Ready to Go
I’ve been married for a year and a half. My honey and I started a tradition last year that we take a road trip the week of Labor Day every year. Last year we went to Yellowstone. This year, we decided to go to the Grand Canyon.
We camp the entire way and stop at National Parks for the night. If there isn’t a National Park, we stay at a state park. It’s work, but once you get a rhythm going, it’s pretty easy. And fun. Are you sold on it yet!?!?
We left Austin at about 6am on Saturday to head to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The park was more beautiful than I expected. I had never heard of the park before I started my research for the trip.
home for the night
It was early enough to do a little hiking once we got there. It was a fun park and I would definitely go back to spend more time.
The next day was just a driving day to get prepared for Day 3. As we were driving away toward New Mexico, I asked my honey to pull over to take a picture of the park.
El Capitan
We made it through New Mexico and into Arizona to stay at Lyman Lake State Park. This was a pretty bare park – you could see all the campsites and what everyone was doing. A nice thing, if you don’t like tent camping, is that they have cabins and yurts to stay in. There are a couple of really short trails around there too. And a lake.
The next morning, we got up to begin a very busy day. It started off with the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert.
Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert
It was very early when we got there and there were very few visitors. It was great because we had a chance to be silly.
chicken dance among the rocks
My husband asked me to do something funny and this is what came to me. This is my husband acting funny.
look at him go!
After seeing the beautiful landscape, we were off to the next stop about 1 hour down the road. We went to Meteor Crater – which we learned should really be called Meteorite Crater. But lessons on the difference will be held at another time. I had visited Meteor Crater when I was 10 years old and, well, it looks exactly the same!
been there for millions of years
The next destination would be our home for the next two days. The Grand Canyon!!!
Yay! We're here!
So, we got settled into our campsite and made our way to the rim. My honey had never been there, so you’re first impression of seeing something so amazing is kinda a big deal. I was ahead of him by about 30 feet and was going to get the camera ready. Just as I walk up to the rim, seeing the sun set on the beautiful formations within the canyon, I found this in the camera bag:
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
So my husband’s first moments at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, was trying to keep calm. This was very disappointing. We drank our sorrows away that night at the restaurant on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Thankful that we had my little point-and-shoot camera.
The next morning, we got up and started our hike into the canyon. We went to the South Kaibab Trail and decided to do all they will allow without an overnight permit. It was three miles in, 2000 ft in elevation down. That’s no big deal – until you think about reversing that to get out of there.
at the top, let's get this hike started!
There were three points along the way down. The first was called the Ooh Ahh Point. It was a beautiful stop and about 20 minutes into the hike.
on the ledge
Most of the people on the trail turned around at this point. But not us! Off to Cedar Ridge. We sat here for a while to get ready for the next part of the hike.
halfway down!
The next spot was named Skeleton Point. This was by far more “ooh ahh” than the first point. But we believe the NPS rangers are smart. If you name a point “Ooh Ahh”, people will go to it. If you name it “Skeleton Point”, they won’t. Getting to both of these points is no big deal. But getting back to the top can be dangerous if you don’t have water or physical gumption. We had both and we are SO glad we made it that far. It was beautiful!
the real "ooh ahh" point
At this spot, we were about 1/3 of the way down to the bottom, 2000 ft down. We stayed here for about an hour. We ate a surprisingly yummy MRE and watched the fearless squirrels try to get our crumbs.
Then it was time to go back up to the top. I wasn’t too sure about this one. It wasn’t easy. But we did stop to take a few pictures of the canyon along the way.
catch our breath
Somewhere along this hike, I told my honey that he needed to get me a mule or a helicopter because that was the only way I would see the rim again! Fortunately we made it. The motivation of another couple struggling to the top helped. They were from Portland, OR (aka Team Portland). Naturally we were Team Austin. We would leap frog along the trail – they passed us while we rested and vice versa. Cheering each other along all the way to the top.
The next day we left the Grand Canyon and started down the highway towards Four Corners. This was kinda cheesy, but I’m glad we stopped.
four states at once - CO, NM, UH, AZ
Then we drove to Mesa Verde National Park. This was really neat! This is where the cave dwellers lived hundreds of years ago.
they believe about 100 people lived in there
This was more like a driving tour, but that was fine by me! I was still recovering from the previous days hike. We were able to go down to this dwelling, but the others required a guide and we were too late for them.
