Day 17 – Heading Back East

Today we departed from Cibalo National Forest, just a few miles east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. We were every bit of 24 driving hours from home. It was going to be a long day. We took off a little after 9am this morning. I drove until around 11:30am where we stopped to eat in Tucumcari, NM at the Pow Pow and Lucky Lizard Lounge. We could not have made that up. We attempted to stop in a few towns prior to grab something to eat, but all the places were either closed or we felt the US Dept. of Health would have never allowed them to be in business. The Lizard Lounge was actually pretty good.

Anna took over after lunch and I got on the computer for around two hours to update and work on the blog. It was but a few minutes after when we were about to arrive in Amarillo. I had looked up a few days prior things to see in Amarillo and the one thing that stuck out was the Cadillac Ranch. For one, it’s definitely not a ranch, and second, it is a completely odd thing to have right off the interstate. Apparently, some rich guy back in the 1974 hired an artist who buried 7 Cadillacs in the ground and let people graffiti them. This would have definitely been something Olivia would have enjoyed seeing.

We took a few pictures and we were back on the road. I laid down for a bit to try and get some sleep but was unsuccessful. However, just laying down and stretching out makes a huge difference. Mama plowed through Texas and onto Oklahoma while I laid down. Even though Mama and I did not spend any time in Oklahoma, we both agreed that the drive through the state was beautiful. 

The sun set in the big OK state around 7:45pm and now it was simply going to be the dark show. So much for sightseeing.

 

Day 15 – Leaving Lake Mead / Hoover Dam

The night prior we managed to find a local gem of a campsite on the shore of Lake Mead. It was nice to wake up on the water. However, we didn’t stay too long. I made us both some coffee and Mama made some bratwurst. Powered it all down and then packed up to make our way to the Grand Canyon.

We stopped in at the Grand Canyon Brewery once we got into Grand Canyon City. Had a few beers and some chicken wings and then headed back out to find a camp spot. On the way up highway 64, we stopped at a gas station to get some water and wood. We ran into a group of 5 fives that were on their way to boondock as well. I mentioned Forest Road 302 and they said that’s where they were going. And then there was a caravan.

We actually ended up turning onto FR328 and as we came around the first turn, Mama spotted two elk in the distance. Heck yeah!!! We had been looking for days with no results. Finally, we could say we saw some elk in Arizona! Didn’t drive in but about two miles before we found a great campsite for all three vehicles. It had a massive fire pit and was well covered with trees.

When I got out of the car, we all properly introduced ourselves. Philip, his son Isaac, ex-brother-in-law Tim, wife’s sister son Navad, and Darby a co-worker friend of 20+ years. Good group of guys. We quickly let loose and had a few beers and laughed our asses off. Everyone was cracking jokes. I don’t think we headed into bed until a little after midnight.

Day 16 – Grand Canyon National Park - South Rim

Woke up this morning and older gents (Darby, Tim, and Philip) had left to go on a hike this morning. The young bucks (Isaac and Navad) were up and break down camp. Having a full-on camper, you don’t realize how convenient it is. I made some coffee for Anna and me. She got out of bed about 30 minutes later. We said our goodbyes to the guys and made our way into town first to grab some grub. We stopped at the Foodie Club and I grab a BLT and Mama got her a salad.

We drove into the park and stopped at every possible scenic view and side road. The scenic drive, which was called the Desert View Drive, was around 25 miles long. We both opted to skip a few of the beginning pull-offs, as they were packed with people. We figured the further in the park, the fewer the people. We were right.

We took plenty of pictures and took a hike about halfway into the park. It was a dirt road and we weren’t on it but about twenty feet when we started noticing animal tracks. Big hoof marks dotted the landscape. No matter where we turned or looked, they were everywhere. I do know that I have ever seen that amount of elk and deer tracks every in one spot. We roamed and followed some of the winding paths through trees and brush hoping to run across one. For some reason, I think they have a better sense than we do. Even though we didn’t see any, we had a blast and felt like we ran with the herd.

Before heading out of the park, we stopped at the park’s Watchtower. It is a pretty cool tower structure perched on top of a cliff built back in the 1800s. Very cool and glad we stopped to look at it. As we were leaving the parking lot, Anna saw a few deer bedding near the road. It was a mother and her fawn, along with another adult doe. It is amazing how they blend into the naturescape!`

Left the park around 3pm and headed back towards I-40.

Day 16 – Sunset Volcano National Monument

Not long after we left the Grand Canyon National Park, we headed down the road towards I-40. Just a few miles prior to hopping on the interstate, we stopped at the Sunset Volcano National Monument. I was a volcano that had erupted long ago. I spoke with one of the rangers at the visitor center and he informed me that the area was home to 600 volcanoes. Albeit all now dormant, still pretty dang impressive!

The immediate area was carpeted with black pumice and ash. It was very surreal seeing the landscape be covered in black. You could almost imagine being there during the eruption. Thank goodness we weren’t. We didn’t stay in the park very long because wanted to try and get down the road to the Petrified Forest National Park before dark. Anna wasn’t feeling too good, so once we left the park she laid down in the back and tried to close her eyes.

