Wednesday was our day to visit the Grand Canyon and, just as a disclaimer, no words or photos can do the place any justice. It's something you have to see for yourself to understand the immense scale and natural beauty. I think I'm still in awe about it nearly 24 hours after first seeing it!
We headed to the bus stop to catch the free shuttle into the park around 10:30AM, and soon enough we were on our way! One thin worth mentioning is that our hotel was right next to the airport out of which the sightseeing helicopter tours fly, so we spent our time waiting on the bus watching dozens of helicopters fly back and forth overhead - if only the tours weren't upwards of $300!
The weather dyeing the morning was mostly overcast, cool, and drizzly - we were warned by multiple bus drivers that we'd probably get wet, but we tried to keep our spirits up. We got to see an elk on the way into the park, just chilling in the woods by the road, and came to find out later that was pretty normal!
After transferring buses and making our way to the village on the rim we finally got our first glimpses of the canyon. I found it to be absolutely breathtaking, humbling, and simply awesome - it's a scale of immensity that I've never experienced before. Nearly 8,000 feet down to the river at points (with sheer cliffs of up to 3,000 feet) and 10 to 16 miles across to the north rim, it's something that makes the rest of the problems in the world seem to melt away as you stand mesmerized on the edge. According to some signs I read, the rock in the canyon was formed over 1,800 million years ago - talk about making our lives seem insignificant!
We spent most of the day - up until around 3PM - exploring the western trails leading out of the visitor center, going all the way out to Hermit's Rest before grabbing some lunch. The views got better and better as we went as the clouds started to break and sunlight began to flood onto the red, orange, and brown sandstone. We saw in many places where the mule trails led down into the canyon itself, something I'd definitely like to do te next time around!
We took tons of pictures, even a few that had Mom's stomach turning as i got too close to the edge for her comfort - sorry, Mom! By midafternoon we made our way back to the central part of the park before heading to a vantage point to the east to catch the sunset. We took the bus out to Yaki Point at the far eastern edge of the main park grounds, a large bluff that jutted out into the main canyon enough so we were able to look down th canyon to the west.
As the sun started to set it appeared that some clouds were going to block the best view but, sure enough, it popped out below the clouds for only five minutes or so before dipping below the horizon. Those few minutes were enough, though, to illuminate the western-facing walls of the canyon with bright reds and oranges. It was absolutely incredible! The sun's rays stretched out over the desert in beautiful golden strokes with puffy white clouds and blue skies above - such a beautiful sight, and something I'd recommend to anyone to try and see in their lifetime.
Catching the bus back into the town we had the joy of watching a herd of elk crossing the road right in front of us! There were a good two dozen or so females and calves being reared up by one HUGE bull elk - so cool! It was a great end to the day having seen so many awesome sights. We grabbed some Wendy's on the way in - I know, classy dinner - and headed back to the hotel to catch some rest.
Grand, indeed.
(photos forthcoming in a post later today once we arrive in La Jolla!)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Petrified Forest National Park Photos
Part of the Painted Canyon
Painted Canyon looking northwest from Pintado Point
The Teepees, located on the south side of I-40
Jasper Forest - all the little dots strewn across the canyon floor are pieces of petrified trees
Some petrified wood!
Petrified wood - the colors were beautiful!
Interestingly enough, the rock that replaced organic matter in the petrifying process has preserved almost all the detail, even down to the bark!
This was my favorite piece that we saw - the rock looked marble-like.
A couple of really large logs.
The little chips on the ground look like mulch but they're actually little flakes of petrified wood.Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Albuquerque to Tusayan
Greetings from the Grand Canyon - well, almost! We've made it to the oh-so-touristy destination of Tusayan, AZ, about 8 miles from the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Here's a testimonial of how we got here after starting the day in Albuquerque...
We left the hotel in east Albuquerque around 9:15 AM MDT after partaking in another delicious (ha) hotel breakfast. We made really good time heading west on I-40 across western New Mexico, making it to the NM/AZ border by around 11:00!