The next day we drove to Los Alamos and visited the Bradbury Science Museum. We took a few pictures, but nothing interesting. It was really a waste of time. The only thing I found interesting was a video they showed and I could see that on the History Channel. We were spoiled though from our trip to Fredericksburg, TX for our anniversary. The Pacific War museum is there and it’s incredible!
Next we drove to Roswell, NM. This was more of a novelty for us. It was the only night we didn’t stay in our tent. The Holiday Inn was a nice change – clean sheets and our own shower! It’s the little things that make this girl happy!
The next morning we drove to Carlsbad Caverns. My better half was pretty worn out at this point and was difficult to impress. We’ve been to our local caverns, but they don’t compare to this! If I had not been with him, he would have walked through these caverns in record time! Hard to take pictures in there, but we did get a few.
stalactites
We left around 4:45pm. There wasn’t another campground along our route, so we pushed through and drove home. That is a LONG way! We live halfway through the state of Texas, but from New Mexico to Austin is about 7 hours. But we did it!
pay no attention to the max speed
I’m so glad we drove home. It was 2:05am when we made it into our garage. I counted all the deer along the highway while I drove for almost an hour and a half. 75! that’s right seventy-five deer. It was pretty scary, not knowing if one would run out in front of our car. Sure did keep me awake!
By driving home that Friday, we were able to have a whole weekend before we had to go to work.
Wonder what we’ll do next year!??! :)
Oooh ahhh! Beautiful pics. Love the stalactites, as it brings me back to my short time as a cave tour guide. And 75 deer? Glad you didn’t hit one on your way home. Great post!
fantastic post and photos! thanks for sharing!
-grace
Thanks for sharing your trip. Wonderful photos. My hands got sweaty just looking at the heights of the canyon. How could you sit on the edge like that? Keep safe on your travels. Connie
http://7thandvine.wordpress.com/
i wish there was more places like that over here to go and explore, thanks for the blog sounds like a wonderful trip!
Beautiful. My husband and I went to Grand Canyon last fall. It is magnificent.
I would love to travel there again. Brilliant photos, you really captured the aww inspiring essence of the west!
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Beautiful pix and fun story — except that’s gotta be some wicked karma, breaking your camera right before copious Grand Canyon photo opps present themselves in stunning glory!
Nah, not really. Thank GOD for the point and click, right?
I love that the two of you are making this a tradition! Camping is so much fun, and WAY better when you travel to different places instead of staying in the same spot all the time.
From your photos (which are beautiful, by the way), it looks as though you were able to see a fair bit! I think that Mesa Verde National Park and Carlsbad Caverns looks AMAZING!! I’ve got to get there someday!
Thanks for sharing your stories and your photos, and congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
Wow your trip looks truly amazing! Great photos and blog post
I’ve never been on an actual roadtrip, or went camping in a national park…. LOL So I’m living vicariously through you, and beginning to realize just how many adventures are waiting to be experienced!
Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun on your trip? Do you have more photos of the Carlsbad Caverns?
Wow, you guys lead a cool life! I’d love to be able to see the grand canyon and other historic places someday!
Yearly road trips! That’s so cool! Awesome blog, by the way. Keep it up!
very cool pictures.. looks like you had a blast..
So sorry your camera lens broke, but what great pics! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
Seems like you had a nice trip
Thank you so much for sharing
Keep having adventures. My honey and I got married summer 2009 and we’ve traveled more in the first year than I did in my previous 18 year marriage. Sounds like you chose the right man
And vice versa! Congrats on being FP!
El Capitan, majestically towering over the landscape, looks awesome.
Thanks for sharing.
What a great tradition to start!! I love visiting new-to-me parks… the Grand Canyon is definitely on my list. I cringed when I saw that photo of your camera lens… I feel your pain. Glad to see you still enjoyed the rest of your trip! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful photos – sounds like you guys had quite the adventure. Too bad about the camera lens. At least you were still able to capture some great shots! Happy hiking!
What a great tradition for you. I hope you will be able to get your poor lens replaced soon. Nice shots.
