our glasses. As the moon blocked out more and more of the sun, we got to know the other people around us: a family with young kids that had taken the day off work and school, a retired couple on the way back north after their winter in Florida, a father and high school son enamored with the science of the eclipse, a group of college kids making different memories than the classroom could offer that day, and a group of construction workers on break. We all were bubbling with excitement and anticipation.

Suddenly, the world around us started to change as the moon moved across the last sliver of sun. The light became muted like a mixture between where a cloud covers the sun and when the sun is setting. Birds went from singing to cooing. Crickets started chirping. The street lights came on. Then it became twilight. The traffic all stopped on the interstate. The air got noticeably cooler. The birds went silent. The symphony of crickets crescendoed. And, quite unexpectedly, thousands of bats flew by in three different swarms. We only had a moment to marvel at that strange occurrence because in that moment, the moon completely covered the sun and day turned to night.

I can’t possibly do justice in describing the next four minutes of my life. I’m not sure even a wise old philosopher with a rich vocabulary could truly describe the experience. I feel like this is one of those things that you simply have to experience in order to understand. But I’ll do my best…

I took my glasses off and my jaw literally dropped. There was a twinkling diamond-like light emanating from one edge for a moment and then beautiful light bands from the sun’s corona streaked out around the moon’s perimeter in shimmery movements as if they were dancing. Then it was like God pulled back the veil and opened up the night skies. It was dark enough for long enough that suddenly lots of stars became visible and I could even see a planet near the horizon. Somehow, I wasn’t prepared for the starry night sky to show up and it overwhelmed my soul. Tears streamed down my face at the magnificence of it all. I turned my face toward Thom to tell him that was Venus in the low sky and no words would come out. I laughed and tears of delight streamed down my face as I simply pointed at the sky. The world around us was a dichotomy of eerie silence, non-sensical exclamations from the adults, and exhilarated laughter & cheers from the kids. Thom looked back at me with the same teary eyes and inability to speak. We were totally Consumed by this moment that felt frozen in time.

The sparkly little diamond light started peeking out the opposite side from earlier and, just like that, totality was over. We rejoiced with all our new friends and bubbled over talking about what we saw and how it made us feel. I had taken a few random pictures in hopes something would capture even a tiny bit of what we saw, and it turned out I was the only one managing to capture it. Everyone wanted a copy and it was kind of cool to be able to share with our newfound temporary family. There was none of the expected loss of it being over. There was just amazement over how we had just been changed forever.

Once the eclipse was completely done, we said our goodbyes and headed south. We settled in with the traffic and I had the great idea to stop in Metropolis on the way by. It was a super cute little touristy town with an eclipse party going on. We got a picture with the giant Superman statue (who even had his own super-sized eclipse glasses) and shopped in the Superman museum store. There was live music and people hanging out all over the town…happily oblivious to the nearby traffic we were soon to encounter.

Legs stretched and tourist attraction checked off the list, it was time to get back on the road (hoping traffic had thinned out a little). Turns out, we fell into the worst traffic I’ve ever encountered. And I know quite a bit about terrible traffic: I live in the Atlanta area, I drove home from the middle of totality in 2017, I’ve driven through Panama City in summer, and I’ve driven through Pigeon Forge in the height of fall. This topped all of them. Pulling out my maps, I realized the predicament I had placed us in by going through Metropolis. Heading south out of town had multiple major roads merging together and eventually becoming just one little lane to enter the expressway on one of the few bridges crossing the Ohio River. I had thrown us into a terrible traffic funnel that took over three hours to go less than two miles. I knew there was a reason that I didn’t like DC Comics…

After our escape from Illinois, the road was full but we moved along pretty well all the way back to Nashville (and then home). All in all, we met people from 9 states and saw cars from 29 states (plus Ontario). We drove 800+ miles with over 22 hours of actual drive time between Sunday evening to Tuesday afternoon. I know that “on paper” it makes no sense whatsoever, yet those are exactly the kind of things one should do (at least every once in awhile). What’s the point of living if you aren’t going to get out and experience the absolutely amazing wonders of this world?