The scenery the whole way was awesome. The area west of Albuquerque was much more desert-like than we'd seen at any point previous with ever-changing canyons, mesas, and beautifully-colored sandstone cliffs. The area around the state line was especially breathtaking with a huge series of rock outcroppings on either side of 40. Today's drive was definitely the coolest one yet!
About a half an hour into Arizona we stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park, which straddles I-40 perpendicularly and has nearly 30 miles of road to drive within the park. Mom and I really enjoyed taking in some awesome overlooks, seeing the Painted Desert's red sandstone as well as the grays, blues, and violet colors of the badlands south of 40. Of course, we also really enjoyed seeing the enormous amounts of petrified wood, many pieces of which contained rich reds, yellows, and purples in their stone - so cool! The big chunks of petrified trees from the Triassic period were strewn across the desert canyon floor having been slowly turned to stone after being buried in primordial swamps and silts. Check out all the photos to come in a separate post!
We spent about two and a half hours in the park before heading back for I-40. We passed through Winslow, AZ with "Take it Easy" blaring through the speakers, listening to the rest of the Eagles' greatest hits album as we kept on trucking toward Flagstaff. Oh, and I also learned that there is a dormant volcano crater north and east of Flagstaff, plus a huge meteor impact crater to the south and east of town. We didn't visit either, but both would probably be included in future trips!
Flagstaff itself was surprising - no more than twenty miles to the east of the city the terrain completely changes from arid desert to evergreen forests. The huge San Francisco Peaks border the city to the north, covered in big pine trees, and smaller mountains surround the city to the south and west. Mom noted that it looked like what she thought Colorado would be like, and I'd have to agree! Stopping for gas in Flagstaff I could tell that it was a popular outdoor sports location, as I counted 4 or 5 Jeep Wranglers, most with huge off-road tires and covered in mud, also gassing up. I think it would be a cool city to spend some time in later!
About thirty miles west of Flagstaff in Williams, AZ, we cut north on AZ-64 to head toward... the Grand Canyon! The drive was equally as beautiful as the beginning of the day had been - the forests surrounding Flagstaff melted into lower, more desert-like shrubs that stretched out to the horizon under clear blue skies with puffy white clouds. Eventually some more trees came back as we came out of the desert valley and approached our overnight spot for the next two nights, Tusayan. Tusayan serves as the hotel and restaurant outpost for the south rim of the Grand Canyon, but there's not much else here! We've noticed a huge international presence - lots of central and western Europeans. More than anything, though, we're both very excited to check out the canyon for most of the day tomorrow!!!
We left the hotel in east Albuquerque around 9:15 AM MDT after partaking in another delicious (ha) hotel breakfast. We made really good time heading west on I-40 across western New Mexico, making it to the NM/AZ border by around 11:00!
The scenery the whole way was awesome. The area west of Albuquerque was much more desert-like than we'd seen at any point previous with ever-changing canyons, mesas, and beautifully-colored sandstone cliffs. The area around the state line was especially breathtaking with a huge series of rock outcroppings on either side of 40. Today's drive was definitely the coolest one yet!
About a half an hour into Arizona we stopped at the Petrified Forest National Park, which straddles I-40 perpendicularly and has nearly 30 miles of road to drive within the park. Mom and I really enjoyed taking in some awesome overlooks, seeing the Painted Desert's red sandstone as well as the grays, blues, and violet colors of the badlands south of 40. Of course, we also really enjoyed seeing the enormous amounts of petrified wood, many pieces of which contained rich reds, yellows, and purples in their stone - so cool! The big chunks of petrified trees from the Triassic period were strewn across the desert canyon floor having been slowly turned to stone after being buried in primordial swamps and silts. Check out all the photos to come in a separate post!
We spent about two and a half hours in the park before heading back for I-40. We passed through Winslow, AZ with "Take it Easy" blaring through the speakers, listening to the rest of the Eagles' greatest hits album as we kept on trucking toward Flagstaff. Oh, and I also learned that there is a dormant volcano crater north and east of Flagstaff, plus a huge meteor impact crater to the south and east of town. We didn't visit either, but both would probably be included in future trips!
