Day 22

Sadly, I woke up not ready to complete this final day of the road trip. We said our goodbyes to Tim, Chum, Lucas and Sadie, posed for some pictures, and were on our way. This final day was not about sightseeing, not about the scenery, or photographs, it was about getting home. There were many aspects of home that came to mind such as friends, Cambridge, our nice apartment, the cats, and sleeping in our own bed. But I couldn't help but also think of the less-preferred aspects of home which consist of work, bills, school, and responsibility. One of the reasons I love traveling so much is that it allows me to focus on the present, not the past, not the future, but the now. Life is on pause while my sole responsibility is to focus on the experience. So as we drove up 95 through Maryland, through New Jersey, through New York City, through Connecticut, and lastly the Pike to Boston, I found myself longing for more of the road, more of the adventure, more of the exploration despite the fact that I was sick of road food and spending money. We arrived home in the mid- afternoon after a traffic-free drive up the east coast, which was surprising considering we were traveling through the metropolis of the Northeast! We timed our departure perfectly in that we were never traveling in a rush hour situation and made it home only to stop at rest areas and toll booths. Toll booths were a rare sight out west, but on the east coast they were abundant and expensive! I had forgotten to bring my Fast Lane Transponder so we had to rifle through our bills and change every few miles to gain entry on the what should have been gold-paved roads! We arrived back home around 4 o'clock, unpacked our car, and greeted our cats. It was great to see them, great to be home, but the realization that the adventure had, in fact, ended made my heart heavy.


After settling back into my life here, relaxing at home and seeing friends, people began to ask what my favorite place was and where I would I like to go back to. Of course, I could not come up with just one place as that was not how I thought about the trip. The experience came with the wholeness and thrill of driving from one coast to another and to be able to do it with such special people in my life. Places I would love to return would include Bryce, Zion, Death Valley, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, and many more places. I realized that our country is a huge place with such varying terrain, people, and climate, so in reality it is hard to believe that it is all the same nation and even the same planet. Obviously, I strongly suggest doing a trip like this if you ever get the opportunity. Lastly, I want to thank Uncle Paul, Jess and Wheeler, Aunt Diana, Aunt Penny and Uncle John, Jen, Devon and Jason, the Ben Dixens, and Tim and Chum, for graciously hosting us, showing us around and making our trip possible.

Day 21

I was excited for the day as I would finally get to explore the nation's capital, which I had not been to since I was 3. We decided to drive into the city rather than take the train so I was hopeful to find some decent parking, which I knew would not be an easy feat! As we drove through the suburbs to get to the city, I was impressed by area as it seemed like a safe, nice place to live. The Washington Monument soon came into view as we entered D.C. We slowly drove down the streets, taking in the sites and managed to find parking very close to the Smithsonian museums! Luckily, we had lots of quarters to get us through the next couple of hours. We decided to check out the Natural History museum so we could see the dinosaurs and other animals. Strolling through the displays, it was very hard to believe these massive creatures could have roamed the same land I was standing on! The T-Rex looked particularly vicious as they had it fixed in a menacing pose. We saw the rest of the dinosaurs and then made our way to the Mammal section. It was awesome to see so many different animals from different continents all made to look so incredibly alive and vivid. I think being a taxidermist would have to be a disgusting profession but they did an awesome job with the animals! Our favorite was this strange African fox with gigantic ears! After seeing many different mammals of all shapes and sizes, we changed gears and headed upstairs to see the exhibit on gemstones, rocks, and minerals. We were amazed to see rocks that looked like they were from a different galaxy. We also saw lots of beautiful diamonds, emeralds, and other precious gems. The famous Hope Diamond was on display as well. It is the world's largest blue diamond and is well-known for its tumoltuous history.