The Grand Drive – Homeward Bound

Our last night away was in the super-cool Hotel Frederick in Boonville MO. The Kelleys had recommended this as a great hotel and area, as well as a halfway point on a two-day drive from Colorado Springs to Kennesaw. We rolled in pretty late last night, but the Brick Room was still hopping with live music. We had to take off this morning before the adjacent town got moving, but the whole area seemed great for wandering, shopping, and playing. I wish we had an extra day for this Missouri to Georgia stretch for more sight-seeing, but work calls us both back tomorrow.

Our main stop for the day was the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. On a short road trip with the kids in summer 2021, we visited the Arch and rode a river boat down the Mississippi. Thom wasn’t able to join us on that trip, and he didn’t really want to go up in the Arch today, as he hates heights (and had his fill of heights on Pike’s Peak). But, you have to stop and marvel at this 600+ foot tall structure that’s the largest arch in the world. Although it’s known as the Gateway to the West, it is (for us) the gateway back east. I walked poor Thom to death in search of the proper park entrance for the Arch, but we ended up seeing the Federal Reserve building, making me think of dad. We left the Arch before it started raining and stopped at Raising Cane’s for a Father’s Day lunch. 🙂

We thought about stopping in Metropolis (IL) to see the touristy Superman stuff, but the pouring rain shut that idea down. It’s hard to complain about the weather, as we were blessed with mostly great weather for nine days. We had a few showers here and there, but we’ve seen really bad weather right behind us or right before us yet missed the bad stuff.

We were able to enjoy numerous bridges from Missouri to Kentucky crossing more big rivers, including the Missouri River, Mississippi River, Ohio River, & Tennessee River.

As we rolled into TN, it felt more like home than a road trip. I’ve made the Kennesaw to Nashville/Smyrna drive more times than I can count to see family. If you haven’t driven this path, it really is beautiful. The drive through Monteagle goes over the Cumberland Plateau and then across Nickajack Lake. There are some stunning vistas to enjoy if you’re not the driver. It doesn’t seem nearly as large and the road doesn’t seem dangerous now that I’ve been out west, but it’s still an enjoyable stretch of road. As you come off Monteagle and head towards Chattanooga, you get some great valley views and (my favorite part), you get to follow the curves of the Tennessee River for a bit. As we leave TN and into GA, I definitely feel home already.

I think it could go without saying that I’m glad Thom made this trip happen. We were in a weird place in life with the “baby” graduating high school last spring and launching into adulthood. There have been so many changes in how our day-to-day lives operate now that the kids are all doing their own things. (Speaking of which, yes, I know I need to update my profile on this blog!) Thom and I have embraced driving adventures together this year (around home base), and that’s been really good having something we do, just the two of us. While we’ve had a weekend away together here and there, we haven’t really traveled just the two of us on this scale. We’ve enjoyed this trip all the way from months of planning together to the very last moment of this last day.

All in all, we traveled 15 states, 7 of which I haven’t been to before. We crossed the Continental Divide twice and crossed most of the major rivers in the country. We saw car tags from all the states except Hawaii and Alaska although we stayed at a B&B with folks from Hawaii. We spent over 100 hours in the car, either traveling or sight-seeing. We drove right about 5000 miles over the past 10 days. We laughed over the different GPS warnings across the country (like “roadkill ahead” or “pothole in road”–that last one would go off all the time if people chose that alert in Atlanta). We listened to music spanning many decades, enjoyed hours of podcasts (mainly “A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs”), and connected with one another through great conversations. I got to take pictures and write & Thom got to drive the Mustang. We had nearly all our preconceived notions blown away. We found beauty along many roads (okay, but it’s true that Kansas, while pretty, became monotonous fast). We also met amazing people all along the way. We basically experienced three seasons and an incredible amount of variety in the geology and landscapes. So many moments were beautiful and breathtaking.

It truly was grand–an epic journey with the love of my life. Here’s ’til I travel again.