Flagstaff itself was surprising - no more than twenty miles to the east of the city the terrain completely changes from arid desert to evergreen forests. The huge San Francisco Peaks border the city to the north, covered in big pine trees, and smaller mountains surround the city to the south and west. Mom noted that it looked like what she thought Colorado would be like, and I'd have to agree! Stopping for gas in Flagstaff I could tell that it was a popular outdoor sports location, as I counted 4 or 5 Jeep Wranglers, most with huge off-road tires and covered in mud, also gassing up. I think it would be a cool city to spend some time in later!
About thirty miles west of Flagstaff in Williams, AZ, we cut north on AZ-64 to head toward... the Grand Canyon! The drive was equally as beautiful as the beginning of the day had been - the forests surrounding Flagstaff melted into lower, more desert-like shrubs that stretched out to the horizon under clear blue skies with puffy white clouds. Eventually some more trees came back as we came out of the desert valley and approached our overnight spot for the next two nights, Tusayan. Tusayan serves as the hotel and restaurant outpost for the south rim of the Grand Canyon, but there's not much else here! We've noticed a huge international presence - lots of central and western Europeans. More than anything, though, we're both very excited to check out the canyon for most of the day tomorrow!!!
After grabbing a bite to eat in the hotel buffet restaurant we've pretty much turned in for the night, catching up on blogs/emails/Facebook, etc. Like I said, check out the exclusively Petrified Forest post full of photos coming up after this one!
Song of the Day: "Take it Easy" by The Eagles
Distance Driven Today: 431 miles
Total Distance Driven: 2,206 miles
Distance to Go: 518 miles
Song of the Day: "Take it Easy" by The Eagles
Distance Driven Today: 431 miles
Total Distance Driven: 2,206 miles
Distance to Go: 518 miles
Monday, September 7, 2009
Oklahoma City to Albuquerque
Today's drive was off to a quick start following hotel breakfast in OKC. We got back on the interstate and before we knew it we'd crossed the rest of Oklahoma and made it into the Texas panhandle. En route we saw a ton of wind farms with giant, electricity-producing turbines dotting the rolling fields of western OK. They reminded me a lot of the windmills I'd seen in Spain and Germany earlier this summer!
Booking it into Texas the landscape really changed a lot from what we'd seen of Oklahoma - the land started to include a lot more farm land with sage brush as far as the eye could see, plus lots and lots of cattle! After being passed by a big pickup truck at one point we noticed a NCSU Alumni Association sticker on its back window. We sped up and gave them the Wolfpack sign, which was reciprocated and met with a lot of smiles.
Being that Chick-fil-a was giving away free sandwiches today if you were wearing your favorite sports team's apparel, we decided to make a stop in Amarillo to pick some up! It was neat seeing a bunch of Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, and other Big XII school shirts! Plus, you can't beat free lunch. We gassed up and got back on the road quickly, though, making our way toward New Mexico!
West Texas' farmland slowly dissolved into more desert-like terrain as we passed into NM. We really enjoyed seeing some mountains and larger hills - not quite Monument Valley buttes, but close - after having driven through so much flat or rolling country. I saw my first dust devil somewhere along the way, as well as a dead jackrabbit and some (live) mule deer. We actually ended up talking to the guys in the truck with the NCSU sticker at a gas station about an hour out of Albuquerque. They were driving out from Lexington, NC, to go elk hunting in Colorado - pretty neat considering they were the first State fans we'd run into all trip!
We finally made it to Albuquerque around 3:30 Mountain Time after passing through the Sandia Mountains. We checked into the hotel and rested up a bit before heading downtown to grab some dinner and see some of Albuquerque. The city itself was pretty nice, with old Route 66 running right through town! There were lots of old diners and southwestern restaurants, though we ended up choosing a sports bar in order to catch the Miami/FSU and Panthers/Steelers games. After getting back to the hotel I took a brief dip in the DESOLATE pool before starting to calm down for the evening. I don't think I'm adjusted to MDT, though, as I was exhausted by about 10 PM.