Wow! This looks incredible! I have never had a road trip. Ahh. I’ve always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon but I barely get out Florida. Maybe soon I hope. Can’t wait to hear about the trip for next year.
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. Definitely deserved.
adventures are just life!
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What an awesome idea! I’ve been married for 9 months, maybe we should start a similar tradition
.
I enjoyed reading your post. We have just completed our own roadtrip that took us 32,000 km – 17 States, Provinces and 2 Northern Territories. We enjoyed the Grand Canyon … then we went to Utah… Oh MY… I suggest you go to Bryces Canyon or Zion next trip.. Much more magnificnet because you are closer, inside, you can touch the walls.. amazing…We too had camera problems in Zion, I can relate to that frustration… Thanks for the post….
Maggie
http://maggielr.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/from-the-tip-to-the-depth-and-back/
Nice photo’s and what an amazing trip.
Wow. Look at just about any Western movie shot in the 1940s, and you’ll see *that* mountain somewhere in the background. Yer right: it’s a gorgeous place.
If you’re taking suggestions for next year — Bryce Canyon, in southern Utah. Unbelievable place.
Really enjoyed reading! I was raised in the Texas Panhandle and know this area real well, so you brought back a lot of my childhood. Thanks for posting!!
The Grand Canyon is definitely on my bucket list. Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been begging my boyfriend for this to be our trip this year – your pictures have inspired me even more! YAYYYY! love it.
They were beautiful. I feel like I get to travel somewhere different every time I see someone’s pictures of travels.
Looks like an amazing roadtrip! Great photos!
Great photography!! More!!
Great blog and photography! I enjoyed your trip very much.
The Grand Canyon is literally, GRAND. One of the most spectacular places I’ve been thus far. Have you guys ever been to Yosemite Park? Pretty impressive as well.
Congrats on your Freshly Pressed.
Cheers from Brazil
Thanks for sharing, enjoyed the photos, great scenery!
The reason I clicked on this was because I love adventure and also the photography was good. Where do you thing your next road trip is going to be.
Jordansaker, I see an F18 as your gravatar – are you an aviation buff?
Yes I am plus I’m currently getting my private pilot licence
Do you have any interesting photos on aircraft? I am thinking of posting some I have taken in Kyiv, Ukraine, of Soviet military aircraft from the 60s up to the 90s on FLICKR.
I love the last picture with the max speed
Wow!
exotic photos.
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Oh you two! Couple of goofballs – and love bugs to boot! Great photos and good idea – you’ve started a family tradition.
I warn you, this can be extremely addictive. Some 40 years ago we started those “let’s check it out – trips”. It was so wonderful, we arranged our life so we could keep doing it. At first it’s National Park hopping, then it evolves to just finding beautiful places, then, after a long practice, you learn to just notice beautiful moments, and that, of course, can happen anywhere. Travel, live in the country, but don’t get too settled. Keep this “beginner’s mind.”
Incredible photos! After camping in Joshua Tree this still in on my Bucket List!
Here’s my Jtree post: http://coevworld.wordpress.com/tag/joshua-tree/
-Ian
Love a road trip!! We did the Grand Canyon this past January. I did a post on our trip. One of the best Sunsets I’ve ever seen! Thanks for sharing your trip. Best, EggsSmokeSex
I used to drive between San Antonio and LA at Christmas to see family and your pictures reminded me of the time I decided not to take the 10 and went a little north to stop off at the meteor crater, painted desert and grand canyon parks. Thanks for taking me back! I always did think it was very beautiful.
If you’ve never been to Mount Rushmore, I highly recommend the drive on the next road trip, it’s more impressive than I would have thought, and it was fun stopping off at the devils tower to look for any Close Encounters of the Third kind.
Love the pictures of the canyon. Thanks for sharing your awesome trip! Congrats on being Pressed!
Great post! I really enjoyed reading it and looking at your amazing photos!
Congrats for Freshly Pressed!
Thanks for sharing amazing pictures and great experience.
very interesting trip
Ever thought about going to Boundary Waters Canoe Area or BWCA? We’re from Minnesota at coreyspooner.com. Check out our post on the BWCA, well worth a labor day weekend trip! Here’s the link to the article http://coreyspooner.com/2011/09/18/you-know-youre-a-minnesotan-if-you-love-the-bwca/. And be sure to watch the video on the bottom, it does a great job of explaining the Boundary Water’s.