The Grand Drive – Heading East

It was so nice getting to stay two nights in one place, and the “Bed & Brunch” place we stayed at was pretty cool. We stayed in Casita #2 but spent most of our working hours in the common area. They encouraged the communal living space, even more so than a traditional B & B. It also embraced the CO legalization lifestyle, so there was a “munchie bar” 24/7 and hors d’oeuvres at 4:20 every day. The munchies included typical packaged snacks but always also had fruit, warm cookies, and/or homemade danishes and muffins. There was also always french-press teas and coffee. They had a chef managing a huge kitchen that was open to a large bar, table, and living area. As best I could tell, Chef (as everyone called him) was always in the kitchen tending to anyone’s needs as well as being a social director of sorts. Whether it was 8am or midnight, there was always a group hanging out talking, playing games, working on a puzzle, etc. As you can see below, we ate well at this place that felt like a home away from home. If we’re ever out this way again, we would definitely stay here again for a few days.

It was certainly hard to leave, as these last two days are mainly about getting home. We lingered at breakfast too long, so we didn’t make it to Spicin’ Foods in Kansas City before they closed (to get some hot sauces, including Da Bomb–featured on Hot Ones). However, we had some fun along the long drive. We marveled at how quickly the Colorado landscape changed from massive mountains to farmland or prairie. We got to see windmills again and, once in Kansas, saw oil drilling stations peppered throughout the land. We had a delightful picnic at the Kansas welcome area, featuring some fresh cherries right off the tree (from our first B&B in Colorado). I hadn’t made the Kansas/Wizard of Oz connection for some reason until we saw the feature in the rest area. So, of course, I had to get a photo with Dorothy and the gang. (I tried the whole heel clicking thing to get home, but it didn’t work. Must be the shoes…)

Our last adventure of the day was to acquire Kansas City BBQ. The welcome center had recommended Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, so we headed there. It had a line wrapped around the outside of the building, so we settled in for a wait. After about a half hour (still waiting outside), Thom got an alert that his car was tampered with. So we stepped out of line to go check things (all was fine…so whoever it was had left without damaging anything). We didn’t want to get back in line, so we decided to try one of the suggestions Chef had made: Jack Stack BBQ. This place was a little more elevated, but the food was amazing. It was almost too good, as we still had 90 minutes to drive to our hotel, in the dark due to all the delays of the day. I highly recommend this place if you’re ever in Kansas City.

The Grand Drive – Pike’s Peak

As we approached this day I got a little worried about Pike’s Peak plans. We had to purchase a time slot in advance, so we had randomly chosen noon. However, the forecast was worse every time I looked at it, and they were calling for snow storms (with 3-5 inches of new snow) up top by noon. So, we decided to go earlier in the day (and just hope they’d let us go in earlier than our slot).

We got up in the morning and the sun was shining-yay! We called the info number, and they said the top third of the mountain was closed for ice and snow showers were expected to start after 10am. Well, we decided to eat breakfast and go anyway about 9:30–hoping the top would be open and it wouldn’t be snowing yet. Things mostly fell into place. They let us in earlier than our ticketed time because it wasn’t too crowded. They had cleared the roads, and it was open all the way to the top (but they told us to go straight up without stops because they couldn’t be sure how long the top would stay open.)

We left Manitou Springs at 6500 feet and worked our way up the mountain. Even going up, it was a bit terrifying albeit exhilarating. We went from partly cloudy 60 degrees all the way up 19 miles to 14,115 feet and mostly heavy clouds at 31 degrees.

The summit was covered by snow–so much so that most of the information plaques were partially buried. They had tunneled out walkways so you could slip and slide to overlooks. We had some of the famous donuts at Pike’s Peak Summit House and enjoyed the visitor center before heading on. There was periodic blowing snow, and the views changed quickly on the overlooks from full clouds to little clear spots peaking through. I had to grab a handful of snow (because I’m an overgrown child) and it was the perfect snow–easy to pack, fluffy when loose, and super sparkly.

The drive down was intimidating before we even started. We had just gone up, so we knew about the many sections with no guardrails, steep drop-offs, and deep descent. However, we felt a little better seeing a Ford Model A and a school bus on the road. (If they can do it, so can we…right?!?) It also helped seeing the snow plow and treatment vehicles continuously running.