I can't believe we're more than 2/3 of the way now! I'm looking forward to seeing Petrified Forest National Park tomorrow as we get into eastern Arizona. I'm also VERY excited to see the Grand Canyon tomorrow afternoon - it's probably going to be the coolest part of this whole experience.
Song of the Day: "Route 66" by John Mayer
Distance Driven Today: 530 miles
Total Distance Driven: 1,775 miles
Distance to Go: 940 miles
Booking it into Texas the landscape really changed a lot from what we'd seen of Oklahoma - the land started to include a lot more farm land with sage brush as far as the eye could see, plus lots and lots of cattle! After being passed by a big pickup truck at one point we noticed a NCSU Alumni Association sticker on its back window. We sped up and gave them the Wolfpack sign, which was reciprocated and met with a lot of smiles.
Being that Chick-fil-a was giving away free sandwiches today if you were wearing your favorite sports team's apparel, we decided to make a stop in Amarillo to pick some up! It was neat seeing a bunch of Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, and other Big XII school shirts! Plus, you can't beat free lunch. We gassed up and got back on the road quickly, though, making our way toward New Mexico!
West Texas' farmland slowly dissolved into more desert-like terrain as we passed into NM. We really enjoyed seeing some mountains and larger hills - not quite Monument Valley buttes, but close - after having driven through so much flat or rolling country. I saw my first dust devil somewhere along the way, as well as a dead jackrabbit and some (live) mule deer. We actually ended up talking to the guys in the truck with the NCSU sticker at a gas station about an hour out of Albuquerque. They were driving out from Lexington, NC, to go elk hunting in Colorado - pretty neat considering they were the first State fans we'd run into all trip!
We finally made it to Albuquerque around 3:30 Mountain Time after passing through the Sandia Mountains. We checked into the hotel and rested up a bit before heading downtown to grab some dinner and see some of Albuquerque. The city itself was pretty nice, with old Route 66 running right through town! There were lots of old diners and southwestern restaurants, though we ended up choosing a sports bar in order to catch the Miami/FSU and Panthers/Steelers games. After getting back to the hotel I took a brief dip in the DESOLATE pool before starting to calm down for the evening. I don't think I'm adjusted to MDT, though, as I was exhausted by about 10 PM.
I can't believe we're more than 2/3 of the way now! I'm looking forward to seeing Petrified Forest National Park tomorrow as we get into eastern Arizona. I'm also VERY excited to see the Grand Canyon tomorrow afternoon - it's probably going to be the coolest part of this whole experience.
Song of the Day: "Route 66" by John Mayer
Distance Driven Today: 530 miles
Total Distance Driven: 1,775 miles
Distance to Go: 940 miles
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Nashville to Oklahoma City
The longest day of driving of the entire trip meant getting an early start from Nashville. Janis had coffee and coffee cake for Mom and I before we made way westward around 7:20 AM CDT. Thanks so much to Janis for taking care of us after our first day on the road, and for showing us all around Nashville! I drove the first half of the day, the first leg of which was a three-hour jaunt down to Memphis on the mighty Mississippi. I-40 was relatively clear – thank goodness for Sunday travel – and the ride was pleasant. The Cumberland Plateau slowly melted away into the Mississippi River floodplains as we circumnavigated downtown Memphis (saw the pyramid-shaped building!) and crossed over into Arkansas. I was pretty impressed with the Mississippi, having never seen it before, though apparently it’s much more impressive farther downstream.