Great trip, I wanna do that like you.
Love the Petrified Forest… man those are some big TREE’s : ) Way to share!!!
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Oh, that beautiful
I read all the previous comments and they were all right-on….
dad
Glad I found this blog tonight. We are in Cedar City Utah right now. We are headed to Grand Canyon Tomorrow. We are just going for the day but have been there 20 years ago and camped on the North Rim. Just spent 5 days at Bryce Canyon National Park and did quite a bit of hiking, and horse back riding the trails. And of course lots of picture taking.
Check out our Blog of us Traveling the USA in our Motorhome at http://markandlauree.blogspot.com.
Hope to see some of the sites on your blog tomorrow.
Thanks, Stay Joint Pain Free
Mark
From http://jointpainrememdyreviews.com
I love the fact that you both did the adventure as a couple. You both enjoyed this trip a lot and we can all see that on your smiles , even the funny pose. The park is beautiful. Amazing landscapes. congrats for both on a successful trip and for freshly pressed.
Beautiful. My husband and I went to Grand Canyon last fall. It is magnificent.
good luck with trip,happy!
fantastic post and photos! thanks for sharing!
Great blog and photography! I enjoyed your trip very much.
Sorry to see your glass in pieces. I love the desert. I am a climber and I have an affinity for sandstone. Keep on keepin’ it on.
Wow – what pictures. The Grand Canyon has been on my bucket list for years – now I live and blog from Beijing, so getting to see it seems further away than ever – sigh! and I’m not getting any younger. Thanks for sharing your fantastic trip with us.
Nice place to know and amazing pictures to see !!
Just read your Road Trip Blog, I can imagine what a great time you had. I have visited Yellowstone & the Grand Canyon National Parks on 2 occasions, Your pictures bring back many happy times from those visits, just wished that I lived a little nearer to visit again, but it’s a long haul from the UK. I would also recommend Zion & Bryce canyon for future visits.
Wow, you all really packed it in! Looks like you had a glorious time! Besides the Grand Canyon, of course, I was really impressed with Mesa Verde when my husband and I visited years ago. Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventure!
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Thanks for sharing, enjoyed the photos
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wow amazing, look, it’s messa bute, and layer of sedimentary rock…, great geological trip !
Good photos~!
Soooooooooo interesting! I wanna go for some travel in the near future.
Wow the photos are stunning! What a great adventure, and very exciting to read!
wow……. its so lovely place
Great pictures, loved the one of the cave.
Great post and nice photos. Thanks for sharing
cool post. Loved it.
it’s beautiful there
What a great description of your trip. My husband and I want to do the exact same route and tent camp along the way to Zion National Park that is our ultimate goal. I remember driving through that area back in the late 70′s and have always vowed to go to the Park. We are planning on that possibly next year. Your pictures were just beautiful and if I have to say one thing this kind of trip will bring a couple together because you have to rely on each other more. This will be a memory you and your husband can pass on to your children someday and even take the same route with them and show them where mom and dad went before they were born.
ooh my god!!!!!!
u guys have a unbeliveable stamina!
what’s ur feeds ?????
appriciate for all of u
Beautiful pictures! Just Wow!
I’ve made this trip- I was with my best friend in college and we took two weeks and lots of food. Did it in my Mazda RX7 without a/c. Best trip of my life! Thanks for bringing back excellent memories and doing it so well!
I once went to The Petrified Forest!! I loved looking at the cool rocks and things!
Nice write up and it made that much more interesting as you had posted a lot of pics.
I had been to a trip to Ladakh on a bike. I was on the bike for 22 days covering 3600Kms. It was awesome. I am yet to post anything about it on Facebook. I guess I will do something like the way you have done.
Happy Travelling.