We left the museum and headed outside immediately noticing the return of the heat and humidity, which had been noticeably absent from the last few days of our trip. We found a lunch stand in which we could enjoy some hot dogs, salads, and fries on the grass of the National Mall. We were all very impressed by the cleanliness and organization of the city. Many of the Government buildings are all congregated in one area where as the shopping areas and restaurants are in a different area which made it easy for us to find what we were looking for. After lunch, I ran back a few blocks to the car to feed the parking meter before rejoining the girls for some more sightseeing. We walked along the Mall until we made our way to the Washington Monument. It is quite impressive to see up close as it must have been quite a feat to build. I was interested in going up to the top but prior preparation would have been required as reservations were needed. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave was our next stop as we wanted to see the most famous house in America. The White House was cool to see and I had a strong urge to jump the fence and see how long it took before I was taken down, but of course I ignored that urge! I was actually surprised at the length of the lawn because I expected it to be perfectly manicured but in fact it seemed a little shaggy. After separating ourselves from the other onlookers, I begrudgingly waiting while the girls bought their postcards at a nearby souvenir stand. We slowly walked back to our car while admiring the architecture of these grand buildings which communicated the importance of this city as the capital of a world superpower.

Washington D.C has a parking ban on many of its streets from 4-6pm to create another travel lane, which meant we had to move our car as it was nearing rush hour time. We spent a long time exploring the city from our car driving by many places that I would love to have visited such as the Holocaust Museum, Air&Space Museum, Jefferson/Lincoln Monuments, and the Capitol. Again, because we were on a road trip I had to make a mental note to come back to D.C for a much longer visit! We found a parking spot near the Spy Museum so we attempted to go in but realized that $18 was a bit too much to spend at this stage in our trip. At this point, we decided to leave D.C and head back to Tim and Chum's place, which was not the smartest decision as it was the middle of rush hour. The traffic wasn't too bad actually and the drive was a lot less frustrating than a typical Boston experience. We all agreed that we loved this city and was one of the few places on our trip that we would actually consider living.

Once Tim got home from work, we decided to go out for Sushi. I enjoyed a wonderful meal of shrimp and vegetable tempura as well as miso soup and a refreshing salad. The others liked their meals as well, especially little Lucas, who adventourously enjoyed yaki soba and even tried sushi! We ended the night like the one before, gripped to the T.V watching the Olympics.

Day 20

A marathon driving day was planned today as we would be navigating our way from Louisville, KY to Washington D.C. After a delicious breakfast made by Mrs. Ben Dixen, we were on our way. The drive took us from Kentucky, through the green hills of West Virginia, and into Virginia. We stopped only for gas, food, and to empty our bladders. 10 hours later we arrived at Tim and Chum's house in a D.C suburb in Virginia. I went to college with Tim and Chum and was excited to see them for the first time in a couple years! It was also the first time I was able to meet their adorable son, Lucas. Lucas was just waking up from a nap so he was not very sociable at first. But he perked up after awhile and showed off his "post office" in the living room. Tim and Chum also recently got a new puppy so, although cute, it was a handful! We spent some time playing with the puppy, Sadie, admiring the smarts of Lucas, and catching up a bit before heading out for dinner. We went to a Greek restaurant which was a welcome change after our limited food selection on the drive from Louisville. I enjoyed a delicious dish of the Greek version of baked Mac and Cheese (the name escapes me). It was great to watch Tim and Chum interact with Lucas. They seemed to have found a great balance of discipline and fun in the way they raise him. He was saying "please" and he is not even 2!

We spent the rest of the evening watching the Olympics which consisted of Phelps winning more medals and the men's team gymnastics competition. We enjoyed watching the men overachieve and win the bronze. But we found it quite tasteless the way they were pounding their chests, constantly yelling into the camera, and letting everyone know they were awesome. It seemed like unusual behavior for gymnastics and in my view everyone will know they are good by their performances and not their camera-hogging antics!