Distance Driven Today: 697 miles
Total Distance Driven: 1,245 miles
Distance to Go: 1,470 miles
The drive through Arkansas really wasn’t anything to write home about, though some strange things did happen along the way. We stopped for gas in Palestine, Arkansas (yes, you read that correctly) where the gas pumps were covered in neon green grasshoppers – it was some sort of localized swarm (5th photo below) in the area! They were harmless, though, and we were quickly back on the way to Little Rock. The Arkansas countryside looked very similar to what you see on I-40 in eastern North Carolina: FLAT, mostly forests, some farmland, with a few larger communities spread along the interstate. Boring, except I did see my first armadillo road kill somewhere east of Little Rock. As Janis had warned us, the roads were not the best to drive on – with the Blazer as loaded down as it is the shock absorbers don’t have much room to give when going over bumps! We made it to Little Rock by about 12:30 PM CDT, though I have to say I was largely unimpressed with what I saw from the highway. That quickly changed as we continued to head west, as the flat plain west of the Mississippi gave way to some of the foothills of the Ozarks, which are the mountains in northwestern Arkansas. We made a brief pit stop to grab a sandwich and switch up drivers around 1:30 PM in Morrilton.
The country was especially beautiful west of Russellville as I-40 roughly paralleled Lake Dardanelle, which weaves through some of the larger hills in the area. We saw the single nuclear reactor in Arkansas near London (crazy place names abound in this place), stopped at a less-than-impressive “Scenic Overlook” (see the 6th photo below), and kept heading for Oklahoma!
Eastern Oklahoma was equally as unimpressive as eastern Arkansas (I’m not trying to bash, just providing trip commentary), though we did see some oil pumps, lots of cattle, and some also-poor roads. We passed through Checotah, OK, home of American Idol winner Carrie Underwood – there was a sign on the interstate otherwise I would never have known! There was not much that could stop us, though, as we really just wanted to get to Oklahoma City to get out of the car. We finally made it around 5:45 PM CDT, heading first to the hotel to check in (and so I could secure my bike to the Blazer via MasterLock), then to Wal-mart to pick up a few things. We got back into the hotel and have been lying low ever since!
Today was a good day despite the length of the drive (like I mentioned, the longest single day at about 10 hours of drive time), but I’m really looking forward to heading even farther west tomorrow. Northern Texas and New Mexico are going to be real changes in scenery as we push out into the desert around midday or early afternoon. We should get into Albuquerque in enough time to check out some of the city before crashing for the night!
That’s all for now – goodnight from OKC!
Song of the Day: "Death and All His Friends (Live)" by ColdplayDistance Driven Today: 697 miles
Total Distance Driven: 1,245 miles
Distance to Go: 1,470 miles
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Raleigh to Nashville
Day one of the great western adventure included roughly 8 hours of driving en route from Raleigh to Nashville, Tennessee. We made it to Janis' (Mom's 1st cousin - Poppa's brother's daughter, and my 1st cousin, once removed, as we later discovered) house just north of Nashville proper by about 4:00 PM CDT, but not before having a fun first day on the road.
After leaving Raleigh around 7:30 AM EDT this morning Mom and I stopped in Greensboro to hang out with Acer and Flick (Maddie and Lisa) at McDonald's for a bit of breakfast and catching up one last time. It was so great to see both of them! We got back on the road around 9:30 AM and made it across into Tennessee before stopping in the small town of Hartford for some gas, lunch, and a driver switch. Mom made it driving the rest of the way to Nashville with only a brief stop in Cookeville, TN. We spent most of the afternoon - from around Asheville to Nashville - listening to the UT Volunteers football game on the radio. It's a good thing they won over Western Kentucky 63-7, otherwise Tennessee might not have been such a pleasant place to drive through!
Janis' "boyfriend," daughter, her husband, and their nearly-one-year-old daughter joined us for dinner, which included Memphis-style ribs, homemade cole slaw, and delicious corn bread. Afterward Janis took Mom and I out on the town in downtown Nashville to all the bars along Broadway and 2nd Avenue in downtown. It was really cool to see all of Janis' hot spots. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing Nashville - I even had two beers at Big River Brewery, a local microbrewery, and they were both delicious! She's been a great host, and Mom and I both wish we could spend more time trying to keep up with Janis' late nights!
I'm having to cut this first day's entry a bit short because tomorrow is going to be a long day - we're getting up around 6:15 to hit the road by 7 en route to Oklahoma City. I'll be halfway across the country in 2 days!
Song of the Day: "In My Room" by Albert Hammond Jr.