I had about an hour and a half until we got to the Petrified Forest. It was a pretty easy drive and the surroundings kept changing about every 30 minutes. Crazy how the landscape changes so drastically in this part of the country. On the way to the forest, we stopped in Winslow, Arizona and had an incredible dinner at Red River Brewing.

Got to the entrance of the park and it had signs that it was temporarily closed. Bummer!!! Back on the road and I drove a little past Albuquerque and got us parked in the Cibalo National Forest for the night.

Day 14 – Red Rock Canyon National Park (now - National Conservation Area)

Woke up this morning in a bed I knew was not in the camper. Was a bit weird. The bed in the Revel is actually very comfortable. The goal was to head out of the hotel no later than 10am. And let me say that the goal was achieved. Anna and I headed down onto the casino floor and got some coffee at the Lucky Penny restaurant. As I got the van put back together, Anna finished getting ready and meet me down in front of the lobby.

Off to Red Rocks Canyon. As we were getting closer to the park, the colors in the rocks were spectacular. Like someone took a paintbrush and painted strips across the mountain range. Deep reds, browns, and greens. Sprinkle in some beige and almost whites, the site was somewhat mesmerizing. As we got to the entrance, it had signs stating you needed reservations to drive in the park. I pulled in and asked one of the rangers and they stated we should be able to get some without any problems. The only thing was we needed to drive back towards some cell signal and then purchase the ticket online.

We headed back toward Vegas for about five to ten minutes and booked a ticket for noon. Since we had an hour plus to burn before we could head in, we drove and explore the surroundings of the park. We enjoyed every bit of it. Once inside the park, we just took our time and I believe may have been the slowest drivers in the park. We stopped pretty much at all the stops and went on a few hikes. At the Willow Springs area, they had an unmanaged road which most people walked, but we took Olimas down it to find a beautiful spot. We parked her for around two hours and just took in the view.

Around 4pm or so, we headed out of the park and started to make our way towards Hoover Dam. The last time we were here, they had not finished the new sky bridge over the river but were almost completed. That was at least 15 years ago. Now the Hoover Dam road is mainly used as an attraction, more than a real vehicular crossing. As we looked up the Dam, it stated it was closed due to dam repairs, at least the center was and they were not doing any tours. 

As I crossed over the new bridge, I noticed a brown sign for Kingsman Wash a mile. It looked like it could potentially take you to a lookout over the river. I pulled off, Anna quickly noticed the gates on one side and said the road was closed. I looked to the left under the bridge and saw a dirt road. Let's see what's here. It took us on a 4x4 road that winded up and down through gorgeous hills only to dump us on the lakeshore about four miles later. Perfect final camping spot.

Day 13 – Heading to Las Vegas

Anna and I had a pretty big day yesterday and did quite a bit of walking. Sleeping in this morning was not a choice we made, it just happened. We didn’t have any major plans today but wanted to get some work done, do some laundry, catch up on the blog, and try to plan the next couple of days.

Somehow we managed to camp the night at an amazing location. Right above a dam on top of a canyon in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. Although we were only about 2-3 miles off from the main road, it didn’t seem like it. We enjoyed our morning there. Mama made some bacon and eggs, while I worked a bit, and then we slowly packed up and headed into Zion.

We parked Olimas at the Laundry mat in Zion and I worked while Anna did some laundry. I worked for about an hour and a half. I finished just in time as Anna finished folding all the laundry. How did I manage to get out of that task? Clothes back in place, we walked around a bit in some of the shops. As usual, we picked up a few things for the kids and then headed for some grub at Oscar’s café. The food was awesome! I had an Enchilada that was to die for and Anna had an Ahi Tuna Salad. Definitely would recommend and definitely would go back.

Stuffed, we rolled down the road towards Vegas! Las Vegas was only 1.5 hours from Zion. The drive even was very serene. The whole area in this part of the country is simply breathtaking! The mountain views just never end. I had promised Anna we would stop in Vegas and get her a real shower and bed. Never of us wanted to stay on the strip, so she found us Red Rock Canyon Casino and Resort. Seeing that we were going to visit the Red Rocks tomorrow anyway, the location made sense.

I pulled into the hotel entrance in the valet lane but was quickly told they would not valet this vehicle. Couldn’t take the responsibility, yet they were parking Lambos and Ferraris with no problem. Go Olimas parked for the night and bellied up to some slots and tables. Anna and I played on slots, Keno and Roulette, before getting dinner at (sushi restaurant). As is the common thread – sushi was thumping! Mama got a Miso soup and a Poke bowl. I got a Niji Roll – a roll topped with 7 different fish and stir-fried rice

. Hands down, both were good, but the rice was probably the best I’ve ever had. Anna agreed.

We got back out on the floor and donated money to the establishment for the next three to four hours. Win some – Loss some – Loss some more – and then to bed!