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)!

One week until the road trip!

It's hard to believe that we're a week away from the road trip. By this time next Thursday, we're hoping to be looking at the Grand Canyon sometime between early evening and sunset! The planning process is done. Now comes the final preparation and packing and then checking off the items on our trip checklist. Stay tuned for pics from the journey.

3 Weeks Until Road Trip!

Only 3 weeks remain until we depart on the second installment of The Great American Road Trip: The South. The flight to Phoenix is booked as is the rental car. The route has been mapped, mileage calculated, hotels selected, and some main attractions plotted.

There are several days with lots of driving between destinations. We still need to explore places and things to see along some of these roadways so we can break up the monotony of the drive. One final planning aspect: dinners! On our last road trip, we estimated where we would be around the dinner hour each day and mapped out some local eateries. We still need to do the same for this trip. Hopefully we'll eat just as well as we did along our northern journey.

Route Planned for 2012 Road Trip

We have the route planned for the 2012 Great American Road Trip. This year's journey starts in the southwest, moves into the deep south and then back north via the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. Here's a map of the planned route showing some of the major stops.

The more detailed route is 3100 miles stretching across 13 states. Plans for each day include:

• Day 1: Phoenix to Sedona and then to Grand Canyon, AZ
• Day 2: Grand Canyon then thru Flagstaff to Winslow, AZ
• Day 3: Winslow, AZ thru Gallup, NM and stopping in Santa Fe for sightseeing. Onward to Santa Rosa.
• Day 4: Santa Rosa, NM to Roswell for some alien visitation and then off to Abeline, TX.
• Day 5: Abilene, TX to Dallas for a tour of Cowboys Stadium. Onward to Shreveport, LA.
• Day 6: Shreveport, LA to Vacherie for plantation tours and then to dinner in New Orleans. Onward to Laurel, MS.
• Day 7: Laurel, MS to Birmingham, AL for Civil Rights tours. Pass thru GA and TN to Asheville, NC.
• Day 8: Biltmore Estate in Asheville and then onto the Blue Ridge Parkway to Hillsville, VA.
• Day 9: Back to the Blue Ridge Parkway and connecting to Skyline drive. Resting in Harrisonburg, VA.
• Day 10: Finish Skyline drive in Front Royal, VA then north thru MD and DE toward home in PA.