Day 19

We left Nashville early as we wanted to get to Louisville so Monica and Emily could have as much time as possible with their friends. We dropped off Monica at the Ben Dixen's, who were old friends from Vermont, and then headed to see Emily's college friend Devon who lived nearby. We greeted Devon, her fiance Jason, and their cute baby Kairi and then headed out to lunch at a local restaurant. The first thing Emily and I noticed was the fact that this 8 month old did not stop smiling. She just kept grinning ear to ear the whole time and laughed playfully with any attention. Emily and Devon did a lot of catching up while we ate and after stuffing ourselves we headed into downtown Louisville. Our first stop was the famous Louisville Slugger factory where we saw the GIANT bat which dwarfs the building, searched through the gift shop (of course they were out of mini Red Sox bats thanks to Red Sox Nation!), and looked at some of their historic memorabilia. We didn't feel like shelling out the 10 bucks for the official tour so we soon left and walked along the waterfront, which featured the Ohio River separating Kentucky and Illinois. Devon pointed out the hilarious fact that the Illinois town on the other side of the river had built a huge, expensive, clock to help enhance the look of their waterfront. The problem, however, is that the clock faces out to the river and in doing so gives Louisvillians a great view of the time but not to the Illinois residents who paid for the thing! We continued to walk along the water seeing the Spirit of Louisville steamship, enjoying the mild weather and sunshine. Louisville was bigger than I expected and had more going on than I had expected as well as a safe, clean feel. We then headed to Churchill Downs, where we got to view the track and get a flavor of the wealth and tradition that make it so famous. After visiting this playground for the rich, we headed to Devon's parent's house to feed their dogs. I was shocked to see a small horse running around their yard! But wait...it was not a horse but in fact the largest dog I have ever seen! The dog turned out to be a friendly, affectionate but gigantic Great Dane! After visiting with the dogs and seeing her parents house, we headed back to their apartment and said our goodbyes.


Our next destination was back to the Ben Dixens where we would crash for the night. We had a fun night visiting with their family and Monica enjoyed catching up and exchanging old stories from the Vermont days. The Ben Dixens were an interesting family who were originaly from Denmark, had moved to Vermont, back to Denmark, and then down to Louisville. It was amazing to hear the drawls while the kids spoke as they had only lived in the area for 4 years! Mrs. Ben Dixen was a very gracious host who took a keen interest to us and was enjoyable to converse with. We sat outside for a long time on their porch talking the night away, before heading down to the basement for some pool. I was happy with my play despite the fact that i had not touched a pool cue for a long time! We stayed up later than we should have but a fun time was had by all.

Day 18

We turned the car northward bound for Nashville, TN! We left Louisiana, and found ourselves in Mississippi. Green scenery was constant through this leg of the journey as well as southern drawls and Waffle Houses. We cut through the southeastern section of Mississippi and into Alabama. I noticed that every stop we made in Alabama was one in which we were encountered by friendly, welcoming people. Sure we passed the occasional pickup truck with over sized tires, a gun rack, confederate flag bumper stickers, and some mean-looking S.O.B's in the cab but our drive through Alabama was a pleasant one that led us into Tennessee. We arrived in Nashville, found a cheap hotel on the outskirts of town, and all agreed that we were ravenously hungry! Now that we were out of the Southwest we figured that we could probably find some Thai food which ranks as one of all of our favorite foods. We skimmed the hotel restaurant guide before settling on a Thai restaurant on the other side of the city. We did not realize that the Tennessee Titans (NFL team) had a preseason game that night (Football season already!??!) so sat in a bit more traffic than our growling stomachs had hoped for. The meal was absolutely delicious and hit the spot with the freshness and unfamiliarity with the flavor after such a long absence. After dinner we did what one might expect you would do in Nashville, searched for some good live music! We headed downtown to Broadway which boasts a strip of bars all with music blasting out of their doors. Literally, live music, was heard every ten feet we walked coming from every direction. The strange part was that i felt like the music was able to remain separate and distinguishable and not mix into a strange indecipherable mess. Before listening to any music, we enjoyed some ice cream (“Death by Chocolate” was my choice as usual). We then headed into a place that did not look too crowded but with a lively energy to signify some good music and a good time. We navigated our way through the crowd of cowboy hats, high heels, and belt buckles before finding some seats in the back of the bar. I am not usually a fan of country music but in this environment with a talented band, an eager crowd, and being in Nashville, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself listening to the honky-tonk playing cowboys. I was surprised to see so many men in the crowd singing along to the songs. Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" was not the surprising part, it was a slow soulful ballad in which men all around were belting out the lyrics looking sullen, which surprised me. The sensitive cowboys of Nashville entertained these road trippers!