Part of the drive down definitely was intense. At first, it was clear. Then some snow blew by. Then thin clouds covered the road. Then thick clouds covered the road. There’s no pulling over or stopping–you’ve just gotta continue forward. Of course, this thick cloud moved in for miles 16 down to 13…which happens to be the most challenging stretch of road. There’s no way you can feel the same intensity through my story because you know (since you’re reading this) that we obviously didn’t drive over the side of the mountain. We didn’t have that certainty at the time.

Despite the few scary moments, it really was a gorgeous ride. I understand how these views inspired the song “America the Beautiful.” Feeling the temperature change (since my window was down for picture taking), watching the sky change, marveling at the change in elevation, having snow blow across my face in mid-June….it was all exhilarating and made me remember how small I am in this big world.

Its hard to write anything after that, but the day did continue. We left the Peak and had lunch at In-N-Out Burger for the first time–cheeseburgers, milkshakes, and animal fries. It was surprisingly great; maybe someday they’ll open some in the east like Whataburger did. If you get a change to visit one out this way, definitely do it, as everything was really fresh and delicious.

After lunch, the skies were darkening and storms were imminent, but we pressed on for the Garden of the Gods. We did the driving tour and the visitor’s center while it drizzled some. I was able to get out at a few spots where there were short walking paths and take pictures of some of the rock formations. I would love to come back here someday and just spend a (nice) day wandering all the trails. Side note: I did see a rattlesnake at one of the rock bases. I didn’t take a pic–I just went the opposite way as fast as possible!

The Grand Drive – Driving CO

Our stay in Clifton was simply delightful. Right out the back door was a view of the Grand Mesa (which is the largest flat-top mountain in the world) and a view of several other nearby mountains. We were also blessed by eggs benedict for breakfast featuring fresh eggs from the friendly resident chickens.

Our first stop was Black Canyon of the Gunnison. This was highly recommended by my dad (so I don’t ignore all his advice). The park elevation is over 8000 feet and the Gunnison River is over 1800 feet below the top rim. Despite that distance, you can hear the river roaring below. I can only imagine how loud the river is when hiking lower in the canyon. There were lots of birds flying around the canyon, from little purple dippers near the trail to peregrine falcons out patrolling the canyon gorge. I only wish we’d had more time here; I’d love to come back in the future to camp, hike, and see the stars.

As we headed east towards Manitou Springs, we experienced more of the stunning lush mountain views like we witnessed yesterday. Along the way, we encountered construction on Highway 50. For five miles, we experienced a one lane, hard pack gravel road where we got to see the incredible work that goes into roads that endure harsh winters, flooding runoffs, and rock slides that take roads out with one drop. You should’ve seen Thom’s face when we saw the sign that said “pavement ends”–nothing like off-roading with the Mustang.

While we waited our turn for the one lane section, we got to witness the wild Colorado weather. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a few clouds, but then we watched a big cloud in the distance moving our way and you could see it snowing up high, then raining as it moved towards us and then over us. The temperature dropped from 65 to 48 in a matter of minutes and then we got pea-sized hail for a good five minutes before it turned back to rain…and then the cloud was gone. Ah, the poor car today!

Part of the drive took us around Blue Mesa Reservoir, which looked almost like the ocean with the wind blowing the water into whitecaps and waves. We were going to have a picnic lunch in this beautiful stretch, but it was 45 degrees and the wind was howling. Rain was moving back in and blowing sideways. So, we went to McD’s in Gunnison for Happy Meals & Guardian of the Galaxy toys, but sadly we got the old swap-a-roo and ended up with a Scuttle from the new Little Mermaid. Hmph

The drive along Highway 50, aka the Loneliest Road, was beautiful from Black Canyon onward. I was so mesmerized that I didn’t really take many pictures and just stared out the window as the miles ticked by. After the drive around the expansive reservoir, we went over the continental divide and around Monarch Mountain, in all it’s snow-dotted beauty at 11,300 feet. As we approached the Rockies, we turned on Co 285, which ran right between the snowy Sawatch mountain range and the Rocky mountain range. We were surrounded by majestic mountains as far as the eyes could see, before crossing the Rockies.

