Now that I got that pesky marathon out of the way, my road trip can begin. This trip will have me travelling thru Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada before returning home with no specific plan on a route at this time!
Although I left my home on Saturday (9/29), my official vacation didn’t start until Monday (10/1)… the marathon was amazing, but I still don’t consider it vacation.
Day 1 – Some more Route 66 on our way to Burkburnett, TX
Since I ran the “Mother Road Marathon”, I thought it only appropriate to break up the long drive thru Oklahoma on our way to visit family in Burkburnett, TX (right outside of Wichita Falls) with a Route 66 icon – The Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma.
Hugh Davis built this 20 feet tall, 80 feet long structure for his wife who collected whale figurines as an anniversary present. History says that Hugh and a friend took two years to weld the metal framework and apply the hand-mixed cement one five gallon bucket at a time. Originally it was intended for family use by Hugh, but was quickly made into a local attraction. It is currently a free attraction where you can climb in the whale and see its slides and platforms for swimming, which is no longer allowed, and climb the ladder up to the whales head where you can look out portholes to the pond below. According to the signs they do allow you to fish (catch and release only).
While we were there there was a group of about 20 people on motorcycles having lunch at the picnic tables. As I interacted with a few of them, I found out that they were a diverse group from abroad and were taking the Route 66 journey from Chicago all the way to California! I spoke to a couple from Australia and a man from Germany, but I did hear at least one other language. Isn’t it amazing that people from other countries are interested enough in our country’s history to do something like that?!
It was a nice break in the long drive thru Oklahoma, specially since the roads and the traffic thru Oklahoma City were horrible! So bad I had mishap #1 during this part of our trip…. the coil cable to my toad wiggled loose and dragged on the road unnoticed until I stopped for gas. UGH!
My daughter and I also took a quick walk around the trails that winded thru what had at one time been the ARK (Animal Reptile Kingdom). Hugh built this next to the Blue Whale and it operated into the mid-80s but now is just delpitaded cages and an overgrown trail. According to some of the literature I read, there is a push to also restore the ARK like they did the Blue Whale in the early 2000s.
Day 2 – Wichita Falls, TX Family Time
Since we got into town a bit late, we only got to visit for a bit at the RV park on Monday. Tuesday we decided that a trampoline park was the best place to visit with a constantly-in-motion three year old. After the first option didn’t open for another couple hours, we ended up at a bounce-house place.
Normally, I would be all about getting in the bounce houses to play, but my legs were still screaming for some rest after Sunday’s marathon, so I listened to my body and sat out.
I also had the pleasure of running up to the closest RV parts store to spend way to much money to replace the coil cable…. but if that is the worst that happens on this trip, I will be happy.
Lunch and dinner with the fam… and the daughter happy that she got her Whataburger… It was a good day.
Day 3 – Longest drive day – final destination Albuquerque
I had a 3.5 hour drive to be in Amarillo, TX by 1:30 to pick up my best friend who is joining my daughter and me for 10 days of this adventure. I got the pleasure of driving across Texas with heavy crosswinds!
After seeing historical markers every couple miles, I decided I had to at least stop at one. We pulled into Amarillo about 15 minutes late and had to stop at a truck stop right outside the airport to unhook the Jeep and send my daughter into the airport.
We had a quick lunch in the parking lot and headed out to drive another 4.5 hours into Albuquerque… hopefully that will be the longest day of driving for the trip.
Day 4 – It wouldn’t be a trip without wine – Albuquerque wineries!
Since Albuquerque was really the only place on our planned route that had some wineries, it was just like us to have to visit them, but first a hike on the Rinconada Canyon trail at the Petroglyph National Monument to see some of the petroglyphs left behind by both the Native Indians and the Spanish explorers followed by a farm fresh lunch at Vinagretes. The weather was decent so we sat on their patio and enjoyed a delicious meal and an amazing cocktail!
Then it was off to wine taste:
St. Clair Winery – I will let the picture tell the story… LOL. Between our three tastings we tried most everything except the super sweet few. Walked out with a Pinot Noir and a Vignoles. Also found this brand later in the week at Walmart at a decent price.
Casa Rodeña Winery – I can’t say enough about the beauty of this location. You drive in thru the vineyard and the buildings and courtyard are amazingly designed for relaxation. The wine tasting room was busy and they only had one person working. Although he was very good at multitasking, the tasting experience could have been better had he not been so busy. That being said, I really didn’t care for the wines that much. Not bad, just not anything I really liked except the port. The port was excellent!
Gruet Winery – Not really a fan at all. The building is interesting and we received great service at the wine tasting room. It was neat to see the barrels from the wine tasting room and other seating areas, but after the winery before, the scenery was just not as good. A couple of the wines we tasted were OK, just not good enough to make me want to take one home.
We considered taking the tram to Sandia Peak to view the sunset, but after a brief exploration of the La Luz Trail we were a little hungry so we decided instead of spending $25 a piece to take the tram to the peak, we would settle for the view at Sandiagos, the restaurant located at the base of the tram.