Day 17

We pointed our car to N'awlins (New Orleans) and left Texas. Texas is obviously a gigantic state but I feel like we broke up our time really well with driving so it never felt that huge to us. I can't imagine trying to do the drive all at one time! We rolled into New Orleans around dinner time and spent a long time trying to find a hotel. We figured that it wouldn't be that crowded due to the effects of Katrina and lost tourism. But most of the hotels in the French Quarter were booked. Frustrated, we kept searching until we found a La Quinta Inn for a very reasonable price and a great location just blocks from Bourbon Street. We did the customary unloading of our stuff, relaxed on the beds for a bit, and then headed into the French Quarter. Bourbon Street was jammed with people as it was a Saturday night. We gawked at the people who came in all shapes, sizes, colors, and levels of sobriety. The overwhelming theme I noticed was one of positivity. Everyone was there to have a good time and whether they were locals, tourists, or fit into some other category, there was a smile on most faces. We wanted to experience some authentic southern food so we browsed some restaurants before finding one that seemed to fit the bill. I enjoyed some delicious crawfish pies which consisted of crawfish folded inside some doughy shells, yummmmmm! After dinner, we watched some live blues taking place outside next to the restaurant and then navigated our way down Bourbon Street. Emily and Monica took an interest to the many stores selling tons and tons of Mardi Gras beads of all colors, size, shape and theme. Red Sox, cows, ducks, mermaids, golf balls, and much much more were available. Well they sifted through mountains of beads, I stood outside and took in the sites. Businessmen were standing up on the balconies throwing down beads to young women they deemed pretty enough, families on vacation were cautiously walking down the street not sure what they had gotten themselves into (why in the world would you bring a young child to this place!!) , many tourists and foreigners were strolling ,curiously, taking in the sites, as well as some of the local poor doing whatever they could to transfer the tourist's dollars into their pockets. It was sad to see young African-American boys competing with each other tap-dancing to gain the attention of the white passersby. It reminded me of minstrel shows of the past. The flavor in the air was one that seemed authentic. The Riverwalk of San Antonio seemed very touristy and almost manufactured. In N'awlins I felt like the experience was real and felt welcomed and charitable spending my money to help revitalize this great city, which was absolutely crushed by Katrina. We found our way to a bar to listen to some more live music. We listened to a lively group playing with such instruments as a wearable washboard, accordion, and traditional guitar/drums. When the band went on a break we headed back to Bourbon Street and spent the rest of the evening walking up and down the street, listening to more music, and ignoring the occasional whiffs of vomit which were inevitable in this town. Overall, we all agreed that we felt very welcomed by the locals, loved the energy and vibrancy of the area, and the relaxed nature. The next day as we drove through the outskirts of town we saw more of the depressing aftereffects of Katrina and a failed government response. Many buildings were still uninhabited and condemned and I am certain we were not even near the worst hit areas which I hoped we would not be places that we accidentally found.

Day 16

Remember the Alamo! We headed to the Alamo in the morning before driving on to Houston. The story of the Alamo is a remarkable one that is filled with themes of heroism, bravery, tragedy, stupidity, and a true David vs. Goliath tale. The Texans held out for days barricaded inside the Alamo with thousands of Mexican troops surrounding them. We walked around the grounds seeing old buildings, memorials, artifacts, and profiles. I eavesdropped on a tour guide giving an abundance of information about the event. I learned a ton as I had not really studied the Alamo very much.

