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We got up early in Iowa to try and get a good jump on the day. We were a couple of hours behind so we wanted to try to make up some time. I know, that is the theme of our trip LOL.
Anyways we are driving and as we cross into NE we can see the city skyline of Omaha. It was so pretty! I didn’t realize just how big of a city it actually was!
The drive through NE was pretty. Lots of farmland too. The cows were literally on the side of the Highway for a good portion of the trip. It was crazy!
Then we are heading into Kearney and we drive over an Archway. It looked so cool over the highway so we had to take a picture. We cross into Colorado and continue to see farmland and flatlands.
Then all of a sudden on the horizon we can see the snowcaps of the Rockies. Such a beautiful sight! So cool to see them so far in the distance and know that we are going to drive through them.
Colorado started off as some pretty flat farmland but man does that take a turn when you hit the mountains! Such a beautiful sight. So many wildlife crossing signs, and ones I have NEVER seen before. A Big horned sheep, cattle crossing sign, a bison crossing sign, you name it! Craziness! I prayed nothing crossed in front of us!
Due to my wonderful timing, we were driving straight through to Grand Junction. This means we were driving through the mountains at night. Let me tell you how much fun that was, NOT!
The speed limit was like 75mph (or around there) and then would drop to 60 or 50 due to the crazy turn up ahead. People were flying by me! The roads were not lit up at all and so I had no clue where I was going! We got there, but it took a little longer than originally anticipated.
We check in and pass out LOL. The next morning, what a view! The sunrise over the hills in the distance. Such a beautiful sight! Soon after we hit the road we crossed into Utah.
Utah is where the fun begins. This state is absolutely breathtaking. There is so much to look at! There are so many parks to go too. We could have spent all of our time just here taking in the scenery. We are definitely planning a family vacation out there sometime soon!
Since we didn’t have enough time for Zion or Arches, we decided to head right to Brice Canyon. The highway also has viewing areas every so many miles which is awesome! You can take a quick break and take in all the beauty for a moment.
Once we finally got onto the road for Brice Canyon, the traffic was a nightmare. We must have picked the wrong time to go LOL. Since I needed a restroom, we pulled into the Red Canyon visitor center.
Jimmy walked around for a few min while I did what I had to do, and he realized this was another little hiking area! So I went into the visitor center and asked what we could do that wouldn’t take too long. The man I spoke with was very nice and full of knowledge. He sent us on the red canyon loop.
This trail was perfect! It was definitely for beginners and perfect for Dolly to join us. There were benches and photo spots along the route. This was also clearly marked which was super helpful. We got some exercise in and some great pics! Such a wonderful stop.
Once we get back on the road we are heading to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon! I have always wanted to go to AZ so I was so excited to be heading there next!
We went to the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon as that was on our way to Phoenix. The road was long and windy to the National Park. Then the road got even worse as we got further through the National Park. So far I was not loving these roads, thats for sure! Especially since everyone else FLYS down them! Anyone who has ever been in my car knows I do not drive like “Nana” but I do when I have no clue where the road is going! UGH LOL.
Once we finally park and start to walk around I realize there is no clear view of the canyon. Trees everywhere and a straight drop if you get too close. I did my best to see and get some pics but I must say I was extremely disappointed.
Now people have told me that the southern rim is spectacular and I picked the wrong one. They may be right, I don’t know. I just picked the one that was along the route we were taking. Then we start our drive to Phoenix. We have to back track a bit to get out of the park and it’s getting late in the day. Jimmy is driving out of the park since I drove in.
The scenery between there and Phoenix was beautiful. There isn’t much out there though so luckily we got gas near the canyon so we were good to go otherwise we probably would have run out of gas in a no-service zone! The roads continue to wind around the mountains and the sun sets as we are driving on these winding roads.
Then we are on the highway in the dark. There are turns everywhere and I cannot see where I am going. My palms start to get clammy and I think for the first time ever, I have a panic attack. We had to pull over and Jimmy had to drive. I just couldn’t. It was awful! Anyone who knows me knows that I drive, always. I was so happy once we finally got to the hotel.
Now, not to insult anyone or step on toes but I can honestly say after that trip I will not be jumping to go to AZ anytime soon. Between the winding roads and my disappointing view of the Grand Canyon, I’m all set.
We head out of Phoenix the next morning and we are only a few hours from CA. We get on the highway and just fly. The roads seem better today as we head further west. The temperature though keeps on rising. My car at one point read 113 degrees Fahrenheit! Crazy!
There is also nothing but dessert as we head west. We drove for miles and miles of desert. We could see mountains on the horizon and as we got closer we started to climb up. It was 113 degrees still and you could feel the heat if you opened the window.
There were signs to notify drivers that the high altitude with heat could cause overheating and to turn of AC if necessary. We saw a few trucks off to the side pouring water into their radiators. There were stations actually giving out radiator water for free. I thought that was pretty cool.
Once we got over the top and started to come down the temperature started to drop. We could see the city on the horizon. We had finally made it into San Diego County. This trip wasn’t quite over yet though as we had one more hotel to stay at…….this one was a doozy for sure!
We checked into a hotel on the outskirts of Old Town. We couldn’t move into the apartment until the next day so needed a spot to crash. Well we thought we would be near restaurants and bars but no this was literally off the highway with almost nothing around it.
This hotel also had quite a few visitors who would pull up to the curb, someone would come out of their room, and then the car would leave after a few min. Yup you guessed it, I booked us a crack house. It was AWFUL!!!!! No refunds since we were already there so we were stuck. We got delivery, hit a liquor store and proceeded to stay in the room for the duration.
At one point we were trying to log into WiFi but that was an issue too because it cost $5 a day! What kind of hotel doesn’t have free wifi????? Whatever, we made it. The next morning we left early and signed our lease. We have now been here a little over a month and I have to say I love it out here. The weather is perfect, there is plenty to do, lots of stores near us for whatever we need, and the schools are decent. Tyler starts on Monday
If there is a lesson to be learned in my wonderful, crazy adventure it is this: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR WITH HOTELS. If its cheap, that’s because the accommodations are also cheap. Safe travels!
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