Day 4: Santa Fe, NM - Enid, OK

We got an early start today since we had 8 hours of driving and a one hour time change. And you all know me, lots of sightseeing and geocaching stops. We started out stopping for an earth cache in Santa Rosa, NM. It is called the blue hole, its a natural aquifer in the middle of the dessert. Very pretty, crystal clear and blue. Its temperature is a constant 65 degrees all the time, even when its 120 out. Cache #1

The town of Tukamari was our next stop to see the Route 66 monument and fill up with gas at $3.19 a gallon. Then it was off to Cadillac Ranch in the big state of Texas. This is a ranch with 10 old cadillacs all lined up out in a field, nose down in the dirt. People are welcome to stop and sign them or spray paint art on them. Only in Texas. This was cache #2

Elisabeth here is proof that i have been to the most wonderful place on earth, or so you say. (ha ha)After Cadillac ranch we stopped at the slug bug ranch. this is just like cadillac ranch but with slug bugs. Lucy Goose I owe you 5 punches in the arm when we get home. Cache #3

One of the highlighs of the day was stopping at a travel center by the name of Stuckys. When I was a kid my parents and grandparents would bribe us with stopping there if we behaved in the car on the way to or from the cabin in Idaho. I woud always pick out a little glass figurine for my collection. I even remember crying when we saw them because we could not stop at every one. So this picture is for my sisters! I have not seen a Stuckys in over 20 years.

The second largest cross in the western hemisphere was quite impressive. It is located in groom, TX. I have never seen a cross this big in my life! There is a sign nearby that says,"Jesus Christ is lord, not a curse word".

The route 66 National Museum was a worthwhile stop in Elk city,OK. It was really interesting to learn the history on route 66.

At this point it was getting late and we had already been on the road for 8 hours so we decided to make a B-line for Enid, Ok. There was one last stop I needed to make for my very good friend Mrs. Ernstrom, the queen of shopping at The Wallmarts. There is a very nice statue of him where he was born in Kingfisher, OK.
10 Hours later we arrived in Enid, Ok for 3 days.

OH! Debbie B I got 13 coke points today! Thats 5 more entries.

We also stopped at one of diners, drive-ins and dives. The Big Texan Steak house in Amarillo, TX
If you can eat a 72 oz steak you get it free. Very neat place.

Day 3: Flagstaff to Santa Fe

We started out the day with $2.69 gas. I t just gets cheaper the further away from CA we get. Today was a travel day. Our first stop was Meteor, AZ to see the world's longest map of route 66.
Our next stop was in Winslow AZ to see the Standing on the corner park which is where the Eagles song, "Take it easy" is based on.

Then on to Geronimo, AZ to see the world's largest petrified tree. It's pretty neat how a tree can turn into such a beautiful stone.

The highlight of our Roadside America tour was in Holbrook, AZ. We saw the Wigwam Hotel which is where part of the movie "Cars" was filmed. The hotel rooms are really in cement teepees and each room has an old car parked in front. We had our first Muffler man sighting in Holbrook as well!
Then it was off to Gallup AZ where we ate lunch at a geocache location. "West end" is a little hole in wall café/bakery that had the best sandwiches and DONUTS. The owner has a geocache placed there, great way to get travelers to stop.

At this point we had wasted enough time so we made a bee-line to Albuquerque, NM. We were after a cache by the name of Cinderella which was at a totem pole made out of high heel shoes. The shoes reminded me a little of gumball alley in SLO, a little moldy, smelly and weather worn.

Santa Fe was our final destination for the day. We stayed near the old historic district and were able to walk there from our hotel. It reminded me a lot of Sedona. I think I like Sedona more than Santa Fe.


We had a good caching day (8) since we bribed Lauren with a new set of ear phones for her I pod. Hers went bad somewhere in CA. Her taste of music and ours are very different. Plus since I am constantly saying oooh look over there she won't have to listen to me anymore. Maybe we should have gotten some for Ed too.

No work out for me today, I am soooo sore from our hike in the Grand Canyon.

Only one inch of knitting today. The cuff is done. We were jumping in and out of the car too much to really get into it today.

We ate dinner at Salsa Bravo in Flagstaff tonight. Its a diner, drive-in and dive spot.

Tomorrow we have a long trek from Santa Fe, NM to Enid, OK to stay with The Tutts (Ed's sister and family) for 3 days. YEAH FOR COUSIN TIME!

Day 2-Grand Canyon

Today we drove from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon. There is definately someone watching over us because we had great weather or should I say "Tambo weather". It was only around 80 degrees ( I really like it around 70). Its been in the 100's previous to today. We did a hike down to "ooh-ahh" point on the South Kabib trail. It was fun going down, but brutal coming back up. Ed did not have to push me up once! Our little mountain goat Lauren made it to the top 15 minutes faster than we did. Tomorrow we are off to Santa Fe NM.

Switchbacks we went down.

We ate dinner at another Diner, drive-in and dive by the name of Donnatelos. It too was wonderful.

1 geocache today:(

Day 1: SLO-Flagstaff AZ

This is what we encountered all day long, one delay after another. The GPS saved us a couple of times. If the State of CA is so in debt then why is there so much road work going on? Why does it take an army of men and 2 CHP cars to stand around and do nothing, in 100 degree weather?

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On another note Q-tips are a wonderful invention! I had 10 hours today to clean the vents in the car out with Q-tips. They are squeaky clean.
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Knit wits: I finally started Laurens knee socks. I ended up choosing a 1958 cabled knee sock pattern with the grey regia sock yarn. This ought to keep me busy for 5 weeks. I tried to knit from 12-4 today, the same time you were all meeting.
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Geocachers: We were able to get one cache today. The traffic delays did not allow for more. The cache that we did do though was well worth it. Check out the picture below:

Sorry Curves ladies there were no Curves sightings today. I did get a lovely walk around Flagstaff in though.

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Lauren made it through her first day. She pretty much slept and read, SUPRISE.
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Gas is only $2.79 in Arizona! Why isnt it that much in CA?
But it is 111 degrees here. I think I will take the higher gas prices.

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A sign posted on the way out of Barstow today said it was 2,554 miles to North carolina. Thats alot of miles! We have a long way to go but alot of adventures ahead of us.

It all Fit!

Its all in the van. Everything last thing that she could want at school, except for the life size Harry Potter cutout. We are off tomorrow morning. Yeah!

The shopping is complete!

Laurens graduation gift from her grandparents was a shopping spree to buy all the neccessary New York cold weather clothing. She has managed to buy out South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island!

ISN'T SHE CUTE?

Yes this was our reaction!

YES this was our reaction when our daughter (and last child) announced she wanted to go to upstate New York to college! Now what?

Well, all the college stuff we had been collecting the last year would just have to be shipped, right?
NO. Lauren and Ed suggested that it might be fun to drive ALL THE WAY TO NEW YORK! After a week or so of thinking about it I warmed up to the idea, "sure, why not". Then just as I was getting used to the idea they hit me with another idea, "why not rent an RV"? NO WAY, that's not my idea of a vacation, cooking and cleaning across the united states. (I won)
So plans were begun for the trip. We joined AAA and picked up a map of the United States and started to mark all the wonderful things we could see and do. Now this was fun! It was decided that on the way there we would take the lower route, Fwy 40 and on the way back we would take the higher route (Fwy 90 or so).

Our journey will begin on August 10th. First stop, the Grand Canyon.