We drove to the Houston area and began our journey there at the NASA Johnson Space Center. We paid our admission and headed into the park. This place seemed like a heavenly area for kids to play as they had huge playground structures inside the museum. We did some space shuttle simulations, saw the cockpit of a shuttle, and walked around a bit. I was disappointed at the fact that certain areas required more money than the 18 dollar admission fee we paid! We decided to do one of the space center tram tours that departed every few minutes. We chose the “Blue” tour which allowed us to see the original Missile Control Center from all of the Apollo missions. It was great to see the old- school monitors, rotary phones and other outdated technology that they successfully used to guide humans to the moon! We also got to see a Saturn V rocket which was the type they used in most of the Apollo Missions. The one we saw was inside a huge hanger and I was completely blown away by the size of this thing! By the time we returned to the main museum area the other exhibits were closed so we did not get to see all that we wanted to despite it only being 4 o'clock. We perused the gift shop and I bought some astronaut freeze-dried ice cream before we left and headed back to Houston. We met up with Emily's good friend and old roommate, Jen, at her favorite restaurant in Houston called El Tiempo. It was great to see Jen as she was so enthusiastic about showing us a good time in Houston! This place was very lively and packed when we arrived so we waited a bit for a table. The Mexican fare was delicious and consisted of yummy nachos, a gigantic beef taco, and a tasty margarita. Jen then took us to her favorite bar where we hung out outside with a packed crowed for a Thursday night. I couldn't help but do more people-watching as it was interesting to see how well-dressed everyone was here despite the fact that we were just at a bar in the outskirts of Houston. It was a different scene then what you might see in Boston where people seem more casual.

Day 15

Today was mainly a driving day, so we headed out early prepared to chew through the miles of Western Texas and make it to San Antonio by evening. We drove on a small highway from Carlsbad, NM to Pecos, Tx. It was interesting to be on a non- interstate and still have the speed limit be 75mph! The road was straight and there was not a lot of traffic on the road so we made good time. I spent the day driving, eating beef jerky (an addiction on this trip!), daydreaming, looking for the elusive North Dakota license plate (one of the last two plates we needed to complete our 50 state game) ,writing, trying to be interested in the Texas scenery, and listening to a John Grisham book on tape. The countryside of West Texas was not as engaging as the stellar scenery of Arizona and New Mexico so I felt the need to find ways to entertain myself. The attitude of Texas was apparent immediately with signs that said "Don't Mess with Texas" and then would have an amount of $500 for littering.

Before we knew it, we were rolling into San Antonio with grumbling bellies. We found a cheap hotel outside the city and enjoyed the room's AC before exploring downtown San Anton'. We headed to the famous Riverwalk area and found parking before embarking on a journey for food! We were really in the mood for Thai as we had eaten a lot of American-type food and Mexican as well. The Riverwalk area is fun as you are below the street level of the city and are literally walking along the San Antonio River alongside many restaurants and shops. The problem is with this area is that it is extremely touristy and many of the restaurants are not unique to San Antonio, i.e Hard Rock Cafe, Rainforest Cafe, etc. We passed many Mexican restaurants but held out for that elusive Thai. After learning that there was not any Thai food in the area (seemed like a common theme in the SW) we resigned ourselves to Italian. We had a great table right on the river which was a great vantage point for people-watching, one of my favorite hobbies. We were entertained listening to men with cowboy hats, big belt buckles and bellies, talking in their Texas drawls. The food ended being mediocre but the bread they gave us at the start of our meal was notoriously horrible! Stale, dry, and brittle, it was everything bread should not be especially at a restaurant! The water glasses the waiter gave us were gigantic! It's true when they say that everything is bigger in Texas. The rest of the evening was spent walking along the river, indulging in some ice cream, and more people-watching.

Day 14

We awoke very early the next day as we had a lot planned for day 14. After enjoying a wonderful home-cooked breakfast by Aunt Penny, we said our goodbyes and were again on the road. Our first stop was White Sands National Monument. This place was cool! As you drive deeper and deeper into the park you become engulfed by white sand dunes all around you. We parked our car and headed straight up one of the dunes. I felt like a lost soul struggling to survive in the Sahara as I stumbled trying to make my way to the dune's summit. Once there any resemblance to adult behavior flew out the window! I was a delighted child playing in the sand, rolling and jumping down the dunes, and completely engaged in the moment. The sand was very different than beach sand as it was gypsum and was very fine and soft to the touch. I also enjoyed covering my feet with the sand as it made them very cool and felt really good. We spent some time exploring various dunes and watched others who were sand sledding with real sleds gliding down the dunes. If you ever get a chance to go here, please do it! Very cool place and so completely unique and fun!