After we checked into our B&B in Manitou Springs, we headed over to Castle Rock (the picture explains the name of the town). We were able to meet up with our niece that lives in Denver, who we haven’t seen in years. We had a delightful dinner at a quaint home-cooking place called the Castle Cafe.

The Grand Drive – Heading North

We left our cute little cabin near the North Rim and hit the road. We drove along the Vermillion Cliffs, through Marble Canyon, across the Colorado River, along Echo Cliffs, and through the Navajo Nation. It was a beautiful ride, especially with the morning fog and the pops of sun as we came out of the canyons.

Our first stop was Monument Valley. It’s so bizarre to see all these individual outcroppings (as opposed to the long canyon walls we’ve been seeing). We only enjoyed the sites around the valley. We didn’t take the 17 mile backcountry drive (gravel and sandy road) as that would be a painful drive for me & the Mustang.

Looking at giant monuments made us hungry, so we found a lunch spot where we could try the much anticipated Navajo taco (aka fry bread taco). This was the best thing I’ve ever eaten! Thom went with a burger in blue corn fry bread with green chili, and it was also delicious. We need fry bread tacos back home!! With full stomachs, we continued onto the next stop.

I don’t often ignore advice my dad gives me, but today I had to go rogue for just a few minutes. We simply had to stop at the tourist trap of the Four Corners. We’ve actually been to all four states (since Monument Valley was in Utah), but that’s not the point. I just can’t resist the cheesy experience of existing in four states at once. And don’t message me about how the lines aren’t quite right…I know all that but choose to be blissfully ignorant.

Next up was a scenic drive through western Colorado. We took the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic Byway up to Gateway and almost all the way to Clifton, where our B&B was located. The canyon walls, plateaus, mesas, buttes, and spires continued (as we’d seen in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah). I didn’t realize, before taking this trip, that this whole region was the Colorado Plateau and would have such common features. However, each area had it’s own nuances and beauty. We went through a section with lots of pink mesa, and it was cool to see that the bottom of the clouds were reflecting that pink. We entered a large area called Disappointment Valley, which was such a misnomer–we were surrounded by stunning geology as far as the eye could see! Pretty soon we realized this road was following alongside the curves of the San Miguel River. Turn after turn, we marveled at the sights, watching as the land and walls became more and more lush. We had the road nearly to ourselves, but did have to be careful, as there were cows just hanging out in the road several times. (Side note: we saw cows grazing right on the edge of cliffs. How often does a cow just fall off the cliff???) While there are lots of scenic routes I haven’t taken, I’ve been on quite a few, and I’d have to say this is the most beautiful road I’ve ever traveled.

The Grand Drive – Land of Enchantment

Day 3 was a little different as we spent the whole day in New Mexico, discovering this mesmerizing Land of Enchantment. Since we ended yesterday with cold springs, we decided to start today with the Montezuma Hot Springs. We tried several of the springs and they were various levels of “hot tub temps”. But one of them, the Lobster Pot, was so hot that I could barely dip my toes in (120 degrees!) The warm mineral water felt amazing and it was surrounded by lush forest and a babbling brook. On the way out, we discovered a cool outcrop where I was able to walk out and enjoy yet another gorgeous view.

We left the springs and drove towards the mountains through the valley. We made our next stop at the National Scouting Museum at Philmont Scout Ranch. Working with Scouts has been a big part of my life for over 15 years, so this was a really cool stop for me. It was also meaningful since my dad went to Philmont; it was neat to see a place where he had a journey once upon a time.

After the scout museum, we embarked on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, which loops around Wheeler Peak. We drove through Eagle Next, Angel Fire, Taos, and up to the Taos Ski Valley. Thise drive had it all–winding mountain roads, valleys, mountain lakes, and even some snow-capped mountains. It’s funny that the highest elevation I’ve been to (Clingman’s Dome at just over 6500 feet) is the same elevation as the valleys in the area. The highest we got was the Taos Ski Valley at 9200 feet (but the ski lift would’ve taken us up over 3000 more feet).

Our next stop was at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. It was quite windy standing on the bridge 650 feet above the river. Heights don’t normally phase me, but my stomach did some flips looking into the gorge.