Great post! I’ve been to Mesa Verde and Carlsbad Caverns, Mesa Verde a couple years ago and Carlsbad when I was 11. I can still remember at the end of the tour for Carlsbad we stood outside and watched thousands of bats fly out of the cave at dusk. It was pretty amazing! As for Mesa Verde, I had a great time there as well. The trails that we hiked we almost as Ohh Ahh as the Grand Canyon
and the guided tour we went on was actually quite adventurous as we had to do some technical hiking along some narrow trails on the cliffs. Have fun on your next trip!!
nice adventure experience you get Luxury Rental Bali
Loved the post and pictures. Sorry about the camera lens. That I know was a huge bummer for that moment in time. I visited the Grand Canyon several months ago and so the pics were a welcome remembrance. I definitely want to go back. I wanted to do the crater and the petrified forest as well, but ran out of time. AZ has so many wonderful national and state parks that it’s definitely worth going back. I suggest doing the Tonto Natural Bridge for folk as well. It was amazing.
Great photos of the Grand Canyon. I have only ever seen it from the air. I did however see the grand canyon of the west in Kauai, Hawaii; you should put that on your list.
I love your adventurous spirits! My wife and I have been married for the same amount of time, and we love doing things like this together. Keep up the good work!
Oh, and if y’all like cooking you should check out our project “The Socialist Kitchen” here on wordpress.
Fun trip! I’ve visited many of the places you featured…and did hike further into the Canyon…four hours down and eight more to get back up to the rim, in early June. People have no idea how dangerous it can be; I sat in the creek for 30 minutes while I ate my lunch to try and reduce my core temperature…and looking back up at that trail is a little terrifying. I loved it, and look forward to going again, but maybe this time in fall or winter.
Small world! My honey and I are in Austin as well and we were JUST talking last night about going to New Mexico to see the desert for our year and a half anniversary over spring break next March. Your post has been a great help! We know what to skip and what not to now!
Head over to my blog and lets swap stories! We are always looking for more hill country places to visit (and beyond)!
http://www.waltz-across-texas.com
That’s awesome! So glad you are some of the smart people in the U.S. who enjoy the National Parks! Next time come visit us at Chiricahua National Monument!!
fascinating illustrations. you should check out some parks here in the philippines also! who knows, you might be interested and apparently spend some of your time here next year!! c:
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What a fantastic tradition to have! I am hoping my someone and I will do loads of traveling, as well, and your pics are helping the Grand Canyon edge up the list (if I sound minutely hesitant, it’s because I’ve been drooling over pictures of Santorini, Greece for the past several weeks).
What a great tradition.
I have not been to the Petrified Forest in thirty years. Thanks for bringing back some good memories.
Beautiful! You make me want to come back to the US again, this time for hiking.
Wow, this sounds so cool! It seems so long ago when I last went to the petrified forest! This was a great random blog that showed up. SO incredible!
The Grand Canyon has been on my wish list for far too long. My next door neighbour got back from there last week and I’m looking forward to seeing his photos too. What colours and variety in the landscape!
Awesome! Your narrative totally reminds me of a road trip I took with my parents in 2007. We drove from Seattle, WA to TX and back again… you hit some of the same spots we did and it was by far my best road trip ever! Besides being with my parents (excellent company) it was awesome. I particularly enjoyed Roswell with my papa (my mom chose to do laundry rather than see aliens)… How about Alaska next year… yes, I know, you can’t drive to Juneau in the time frame you are talking about, but you are welcome to come visit and you can “road trip” our 40 miles of highway… we have lot’s of hiking however – do those miles count?
Oh, I did blog a little bit about it… http://thereandbackagainalaska.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/my-bestest-road-trip-ever/
Great pictures! I haven’t been there but I hope to go someday. Really sorry about your lens, though.
The zipper failed on my little camera-carrying sling bag recently and my camera ended up ejected at rather high speed to the ground. I was prepared to be devastated but it seems to be alright… no problems that I’ve found yet anyway, and certainly not the damage that was done to yours. ;(
Keep on movin!!! Reminds me of my trip to “4 corners” when I was 5. It blew my mind to be in 4 states at once.
Beautiful pictures! I never been there and hope I can go someday
That looks really cool, especially those pictures from the heights. I’m so sorry about your camera – I hope it’s reparable.
Awesome pictures! Poor Camera lens:-(
Keep Sharing and God Bless!
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beautiful pictures! such a nice place
You guys are awesome, I would love to do what you do!
beautiful pictures.
I love everything about this holiday except the camping. give me a cozy b and b close by any day of the week. Stunning shots though.