Day 15 – Grand Canyon
Sunday morning we got up early to hike (some of) the South Kaibab trail down into the canyon. We were excited to see it from a different perspective, and it was well worth the effort. We hiked a little over 3 miles down to Skeleton Point, which sits about 2200 feet below the rim. This part of the hike was very pleasant, as it was still cool, not very crowded and all downhill. The hike back up was a little more difficult to say the least, but after fighting the heat and the steep trail, we made it back to the top. After recovering from the hike back at RC, we returned to the canyon for another amazing sunset.
Day 16 – Grand Canyon to Sedona
Monday morning we packed up RC and headed to the visitor center, so Michael could do his conference calls while Tracey squeezed in one last hike on the canyon rim. Then we reluctantly left and headed to Flagstaff, stopping for lunch at Mama Burger. Next, we headed through the Oak Creek Canyon and into Sedona, pausing for work and a little more hiking. After exploring Sedona, we returned a few miles back into Oak Creek Canyon to spend the night at the beautiful Cave Spring campground.
Day 17 – Sedona to Gallup
Tuesday we had a lot of driving to do, so Tracey took the wheel while Michael worked in the back of RC. After a quick stop to check out Meteor Crater, we continued east on I-40 to the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert, where we had time for a few quick hikes and a lunch stop. We then headed into Gallup, New Mexico for a night in a hotel.
Day 18 – Gallup to Albuquerque
Not much to see in Gallup, so we moved on pretty quickly to Albuquerque, stopping at the edge of town to check out the Petroglyph National Monument. Our hotel was near Old Town, so we had a chance to walk around and explore that part of the city, enjoying an excellent dinner at the St. Clair Winery.
Day 19 – Albuquerque to Ruidoso
Another long driving day, and after several fairly busy days in a row, we were too tired to do a lot of exploring. We checked into a hotel in the mountain resort town of Ruidoso and relaxed.
Day 20 – Ruidoso to Roswell
Feeling rested, we got up and explored Ruidoso Friday morning, before grabbing lunch at Hall of Flame Burger. After lunch, it was time to hit the road for a short drive into Roswell and another night in a hotel.
Day 21 – Roswell to Lubbock
We started off our Saturday the only way you can in Roswell, with a visit to Roswell UFO Museum. After visiting with the aliens for a bit, we grabbed lunch at Burritos and More and then headed to Lubbock for a week with Michael’s family and a wedding!
Day 22 through 28 – Lubbock/Wichita Falls
This week was planned as a relaxing time to catch up on work and laundry while spending time with family. Most of the week was spent in Lubbock, TX, then we moved on to Wichita Falls for the weekend and the wedding of Michael’s niece, Kayla. It was really great to get to spend so much time with family and to prepare for the next phase of our journey.
