Day 10: Heading home

Today we awake to a beautiful, crisp morning on the Skyline Drive. We take in a last view from our lodge and then head out on the road. We coast along the Skyline Drive for a while and watch the sun slowly rise above the mountains. Some deer enjoy their morning breakfast along the roadside.

At last, we take in the final views offered along the skyline and then head out along the highways toward home in Pennsylvania. We covered 3500 miles over the last 10 days and crossed through 13 states. We had beautiful weather along the way and are grateful for the opportunity to see even more of what America has to offer. We're hopeful for future road trips along the Northwestern and New England portions of the country.

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Day 9: An unexpected stay on Skyline Drive

Today we continue our journey along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yet again, the weather is superb and provides beautiful views and excellent opportunities for taking photos. We work up an appetite winding through the parkway and we find a beautiful spot along the James River for a short hike and then a picnic lunch.

After lunch, we connect to the Skyline Drive and take in more spectacular views. While we initially planned to leave the drive and stay the night in Harrisonburg, we are enjoying the Shenandoahs so much we decide to change our lodging and stay along the Skyline Drive. We are fortunate to find a room with a view at the Skyland Lodge.

We check in to the lodge and head out for a hike along the Stony Man trail. The trail leads to a breathtaking view of the Shenandoah valley as you stand atop Stony Man's forehead. We finish our hike and have a relaxing dinner at the lodge while overlooking the mountains. We end the day with a beautiful sunset and then some star-gazing. This is our last night on the road. Tomorrow we head home for Bensalem.

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Day 8: The journey north

We start our day in beautiful Asheville, NC and head to the Biltmore Estate, built by the Vanderbilt Family. The Biltmore is the largest house in America. It's interior opulence could not be photographed but it was most impressive. Equally stunning is the house architecture and the surrounding gardens, plants, trees, and waterways. The wealth of the estate seems almost obscene but one cannot help but be impressed by the works of art displayed around the estate.

Following the tour of the Biltmore, we dined on some delicious pizza in the River Arts district of Asheville. The food was fantastic and some of the locals made for some interesting viewing as well. Then we were off to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Again, the weather was most cooperative and we took in some amazing views along the parkway as we pressed northward. Tonight we rest in Hillsville, VA and continue our journey tomorrow back on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then onto Skyline Drive.

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Day 7: A long day's drive

We begin our day in Laurel, Mississippi. It is dark and gloomy start to the drive and rain arrives. We do not fret... JT is playing on the radio and we keep steamrolling through those country roads with sunny skies on the horizon.

We cross into Alabama and stop off in Birmingham for a visit to the Civil Rights Institute. They have some amazing exhibits. We stop off to visit the 16th Street Baptist Church famed for the KKK bombing that killed 4 girls. Our visit provides an important yet sobering view into a dark chapter of our country's history.

After Birmingham and some lunch, it's on the road for many more miles. We cross into Georgia and then into Tennessee, traveling by way of the Great Smoky Mountains. After 9+ hours of driving, we arrive in Asheville, NC for a night's rest. Tomorrow we tour the Biltmore Estate and then begin our journey north along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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Day 6: The Deep South

Today we venture further into the deep south and visit an 18th century plantation along the Mississippi River. The Oak Valley Plantation provided an interesting insight into plantation live in the 1700 and 1800s. The grounds and building have been restored and maintained throughout the years. The weather is a balmy 85 degrees... perfect conditions for a mint julep on the veranda.

We continue further down the Mississippi to New Orleans. The French Quarter did offer some street-side musicians whose talents did not go unnoticed. However, the Bourbon Street scene was less impressive than expected. Although the housing and building architecture around the quarter was a pleasing site.

We cross Lake Pontchartrain out of NOLA and head into Laurel Mississippi for a night's stay. Tomorrow's journey will be the longest thus far as we expect to drive about 9 hours and cover 4 states - Alabama (with a stop in Birmingham), brief pass through Georgia and Tennessee, and into North Carolina.

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Day 5: Mecca

Day five starts with more driving through the desolation that is Texas. Some time before Ft. Worth, the skies are dark and gloomy. Then, on the horizon, a beacon shines through the clouds... Cowboys Stadium!

