where wildly different is perfectly normal
All the things I learned on a road trip to the southwest
All the things I learned on a road trip to the southwest

All the things I learned on a road trip to the southwest

Home. So good to be home. I’ve returned, dug out from under the mountain of laundry, bought groceries, attempted to revive the outdoor plants I forgot to have a neighbor water, and have more or less recovered from the multiple miles I put on this body last week. Many many thanks to Missy, Sarah, and Jeanine for guest posting last week. Knowing someone was covering for me allowed me to relax on this trip. And trust me, I needed to relax.

So. Home. And reflecting upon the trip. Amazing what wanders through your mind when all you do is gaze out the window at the most spectacular landscape on earth.

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Pack margaritas. Find a way. The end.

After awhile, dusty brown/sage green/desert red starts to get irritating and you’d give a kidney for a deep green field of corn.

You will have spotty cell service, which is awesome when you discover that somehow your cell number ended up on a NYC Craiglist ad for naughty encounters. The calls, messages, and texts are icky. They are no more entertaining a week later.

Monticello, UT is a teeny tiny town…but has a fantastic little cafe with killer coffee.

The Four Corners photo op is a massive waste of time, but will keep the cherubs from whining for the next 15 years that I didn’t take them there when we were so close.

Hovenweep National Monument is in the dead center of Fumblebuck, USA. How far from the beaten path? A burro crossed the road in front of us. And yet? I had cell service. I don’t have cell service in parts of my own town, yet Fumblebuck USA crystal clear bars. I suspect it’s because the aliens in NM phone home from there.

My new standard for rating a hotel is how good the coffee is. Courtyard by Marriott, I’m looking at you. That crap you provide is beyond nasty, I’ve had better in hospitals.

By day three, strapping a grumpy child to the roof is starting to look like a reasonable idea.

I’ve decided I will only embark on a family road trip in a Yukon XL, gas mileage be damned.

My parents are awesome in setting this up and taking us on this trip.

I really wish Tom could have come.

I should have bought an eye-fi card before leaving. Tagging all the photos by location is going to take forever and/or never happen.

A road trip diet of junk food, Coke Zero, bad coffee, and whatever LOOKS gluten-free will royally jank up your system. I foresee a detox in my future.

The memories made on this trip will last several lifetimes. Think I’m kidding? My sons know stories not only of the road trips I took, but the ones my mom took. Generational road trip stories rock.
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Back to reality. I’m rested and raring to go. Mostly.

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