Great American Southwest Trip

This was a different type of trip for us. Joyce and I didn’t travel west together. She flew and met up with her sisters. I met them in Kingman Arizona where Joyce and I began the real trip. It was also a long trip, 6,069 miles over 19 days.

It was an excellent trip. We had a great time.

Canyon de Chelly

On the way west to meet up with Joyce, I visited Bandelier National Monument and Vales Caldera National Preserve. Together we went to the Navajo Reservation, both rims of the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, Mesa Verde, and Canyonlands National Park. We took a drive through Colorado’s southwest mountains. We took a train ride from Durango to Silverton and back. On the way home we visited New Mexico’s northeast mountains and drove across Oklahoma’s northern prairie.

I’ll be posting separately on most of the places we visited. Here’s an outline of the trip:

• Day 1

  • Joyce and I drove to her sister’s home in Morristown Tennessee.

• Day 2

  • Joyce and her sister flew to Las Vegas to meet up with another sister.

  • I drove to Russellville Arkansas and camped.

• Day 3

  • Joyce and her sisters went to Kingman AZ where they stayed until I met them.

  • I drove to Tucumcari New Mexico and camped.

• Day 4

  • I drove to Bandelier National Monument where I camped.

  • Visited Valles Caldera.

  • Visited Bandelier National Monument.

• Day 5

  • Drove to Kingman AZ where I met up with Joyce and her sisters.

  • Stayed at their BnB.

• Day 6

  • Joyce and I drove to Tuba City in Arizona’s Navajo Reservation.

  • Spent the night at the NavajoLand Hotel.

• Day 7

  • Visited the Grand Canyon’s south rim.

  • Camped in Tuba City.

• Day 8

  • Drove to the national forest campground at Jacob Lake where we camped for two nights.

  • Visited the Grand Canyon’s north rim.

• Day 9

  • Visited the Grand Canyon’s north rim.

• Day 10

  • Drove to Chinle, again in the Navajo Reservations.

  • Visited Monument Valley on the way.

  • Stayed in a motel for two nights.

• Day 11

  • Spent the day at Canyon de Chilly

• Day 12

  • Drove to Mesa Verde in Colorado where we camped for four nights.

  • Visited Mesa Verde.

• Day 13

  • Drove a mountain loop through Durango, Silver City, Ouray, Ridgeway, and Dolores.

• Day 14

  • Visited Utah’s Canyonlands National Park.

• Day 15

  • Took a steam train from Durango to Silverton and back to Durango.

• Day 16

  • Drove the scenic route to Clayton New Mexico.

  • Visited the Colorado towns of Pagosa Springs, South Fork, Del Norte, Monte Vista, Alamosa, Fort Garland, and San Luis, Colorado’s oldest town.

  • Visited the New Mexico Towns of Red River, Eagles Nest, Cimarron, and Clayton.

  • Spent the night at a motel in Clayton.

• Day 17

  • Drove to Tulsa Oklahoma where we visited friends Steve and Annie.

  • Visited the Oklahoma towns of Boise City, Guymon, Buffalo, Woodward, and Enid.

  • Stayed at a hotel.

• Day 18

  • Back to freeways. Drove to Nashville where we visited our sensei.

  • Stayed in a motel.

  • Too tired for a workout with Sensei.

• Day 19

  • Drove home.

There will be more posts as I can process pictures and get to it.