I didn’t talk about our day 2 hotel, as it was just a good old standard Holiday Inn. However, we ended day 3 with a stay in Albuquerque at the Painted Lady Bed & Brew. This was an old saloon and brothel built in the 1880s. Our room, which used to be the front of the bar, still had the old floors (refinished) and was filled with old art and historical info. It is allegedly haunted, but the spirits didn’t bother us! There was the Ghostlight Saloon (converted bus) for Hoppy Hour and they had a beautiful courtyard with games, fire pit, and great spots to just relax. Really cool place!

The Grand Drive – Westward Bound

We survived the janky motel last night. The bed felt like it might have once taken quarters, as it was comically shaky. It had a weird aroma featuring a mixture of cigarettes from another era, pot, and bleach. The room coffee pot just boiled the water in the reservoir and leaked around the edges (only producing one of the four cups of water into coffee). The front office didn’t have coffee, but it did have coolers of live fish. Well, it seemed like they actually cleaned things and the toilet worked, so we’ll call it a win.

We headed out early with almost 650 miles ahead of us, departing AK and entering OK. Shortly after crossing the state line, we saw a disturbingly massive bank of dark clouds. Then my weather alert went off to warn us of a severe thunderstorm with straight-line winds, hail, and a chance of tornadoes. Luckily, we just had heavy rain, wind, and lightning but that was quite the storm for 8 in the morning. It was a good opportunity to sing the Oklahoma song lyrics, “Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain…”  

Although we’re only on day 2, we’ve sufficiently worn out all the cheesy road observations we tend to say. We’ve yelled “hey” at the hay bales and remarked “look at that ass” to the donkeys. We’ve pointed out the cows with either “ground beef” (for those laying down) or “click clack moo” (for those standing around in a huddle). We’ve even resorted to singing the Ren & Stimpy classic Log Song at the passing log trucks. I know–this really makes you want to be on a road trip with us. LOL

As we continued through OK, the sun came out and the clouds became friendly. It was at that moment that we understood the OK car tag design. The blue tag perfectly matched the baby blue sky. The white abstract bird image on the tag matched the wispy white clouds spotting the sky here and there. Try as I might, I didn’t find a bird-shaped cloud in the sky. OK was a beautiful state, and I loved seeing thousands of windmills throughout the landscape. (I tried to get an “up close” picture, and the windmill seemed so close in life but looks comically far away in the picture.) We also saw the largest cross I’ve ever seen.

Before leaving OK, we headed over to part of Route 66 and went to the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City. In addition to the museum, they had a whole city block full of historical buildings that had been transplanted from places all along Route 66. It was cool to stroll through and fun to see families with kids running around imagining themselves in the pretend world. My kids would’ve loved this place when they were younger–I could almost envision little Lizzy running her brothers around to play school, pretend shop, visit the movie theater, etc. As a note, there seems to be hundreds of “official” Route 66 museums, and we even stumbled upon Mater at another location. 

Back on the road, we quickly came upon Texas. In addition to windmills, we occasionally saw these weird tire mountains. It looked like someone had made huge strawberry plant mounds (with the white plastic covering) and then buried tires in them. Is this some sort of TX recycling??

Our next stop was Cadillac Ranch. We came prepared with our spray paint but, sadly, flooding from this morning made it impossible to reach the cars without stepping into water and, most assuredly, deep Texas mud. It was still a cool site to see, and we painted on the ground and some walls to be part of things. I also had a bracelet to retire, as it was falling apart. It was a match to one Lizzy and I got together in summer 2019, so I couldn’t just throw it away. Instead, Thom and I painted it with our green and purple paint and tied it on the fence where people left all sorts of mementos. It seemed fitting to leave it near the colorfully painted Crocs. 🙂

Approaching New Mexico, the landscape changed to absolutely nothing but road and nature as far as the eye could see (which was a pretty long way). There was prairie with growing ridgelines here and there on each side of the road. There weren’t even any windmills! This is what they mean by wide open spaces!