Our next stop was one that Monica had been looking forward to for the whole trip! Emily and I were not quite as excited but were happy that Monica finally got to experience Roswell, NM. She is a huge fan of the X-Files and all things relating to the supernatural. We arrived at their main street and quickly realized how much Roswellians depend on their UFO connection to bring in tourists. Souvenir stores lined both sides of the street, the street lights had alien faces on them, and even a loan office had alien faces on it. I imagined the pitch line driving by, “Why get a normal bank loan when you get an out-of-this-world alien loan from us!!. We parked the car and ate lunch at Out of this World Cafe. After lunch we headed to the main attraction: The International UFO Research Museum. It was pretty cool to read about all of the events that occurred in Roswell (apparently a UFO crashed there and the government covered it up) and to see evidence regarding UFOs around the world. I liked that the museum tried to maintain objectivity by providing counter evidence to many sightings by trying to explain the unexplainable. They had a whole display of UFO pictures that they rebuffed as hoaxes. But there were a lot more that looked pretty legit and its hard to think that we are the only intelligent life in an endless universe! I enjoyed the Roswell experience but there was not a whole lot to see there so we were on our way after a couple hours. Our next stop was one that I was very excited to see which was Carlsbad Caverns!

We arrived there quite late at 4:30 Pm. By this time the trail into the caverns was closed so we had to take the elevator! The elevator??? It was a completely surreal experience to take a completely normal elevator down 800 feet below the ground into this huge underground treasure. Emily stayed up on the surface as elevators and being that far underground did not appeal to her. Monica and I were blown away by the cavern. The colors, formations of rock, stalactites and mites, and the size of this place were remarkable. We did the 45 minute loop trail and saw so many incredible sites. It was like a Bryce Canyon underground! It was hard to snap any good pictures as there was not much light but I was so captivated by the sites I will not forget these images as I burned them into my mind. We were in a space as big as 6 football fields and this was 800 feet underground! As we finished our underground fun, I noticed that they had restrooms down here. I had to use it even though I did not really have to go! The bathroom was pretty generic except for some of the exposed cavern rock that showed on the ceiling but still it was cool to use it. After our cavern experience, we made our way back to our world and spent two hours killing time in anticipation for the famous Bat Flight program that happened every night, which consisted of hundreds of thousands of bats leaving the cavern at the same time to live their nocturnal existences. We ate our dinner which consisted of mediocre salads bought at the visitor's center outside on a picnic table. The first thing we noticed was how overrun this area was with flies! Flies were everywhere and they would not leave our food alone! Finally after finishing our food, we were enjoying the surrounding scenery when this mutant wasp about the size of a small bird arrived very curious in our endeavors. I backed away slowly to not cause any commotion which could upset the wasp but unfortunately Monica acted a little differently and proceeded to literally jump onto and over the picnic table running inside! Luckily, the wasp left us alone and Emily and I enjoyed the hilarious site of Monica spazzing out . We made our way to the amphitheatre where we would be viewing the bat flight program. The rangers made it clear that for this experience to be optimal no one would not be allowed to take any pictures as the high frequency sounds can mess with the bats. Cell phones of course would have to be turned off and everyone would need to be very quiet. The ranger also said that no one knows exactly how the bats know when it is time to exit the caverns but they insist that no one is down there with a broom sweeping them awake. They say that likely they can sense a change in the air pressure or something as evening approaches. They had speakers that could pick up the high frequency sounds of the bats and when you hear their sounds than they are on their way out of the cavern and will be exiting in a few minutes. After hearing these sounds, I sat silently but nervously excited for this event! The bats soon appeared, a few at first but then steadily more and more flew out until all I saw was a swarm of black exiting out of the cave and into the dusk sky. They moved in a spiral formation as they had to turn to get out of the cavern and into the sky above. This was an amazing site! It looked like a black tornado that just kept going and going and going. I was mesmerized, truly tranced, until suddenly I heard the crying of a toddler a few rows below. At first I ignored it as a crying toddler is quite normal. But the crying continued and most surprisingly the mother did absolutely NOTHING! No Shhhhh!, no scolding, no attention, no taking the child out of the area. Everyone began to glance at this commotion as the parents acted completely ambivalent to what was happening and this child began to act more and more obnoxious. It put a damper on the experience for me as we were shocked that the mother would not take the child out of the area to calm down. I realized how much more special this event would be if I were alone watching it in a natural setting without the hundreds of surrounding spectators. I understand why it is such a popular event but I wished that everyone else would just disappear so i could enjoy the bats in peace! However, overall, it was still an amazing event and by the time we left we were shrouded in darkness. We cautiously drove out of the park as they reported a lot of animals out and about at this time. We did see some deer but, luckily, they were a safe distance from the road. We drove back to the town of Carlsbad where we were surprised to see some flooded areas of the street. They must have had a wicked rainstorm as the water was almost above our tires in some places. It was interesting how we kept missing the wild weather. Barely missed the wildfires in Big Sur, barely missed the earthquake in L.A, barely missed the flooding in Alburquerque, and later we would barely miss the hurricane in Houston! We ended the night by going on just one of a few fast food binges of the trip. The girls had wanted ice cream and that quest led us to Wendy's where I enjoyed the combination of french fries and a frosty! (great combo if you have never tried it) It ended up being a very busy day overall but quite a memorable one!