We stop to pay homage to the house that Jerry built. Inside we find a pleasant smell unfamiliar to Eagles' fans... the smell of victory. We tour the stadium and have access to the field, stopping on the famed star.

Our tour concludes and reluctantly, we leave an press on for Louisiana. After what seems an eternity of driving, we're finally out of the state of Texas and come to rest in Shreveport, LA. Our hotel is along the Red River and we enjoy a lovely stroll along the waterfront area before satiating our appetites. The evening concludes with a chilly swim in the hotel pool.

Tomorrow we plan to visit a plantation along the Mississippi River in Vacherie and then off to Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

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Day 4: Alien Invasion!

It's Easter Sunday and we're in Santa Rosa, NM... which is basically like being nowhere. We head out toward Texas but first, a stop in Roswell, NM to see the aliens.

Well, this town ranks pretty high on the cheese-o-meter but we have fun nonetheless. The town has alien references throughout and makes for some interesting sight-seeing. We stop off at the UFO Museum for an even bigger bite of the cheese and the museum does not disappoint!

After Roswell, it's off to Texas. They say everything is bigger in Texas... and they're right!  Even the boredom factor is bigger as we drive through the western part of the state with nothing of interest to see.

Tonight we rest in Abilene, TX and await tomorrow's visit to Cowboys Stadium.

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Day 3: Winslow AZ to Santa Rosa, NM via Santa Fe

It was a long day on the road. We left Winslow, AZ and headed toward Gallup, NM to visit some trading posts along historic Route 66. Gallup was a bust and not worth the stop, except to get the feel of being on part of the historic road.

We pressed on through Albuquerque and onto Santa Fe for a visit to the Indians Arts and Culture Museum. The museum featured some amazing artifacts from various tribes spanning hundreds of years. Some artifacts date back close to 1000 years ago!

Because we had a late lunch, dinner in Santa Fe was cancelled and we opted to get on the road. We arrived in Santa Rosa, NM. The town is not much to look at but we did take in a good meal at Joseph's right on Route 66.

Tomorrow we move on to Roswell, NM and, barring any alien abduction, we continue east toward Abilene, TX.

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Day 2: Grand indeed!

After a good night's rest and a hearty breakfast, we ventured back to the Grand Canyon and took some time to do some hiking down into the canyon. It was a chilly start to the day in the upper 40s but we quickly warmed up as we hiked. By the time we we're hiking back up and out of the canyon, we were shedding layers.

Overall, it was a cool but sunny day at the canyon. After our hike, we took a scenic drive along the rim, stopping at various points to take in the view. After a picnic lunch, we headed to the east side of the canyon and took advantage of a 360-degree view from a tower above the canyon rim... fascinating. We had a perfect day with gorgeous weather.

Tonight, we rest in Winslow, AZ (east of Flagstaff) and venture along portions of Route 66 as we head to Santa Fe, NM for some Native American museums and southwestern food... Santa Fe style!

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Day 1: Phoenix to Sedona and the Grand Canyon

The first day is always the longest day. After leaving Philly at 5:30 AM, we made it to Houston for a connecting flight to Phoenix. Phoenix was a balmy 88 degrees but it didn't take long for temps to drop as we headed north toward Sedona.

In Sedona, we took in the famous red rocks along the Red Rock Loop Road. Temps had dropped into the low 60s and there was plenty of cloud cover and wind to make it feel even cooler. After some walking about, we headed north again and made it to the Grand Canyon. By then, the sun had come back out but the wind was strong and temps were down in the 50s. But the 30+ degree temp change didn't stop us from enjoying a beautiful sunset along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Finally it was off to nearby Tusayan for dinner and a much needed sleep, with dreams of a beautiful Friday for more exploring in the Grand Canyon.


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Rocky start to the road trip

We found out that our flight to Phoenix (connecting through Dallas) was cancelled due to plane damage from storms in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. American Airlines cannot offer an alternate flight leaving on the same day... not even via other airlines (so they claim).

Fortunately, we found an alternate flight via United leaving on the same day. This is going to cost more than expected and we're sure we're in for a fight to get reimbursed from American. We'll deal with them later. For now, we're moving ahead as planned (we hope)!