As you can see from the pictures, the view was perfect… and so was the dinner.
After Sunset we headed back to the RV park to do laundry and get ready for the our next day of driving.
Day 5 – Some more Route 66: Grants and Gallup
After a short 1.5 hour drive, we pulled into the Malpais Visitor Center and learned a little bit about the area and our options for hiking. My original plan was to leave the RV at the visitor center and drive up into the National Monument to hike one of the trails, however in talking to the park rangers, we slightly modified our plans.
We unhooked the Jeep and headed into the city of Grants to get a picture under the Route 66 arch. Someday maybe I will go back and get a picture at night when the arch is lit up.
Then we made our down the street to the Grants Mining Museum. I think my travel partners were a little hesitant when I said “Mining Museum” but being the good sports they are, we all went in. After a short film giving the history of mining in the area, we took an elevator ride into the mine for a self guided tour. Along the way you press buttons and ex-miners explain your surroundings. At $5 per adult, I would consider this a must see if you are in the Grants area.
After a little lunch in the RV, we headed across the Malpais National Conservation Area on our way to the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano. After paying our $12 per person entrance fee, we hiked up the mountain stopping at the different markers along the way learning about the volcanoes that formed this interesting topology. As you walk along, you see the evidence of the lava flows thousands of years ago. As you reach the top of the trail, you look down into the large crater left behind by the Bandera Volcano.
As we walked down the stairs, we could feel the constantly dropping temperature, until we reached the bottom where the temp hovers just below freezing year round. The cave is filled with a 12′ ice pack that in the late 1800s and early 1900s was used as nature’s refrigerator!
Once we were done marveling at the land of fire, we retraced our steps down to the main building and continued down the the lava fields to a long staircase leading to the mouth of a cave.
We checked in just before dinner time, got set up, ate dinner outside while enjoying an amazing sunset, then took a quick cruise down Route 66 to see all the old neon signs lit up!
If we would have has more time in the area, I would have liked to hike one of the trails at this National Monument and possibly enter into so of the caves but once we left the Ice Caves, we decided it would be better to continue on to Gallup to check in before dark.
Day 6 – Standing on the Corner of Winslow Arizona (and other events)
Saturday began with an hour drive to the Painted Desert Visitor Center and a subsequent 28 mile journey thru the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. I will just let the pictures and captions do the talking.
I definitely left there with a deeper appreciation for how much I don’t understand… (confession…. I always thought the petrified forest was an actual forest, with standing trees that were petrified).
Then is was off to the Homolovi State Park, my only planned non-full hook up park for the week. The park has electric/water sites and no-hook up sites, but what it lacks in amenities, it has in views! The park is atop a hill looking down over the city of Winslow, AZ far enough away to still see the million stars on a clear night, but just a short drive to see some of the local attractions.
Of course, we had to make it into Winslow so I could stand on the corner! Tomorrow we make it to our first “major” destination!
Day 7 – On to the Grand Canyon, via the Meteor Crater
Since we were staying at a park rich in Hopi artifacts, we had to take a quick tour of the archeological dig site of one of the Pueblos. It was a muddy adventure since it rained overnight. It is a completely self guided tour which very little information, however I learned later that I could have downloaded an audio file to walk us through the site. After a short visit to the visitor center, we headed off for our next adventure.
Rain was in the forcast, so we were playing it by ear, but I was hoping to get to see the Meteor Crater. As luck had it, it was sunny when we arrived about an hour later at the site.
For some, the $18 admission fee might be high to see a “hole in the ground”, but for a nerd like me, it was worth every penny! If you want the whole experience, plan on taking the 1 hour guided tour that takes you out to the site of the mining camp about 1/2 mile away from the visitor center. The wealth of history and information you will receive from the guide will make the hole in the ground come alive!
Inside, you can touch and actual piece of the asteroid and learn about how and where these craters have formed. The self-guided side of the tour takes you out to a series of platforms were free telescopes let you look down on the abandoned mining operation at the base of the crater. By the time we walked out there, the winds were almost knocking us over and a storm was rolling in, so we only visited the top platform, then rushed out to the parking lot to get lunch before heading out to our last destination of the day – the Grand Canyon!
The adventure didn’t end there… got the pleasure of driving thru a bit of snow in the higher elevations during our 3.5 hour trip to the Grand Canyon National Park. We arrived after dark, so seeing the actual canyon will just have to wait until tomorrow!
Week 1 – Last Thoughts
Other than the little mishap with the coil cable, it has been an amazing week. I have learned a ton of things about not only geology but about our country’s history and culture. I have seen a variety of landscapes and marvelled at the amazing beauty that surrounded us every mile of the journey!
And to think, bigger holes in the ground await me tomorrow.
Let me know if you have any questions about any of the locations we visited, or share your experiences in this part of the country in the comments below…. and stay tuned, week two promised to have even bigger adventures!
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