We had one final stop of the day–The Blue Hole. Apparently this dive locations is world-famous for its cave system at the bottom of the hole (going from 80 feet deep to nearly 200 feet deep). In addition to divers coming and going, there was a spot for cliff jumping in the hole and then plenty of room for swimming or snorkeling. It was beautiful, fun to snorkel, and extremely refreshing at a cool 61 degrees!

Let the Grand Drive Begin

On New Year’s Day, sitting around my mom’s table, the predictable question went around: “What’s everyone’s plans for 2023?” Thom quickly piped up and proclaimed that he was taking his woman to see the Grand Canyon. This was news to me, but thus the journey began.

I originally had a big “Out West” road trip planned for summer 2020. The kids and I were going to camp across the West for nearly a month, and Thom was going to meet us for part of it. As with many things in 2020, that trip fell apart. Since that time, the Galloway kids have scattered and it’s quite tricky to get us all in one place for a weekend, much less a month. So, I had mentally given up on this trip ever happening. Thom is full of surprises though and often seems to know my inner thoughts that even I don’t know. He decided to make it happen and stated it in front of others, knowing that would keep me from justifying any postponement of the trip (due to money, time, or not being able to do the trip with the kids).

Over the course of the last few months, we’ve gone from idea to loose planning to booking plans. Thom even got me a giant atlas for the planning (as he knows I love a good map). We added Pike’s Peak to the top goal along with the Grand Canyon. We knew we had a max 10 days available and just filled in the schedule with other cool spots to visit and scenic roads to drive.

Today took us from Kennesaw to Ozark, Arkansas (five states in one day!). The first stretch of road was filled with me doing my nails since I ran out of time before the trip but wanted to look my best on this long date. (Shout out to Stephanie Ann Jones and her Color Street Nails. There’s no way I could do my nails in the car otherwise.)

We had some scenic roads in North Georgia, raced a train in Alabama, and crossed the Tennessee River on the way to a new-to-me Buc-ee’s in Athens, AL. Buc-ee’s to Memphis was the Bee Line Highway, aptly named as it was a straight line between the two. There wasn’t much but corn fields and then this weird place in Mississippi called an Attendance Center (that looked like an old prison with a playground out front). Apparently that’s a school??

Our Memphis stop was at a place called Central BBQ. The decor was a fun picnic vibe but with lots of music art. They had Memphis soul music keeping things lively as well. We sampled each others meals and I can say the classic Memphis rubs were awesome; it was some of the most flavorful BBQ I’ve ever had.

We left lunch, passing the Memphis Pyramid and crossing the wide waters of the Mississippi River. (Side note-I failed to blog about my quick trip through the midwest in 2021. We went to the Memphis Pyramid and it was super fun.) We settled in for a few hours along I-40 with an episode of History of Rock Music in 500 Songs. While technically the episode was about the Byrds, there was a lot of discussion of jazz, bebop, and soul–seemed extra fitting for our Memphis visit.

Once we got out of Memphis, we finally escaped the haze coming from the Canadian fires, but quickly entered gloomy clouds and occasional rain. Despite the dreary weather, we pulled off I-40 just east of Clarksville (which randomly happens to be a nuclear evacuation route…good to know?). We also passed Ozone Burgers, which Thom aptly named the Stabbing Shack–it was a run-down building surrounded by these weird creepy trees that were black and had leafless branches reaching straight upward, so like something out of a horror movie (and we never saw trees like this again on the drive). Anyway… we took the Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway up into the Ozark Mountains and then cut west to take the Pig Tail Scenic Highway back south to I-40. We had no GPS signal and were warned with multiple signs that the road was “Very Crooked & Steep”, but that’s the kind of road we love. However, it was raining lightly most of the drive. While wet roads aren’t as much fun, we drove in and out of the clouds in the mountains and through lush forest regions…and we had the road to ourselves. It was a different experience that we expected, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful.

We ended the day in Ozark with dinner at the Hillbilly Hideout (weird location but great food) and a sufficient hotel. The sign says “Luxury Accommodation” but I think that was put up in the 60s. All in all, it was a long, good day. We moved about 700 miles in 14 hours (including all the stops). Time to hit the hay and start a new journey tomorrow!