Distance Driven Today: 548 miles
Total Distance Driven: 548 miles
Distance to Go: 2,170 miles
After leaving Raleigh around 7:30 AM EDT this morning Mom and I stopped in Greensboro to hang out with Acer and Flick (Maddie and Lisa) at McDonald's for a bit of breakfast and catching up one last time. It was so great to see both of them! We got back on the road around 9:30 AM and made it across into Tennessee before stopping in the small town of Hartford for some gas, lunch, and a driver switch. Mom made it driving the rest of the way to Nashville with only a brief stop in Cookeville, TN. We spent most of the afternoon - from around Asheville to Nashville - listening to the UT Volunteers football game on the radio. It's a good thing they won over Western Kentucky 63-7, otherwise Tennessee might not have been such a pleasant place to drive through!
Janis' "boyfriend," daughter, her husband, and their nearly-one-year-old daughter joined us for dinner, which included Memphis-style ribs, homemade cole slaw, and delicious corn bread. Afterward Janis took Mom and I out on the town in downtown Nashville to all the bars along Broadway and 2nd Avenue in downtown. It was really cool to see all of Janis' hot spots. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing Nashville - I even had two beers at Big River Brewery, a local microbrewery, and they were both delicious! She's been a great host, and Mom and I both wish we could spend more time trying to keep up with Janis' late nights!
I'm having to cut this first day's entry a bit short because tomorrow is going to be a long day - we're getting up around 6:15 to hit the road by 7 en route to Oklahoma City. I'll be halfway across the country in 2 days!
Song of the Day: "In My Room" by Albert Hammond Jr.
Distance Driven Today: 548 miles
Total Distance Driven: 548 miles
Distance to Go: 2,170 miles
Friday, September 4, 2009
Pilot Post
Well, Felix (the Blazer) is packed to the brim, gassed up, and ready to go - and so are we! Mom and I are very excited to hit the road tomorrow for Southern California by way of Nashville, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, and the Grand Canyon. I'll do my absolute best to document the journey here (as well as via Twitter), and then I'll try to keep posting upon arrival in order to keep everyone back in NC as connected as possible. Mom is keeping a blog as well so you can catch her perspectives on the trip also!
I'm going to miss everyone a lot but I should be home for Christmas if not before! The rest of tonight will be spent visiting with Brett, Arienne (they brought us dinner - thanks y'all!), and Earl; finishing up any packing; and hopefully catching some good Zs in anticipation of an early departure tomorrow. The itinerary includes a 7AM departure from Raleigh, heading west on I-40, (hopefully) meeting with Maddie in Greensboro for some coffee, and then getting on down to Nashville by mid-afternoon. We'll be staying with Mom's cousin Janis, and I'm looking forward to seeing what "Nashvegas" has to offer!
California, here I come!
Song of the Day: "Be Calm" by fun.
Distance Driven Today: 0 miles
Total Distance Driven: 0 miles
Distance to Go: 2,715 miles
Huge "thanks" go out to Dad for helping me pack (we rigged up a sweet in-the-car surfboard rack) and to Mom for helping organize the details of the trip!
I'm going to miss everyone a lot but I should be home for Christmas if not before! The rest of tonight will be spent visiting with Brett, Arienne (they brought us dinner - thanks y'all!), and Earl; finishing up any packing; and hopefully catching some good Zs in anticipation of an early departure tomorrow. The itinerary includes a 7AM departure from Raleigh, heading west on I-40, (hopefully) meeting with Maddie in Greensboro for some coffee, and then getting on down to Nashville by mid-afternoon. We'll be staying with Mom's cousin Janis, and I'm looking forward to seeing what "Nashvegas" has to offer!
California, here I come!
Song of the Day: "Be Calm" by fun.
Distance Driven Today: 0 miles
Total Distance Driven: 0 miles
Distance to Go: 2,715 miles
Huge "thanks" go out to Dad for helping me pack (we rigged up a sweet in-the-car surfboard rack) and to Mom for helping organize the details of the trip!
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