Day 1 Bothell WA to Boise ID (almost)
Left Bothell around 11:45am. Plan was to get to Boise but we didn’t make it that far. A crash on I-90 outside Ellensburg added an hour. And it started snowing pretty heavy in the dark and we had to go ~35mph. Got hard to see the lanes so we stopped at a Love’s gas station in Ontario OR, about an hour NW of Boise. Ate bierox for dinner in the van. The new rack is working great to hold the microwave and organize a lot of our stuff.
Day 2 Ontario OR to Provo UT
Left Ontario around 10am. Good weather during the day. Got to Salt Lake City at 5pm. Went to a Planet Fitness near downtown SLC. Paid $3 for parking but found out when we checked in that we could have had free parking with our PF membership. Just took showers and got back on the road. It had started snowing pretty heavy while we were in PF. Had to drive thru SLC during rush hour so slow going. Stopped for gas at Costco then headed further south. Snow was heavy enough that we could only go 35mph. Stopped at a Love’s south of Provo. Had bierox in the van for dinner (again). Decided to stay here for the night since it is so snowy.
Day 3 – Provo UT to Moab UT
Left Provo around 10am and got to Moab a ~3 hours. Got gas and then went to Arches NP. Picked up our pass to hike the Fiery Furnace tomorrow. You have to watch a video and answer some questions with the ranger so you know what you are getting into and to make sure you don’t destroy habitat. The weather was perfect, sunny and 60 degrees. We drove thru the park and stopped at most of the sites. Took some photos, hiked a couple of short hikes (.25 mile out and back) and then headed to Utahraptor State Park a few miles north of Arches. Campsite was ok. It is former BLM land that is being converted into a state park. So no longer free but only $15 for the night. Cooked some salmon for dinner. Saw lots of stars.
Day 4 Fiery Furnace hike, Moab UT to Gallup NM
Got up and it was windy and threatening rain. Ate some breakfast. Packed up just before the rain started. Went to the Fiery Furnace and started our hike. This was one of the coolest hikes I’ve ever done. Lots of scrambling and route finding wasn’t easy even with a GPS. The wetness made it trickier. I definitely recommend it and would do again. Preferably when it is dry. They limit the number of people, and you need to reserve your permit a week in advance.
We were originally going to stay another night in Moab, but the weather wasn’t great, so we decided to head further south. Got to Gallup NM just after dark and stayed at another Love’s. Even ate fried chicken from the attached Chester’s Chicken. It was pretty good.
Day 5 Gallup NM to Roswell NM
Well, I finally came down with the flu that Tracey has had since before we left. I thought I had avoided it, but I didn’t. Hiking in shorts in 45-degree rain probably didn’t help. We left around 10am and drove 2 hours to Albuquerque. Stopped at a Planet Fitness and took showers. Went to a pharmacy and got some cold medicine. Had lunch at a Jersey Mike’s. Drove to Roswell. Since we both still feel crappy, we decided to get a hotel room for the night. Surprisingly most were sold out. Not sure what is going on in Roswell this weekend. Got one of the last rooms at a Super 8. Not great but it will do. Wasn’t that hungry so just ate snacks in the room and watched some TV before going to bed early.
Day 6 Roswell NM to Carlsbad NM
Got up at 9, went to the “free breakfast” at the hotel at 9:30 only to realize it ended at 9am. So, we just ate some snacks for breakfast. Checked out, filled up with gas and went to the UFO museum. It was a pretty interesting place. More crowded than I expected. Overhearing others, I think there are a lot of conspiracy theorists. Pets were allowed in the museum. We even saw one lady walking her pet lamb on a leash. Had sandwiches for lunch and headed to Carlsbad NM. Camped at Sunset Reef campground. It is a free BLM site a few miles outside of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We got here around 3:30pm and all of the designated sites were taken. But there was still some room to park around the perimeter. Got a good corner spot near the toilet, put out our “rug” and table and had a good setup. Had to weight the rug and table down because they were getting blown away. Surprisingly good cell signal so we were able to stream The Oscar’s on the TV. Had the last of our salmon for dinner while watching TV.
Day 7 Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands
Got up and leisurely packed up the campsite. Our reserved time to enter the cave wasn’t until 11:30. Got to the cave around 11 and still had to wait in line for 20 minutes. Did the “hike in” (vs “elevator in”) option. Pretty cool. Hiked down ~800 feet underground and then hiked around the great room for a couple miles. Then elevator back out. It was fun but to many idiots that just stop in the middle of the trail and cause a traffic jam. Took about 2 hours for the hike. Left around 2 and went to Upper Karr Canyon campground near Cloudcroft. It was really pretty. But it was at ~8500 elevation and there was still snow on the ground and Tracey was bitching about being too cold, so we left and headed to Las Cruces. We stopped at White Sands around 6:30 about an hour before sunset. Just enough time to drive through and hike around the dunes for a bit. It was really pretty. But it is really just like a giant beach with gorgeous sand and dunes but no water. I was surprised how busy it was. Lots of kids sledding down the dunes. Left just at dark and went to Las Cruces. Passed by the White Sands Missile Range but couldn’t see it in the dark. Stopped at a Love’s (again) and had Subway meatball sandwich for dinner. Camped in their lot.
