A Beautiful Southwest Road Trip

 August 2 - 24, 2024

Seattle, Washington - Tombstone, Arizona (with three states in between)

August begins as July ended - with Tessa and I traveling with family. Jeff's roommate has "made other life plans" leaving him in a city that has become unaffordable for most single incomes. Time to come home and regroup! 

This adventure begins at the Tucson airport where Tessa is treated like royalty. The smaller Alaska Airlines plane gives her much less room than her previous experience on Southwest, but she manages to sleep most of the three hour flight. One walk to stretch in the aisle about half an hour from landing is all she needs to stay comfortable. 

All tucked in.

Sea-Tac airport is under construction so Jeff makes the smart adjustment to have me meet him at the first metro stop from the airport. For a bit I'm in a Stephen King movie where I never find my way outside....but once over the sky bridge, signs finally direct me to the station I need. The train stops and there he is!! It's only been 8 months but I've sure missed this guy :-)

After a tasty lunch in the cute downtown of Renton, we spend the afternoon doing some last minute clean up and packing of his apartment. We spend the night at a nearby hotel, enjoy breakfast in the morning, and after waiting for a final piece of furniture to be picked up, we head toward Oregon. He's shipped boxes earlier in the week and we're able to easily get everything else in his little Hyundai. Tessa has more space this trip :-) 

Leaving the big city behind I'm grateful we're heading east on 90, and not going into the city - the traffic goes on for over 50 miles! 

I take a pic every 10 miles.

This is the 5th pic!

We have a route planned with tentative stops that change a few times as we travel. Much cooler than my last road trip, and beautiful clear skies with wide open views the whole way. I absolutely love this part of the country.

Once over the Snouqualmie Pass, the green of the PNW becomes this incredible golden landscape which I love. 

Modern "pictographs" decorate this abandoned cabin with 100 mile views.

We spend our first night in the wide spot in the road known as Goldendale, WA where peeks of Mt Hood are "what there is to see here".

A beautiful part of Oregon, into the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

We see less than a dozen other vehicles all morning.

I love these tiny burgs along the way that know where they are in the world!

Cathedral Rock shows off the beauty of this NM.

Our next stop is Boise, ID. Last time was in the motorhome when the large slide was stuck in the out position and I thought we might be living here permanently! One night in a nice hotel, a delicious meal with a good wine, and I like Boise better :-) 

Our good weather continues through the diverse drive to Provo, UT.

That diversity includes a lot of this eye-stretching terrain. 

We arrive early in Provo as planned so we can go see the new Deadpool movie in the theater. It's a good call as we enjoy it a lot - laughed through the whole thing. Leaving the building it looks like we're in the theater showing Twisters! High wind and very dark skies. A quick food pick up and we're tucked in our room for a quiet night in the city. 

There were big mountains when we got here!

Another cute little town, we stop for fuel in Helper, Ut, just north of Moab.

The skies in Moab really pop against the beautiful red rock.

Like the Painted Desert in Arizona, not all the color is red.

Great green chili, we enjoy lunch at this local icon.

I think Hwy 191 is one of the prettiest in the country, and with few other vehicles on the road it's a great drive.

I wish I'd taken some pics at the Atomic Blue Motor Inn where we stayed in Monticello, but their website pic captures the cute, mid-century vibe. Great little motel!

Mexican Hat

Valley of the Gods

Twin Rocks in Bluff, UT.

I admittedly have several favorite places we've visited across the country, but Monument Valley is way up high on that list. No matter how many times I come here, that first view of the well-known monuments still moves me. We've caught up with the heat, and while we take our time driving through the incredible beauty, we don't stop until lunch at Amigo in Kayenta (another must-do in the area).

Bear (with honey pot) and Rabbit - wonderful!

Their blue corn fry bread is the best!

Our final stop is the one we've both most looked forward to. Jeff has never been to the Grand Canyon so we're staying at the Cameron Trading Post to remedy that. I've always stayed at the RV park here, and the hotel is a lovely surprise. All the places we've stayed have been nice, but this room is gorgeous. It's a destination of its own!

Cameron Trading Post has a long history, built in 1916.

There are a lot of cool pieces in the room, including this great ceiling lamp.

The Little Colorado River runs behind the hotel.

Hwy 64 is a lovely 30 minute drive along the Little Colorado River Canyon. 

I think this is the best way to see the Grand Canyon, with a lot less people!

In addition to the canyon, the east entrance has Desert Tower!

And there it is! Jeff is duly impressed :-)

We make a couple stops at the roadside tables then we're back on the road south. It's uneventful until the chaos of road construction and lots of people that is Phoenix. Which is also hot on this August afternoon. We're all three ready to get out of the car and stretch out. Dinner delivered and an early night at our last stop in Tempe. 

I love spending time with Jeff, and this was a great trip for getting caught up. Back at the house before noon, we unload the car and call it done! 

Our summer has been very monsoon-light until they finally show up at the end of the month. Every afternoon we get lots of water, thunder and even occasional hail!

Cassidy turns one - girl's got range!

Another grand starts school - yay Penelope!

The city honors Oliver for reading 1000 books before pre-school!!

Big M celebrates another August birthday - we have six in the family!

Not quite caught up, but life has slowed back down again. I'm looking forward to Fall!