Day 13

We awoke early after a slumbering sleep and were treated to a tasty, nourishing breakfast. Diana even packed us a big picnic lunch for the day! It was sad to say goodbye after such a short visit but it was great to see her and her beautiful home. Our destination was the Gila Cliff Dwellings which was a 2 hour drive from Silver City. This drive provided to be a gorgeous journey through the forest and mountains. Surprise, Surprise, it consisted of hairpin turns, extreme elevation changes, and beautiful scenery! After all these drives I was becoming a pro at the curves! We found our way to the visitors center and emptied our bladders of the morning's coffee, orange juice, and h2o. I asked the ranger if they all lived around here as it was completely isolated from society and quite a long drive out here. This guy was completely rude!! He answered by saying in an irritated tone, “who me?” even though he was the only ranger around! He then gave a unenthusiastic response of “Yep” and then provided only short rude answers of my other questions. I don't get it! I understand that park rangers probably get the same questions over and over again and deal with a lot of people many of whom may be ignorant but really isn't their job to be hospitable, knowledgeable, and people-friendly? Oh, well i got over it! Most of the rangers we encountered were very friendly and welcoming. We hiked a steep mile trail that switchbacked up the cliff to get close to the dwellings. It was a tiring hike (elevation still affected us) but at least the temperature was merciful and the skies were overcast. The dwellings were incredible! Built over a thousand years ago and very well-preserved. There was a volunteer (old man who was mostly deaf) who provided an abundance of useful and interesting information. It was incredible to see these homes built into these cliffs which took place so long ago and were still well-preserved. I could not comprehend how these natives had to either climb up or down the cliffs if they wanted to leave their homes. We had a nice groomed trail to get up there and it was still exhausting! We took our time exploring each room and then made our way down the trail back to our car. Had a nice drive back from the park out to Silver City, except for the fact that the girls were a little nauseous from all the turns.



We then drove to Las Cruces, NM (2 or so hours from Silver City) to stay with my Aunt Penny and Uncle John. Their house was very easy to find and we rolled in around 5:30pm. It was nice to finally arrive at a destination a little earlier so we could relax for a bit! We had a fun night filled with great stories from John who is a writer and former cowboy who has a lifetime of great experiences, and a great knack for sharing them. It was awesome to walk around their house and view a plethora of beautiful artwork done by my Aunt Penny. John also gave us some of his books to take with us so I'm looking forward to reading those. Emily and I also even got dulcimer lessons from Penny to wind down the evening and now we want to buy some of our own as we both enjoyed the sound. We finished the night by finally getting some laundry done so we would not be stinky road trippers.