Day 8 Las Cruces to Petrified Forrest
Got up and went to a Planet Fitness and took showers. Then went to a Walmart superstore for some groceries. Left Las Cruces around noon. Nice drive thru New Mexico backroads to Petrified Forest. Pulled into a campground/gift shop just before 6pm, but they are closed. Parked for the night. Had the last of the bierox for dinner.
Day 9 Petrified Forest to Grand Canyon
Got up and left without our normal breakfast or morning drinks because we wanted to get to the Petrified Forest visitor center and use their restrooms. Went to the visitor center and walked around some trails looking at lots of petrified wood. Drove thru the park and stopped at some sites. It was super windy. Heading to Flagstaff we saw signs for a big meteor crater. We took a detour to check it out but it seemed like a tourist trap ripoff so we opted to save $50 and skipped going in. Stopped in Flagstaff for a little late lunch then went on the Grand Canyon. Checked in to our campsite and then went shopping. The grocery store was really nice (for a park store) and they had a nice outdoor gear shop too. We bought some sweatshirts and t shirts. Drove to the visitor center but it was closed. Walked around and out to Mather Point to see the canyon. On the way back to the van we saw some deer roaming around. Then on the drive back to the campground we saw some elk. Had salad with chicken and tomato soup for dinner.
Day 10 Grand Canyon
Last night I dumped the leftover soup outside by a tree. 4 ravens found it and ate it for breakfast. We had some breakfast and then went to the visitor center and watched the Grand Canyon movie. Hiked a couple miles round trip along the rim trail. Then we drove south along the rim stopping at most of the pullouts. Each viewpoint was gorgeous. Got back to the campsite and took showers and did laundry. Then drove around the campground and saw 4 elk walking thru. Cooked dirty rice and salad for dinner. Watched the season 1 finale of Poker Face on TV.
Day 11 Grand Canyon
Got up and ate breakfast. Waited around for it to warm up a bit. Drove to the visitor center and then caught a shuttle bus to the Bright Angle trail head. We had packed everything except our micro-spikes. The trail was covered in packed snow and ice. Decided to try it anyway. Hiked down about a mile then turned around. Going up was easy but going down was a bit slippery at times. It wouldn’t have been an issue except for the exposure. Hiked the rim trail a few miles back to the car. Went back to the campsite and rested for a bit. Watched TV before dinner. Salad with Chicken and leftover dirty rice for dinner. No clouds tonight so the stars were super bright.
Day 12 Grand Canyon to Prescott to Quartzite AZ
Left Grand Canyon and went to Prescott AZ. Stopped a Planet Fitness and then grocery shopping at Walmart. Drove on to Quartzite AZ. The drive was really nice. Twisty mountain road. Stayed in a Loves parking lot. Had a subway sandwich for dinner. This Loves was a little sketchy. Heard a few guys arguing in the parking lot around 3am. Luckily they left.
Day 13 Quartzite AZ to Joshua Tree
Got to Joshua Tree after noon. Stopped at the visitor center. Was going to drive thru the park but the entrance was backed up so we just went to our campsite. We stayed at Indian Cove which is in the park but you enter on a separate road and it is a dead end so little traffic. Hiked on some trails around the campground. Climbed up the rocks at our campsite. Had Mac & cheese and salad for dinner.
Day 14 Joshua Tree and Palm Springs
Had breakfast and then drove thru the park. Stopped at a few sites and hiked around a bit. Finished earlier than expected so we drove into Palm Springs. Stopped at a Planet Fitness for showers. Then headed back to our campsite. Super windy and a little rainy. Storm is coming. Cooked pasta with sausage and vodka cream sauce for dinner.
Day 15 Las Vegas
Originally planned to go to the California coast but a huge storm is expected so we decided to go to Las Vegas instead. Drove thru the Mojave desert. Got to Vegas around 2pm. Stayed at Treasure Island. Valet parked the van had to tip the guy to park it in the VIP area since it won’t fit in the garage. Was starving so we grabbed so Chinese food and ate it in the room. Walked around the strip until ~7:30 then ate at the sports bar at Treasure Island.
Day 16 Las Vegas
Slept in. Grabbed some Starbucks for breakfast in the room. Walked up and down the strip, about 7 miles. Stopped for lunch at MGM and had some Mexican food. Went back to the room to rest. Then walked back to Eataly at Park MGM for dinner. Walked back in the dark and saw the Bellagio fountain show and Mirage volcano show.
Day 17 Vegas to Bliss Idaho
Drove 8.5 hours today. Took Highway 93. On Google maps it also refers to this as “the loneliest highway”. It was pretty desolate but was a nice drive. Pretty scenic and not sketchy at all. Got to Bliss around 9:30, filled up with gas and ate some dinner. Stealth camped at Loves gas station. This is one of the nicest ones we have seen yet.
Day 18 Bliss ID to home
9.5 hour drive home