Hey everybody, Michael and Paden reporting in en route to Oklahoma City. This is the blog we failed to post the previous day! As of now we are in a starucks using internet in Amarillo. During the car ride to Oklahoma City and Little Rock i'll write the next one explaining the second half of Albuquerque and alter part of the day.
Ok Claire, you were right, the burger place was pretty good. Unfortunately I left mine in Kim's fridge after eating only half. Enjoy! The second night in LA was great as we hung out with old and new friends alike. Just a shutout to Kim, Emerald, Claire, Brianna, Josh, Emily and Nick for a fun night of games, massages, and shenanigans. Late to bed after the party, and early to rise. Yes we got up at 7, I know, ugh! We packed the car, checked we had everything in order, and made for the open road. (Quick thanks to Lisa, Chad, and Kim, for letting us crash at there place, it was great as always.)
Before we entirely made it out of LA we made a special stop for a special person. After 3 months of studying and exploring in Costa Rica it was in fact true, Katie Finch had returned! Not too far out of the way we stopped at Dish for breakfast, and tried to cram as much time in together as possible. Breakfast was lovely, and much appreciated. We had a nice visit and chat from a Mr. Keivin Finch. (Acme in New Orleans we'll find it!) Breakfast ended all too early, as we had to say our goodbyes too soon, although we did get to hear little tidbits of her wonderful trip. The time we spent with Katie would have to suffice as we moved towards the Grand Canyon with an extra piece of luggage (Costa Rican machete!).
The trip from LA to the Grand Canyon was beautiful. Not a whole lot out there, but in terms of natural beauty we saw 5 or 6 kinds of different deserts. There was a little accident at one point where somehow a pressurized can of coffee exploded in the car rendering both front seats, dashboard, and passengers sticky and brown. Oops, it was loads of fun, a bit messy, but great all the same.
We made it to the Grand Canyon in good time, just under 7 hours after leaving Dish at 11:30. Mike had never seen the grand canyon, and I had seen it years ago, so it was exciting as we rolled up. Hopping out of the car fueled by excitement and anticipation we made our way to the south rim. Our breath was taken away by the astounding, vast canyon of sheer drops, amazing colors, and various levels of rock and mineral layering. I wish I could convey the magnitude of this landmark, the pictures hopefully will do it justice. To stand there and take it all in, you feel like you could just be swallowed up by this wondrous canyon.
After exploring a bit and walking to different view points we headed to the gift shop. The learning center had closed at 6, but the gift shop was open till 9. Better to buy than to learn. Walking around the shop we picked up and looked at the many cheesy, yet appropriate items to buy. At one point we were looking at post cards when we accidentally knocked down a whole stock of them, scattering the floor with images of the Grand Canyon. Not entirely embarrassed we laughed it off and picked them up, realizing that this trip would be full of goofs like this, and the coffee explosion.
Heading back to the car we decided to drive around and check out different parts of the south rim. We ended up going to the geology center. Score! It was here that we stayed around for sunset. With a handful of carrots and a box of goldfish we set up shop near a cliffs edge with other tourists and waited. As time passed a real show was put on for us. The lighting and colors that developed and continued to evolve were magnificent. Once again I wish I could explain or show this changing landscape.
With the end of the sun set, and the rise of an almost full moon we set off for Flagstaff. This drive was pretty uneventful. Although, the night ride through the desert pine forrest was refreshing. The moon was bright and helped lead the way. At one point we almost hit a jack rabbit. The machete would have come in handy there. Oh! One of the crazier things that happened were the elk that continued to pop up on the side of the road. It was funny to see elk signs, since living in California we are so used to just deer, but these elk were no joke. Huge beastly creatures, the elk were gigantic, like 6x the size of a deer. After an hour southeast we made it into Flagstaff.
Not much happened in Flagstaff. We toured around a bit to get a feel for the city, but it wasn't too exciting. We parked the car and decided to walk downtown. Not much here except for some bars. But what we did get to do is watch the last of the 9th as Brian Wilson nabbed his latest save. The Giants won 6-5 against Arizona. Black and Orange!!! From here we went to a starbucks for free wifi to get what little internet use we needed for pictures, updates, chat, and business. After starbucks we came to our luxurious hotel for the night, Walmart! We parked , flipped down the seats, moved the stuff to the front, and laid out the sleeping bags. Getting to bed around 11 we had stayed up to figure out the next day, talk a bit about what else is going on, and of curse to eat marshmallows as big as your fist!!!
The night wasn't too bad. Aside from the walmart parking lot lights, it wasn't too uncomfortable; we'll see how it gets later in the trip though. Up bright and early we were surprisingly refreshed and ready to go. Leaving Flagstaff by 8:30 it was on to Albuquerque. On the road for only an hour we had to stop at Meteor Crater!!!! The history was a bit lost on us and somewhat conflicting in areas, but the crater itself was really cool. “Over 2 miles in length,” Michael adds “and over 500 feet deep!” We spent a lot of time walking around exploring the crater and taking it all in. An hour passed, and we soldiered on towards Albuquerque. Along the way there were tons of “Indian” stores selling a the little chotchky's (sp?) nick-nak’s, and tourist trinkets. It was a little sad to se every mile another one pop up offering the same cheesy tourist crap. We did stop in one just to check it out, but it never felt right. There was so much cowboy and indian paraphernalia, it was one giant exploit.
Well we just passed into New Mexico, and I have caught up to present time. Looking forward to Albuquerque we have a few places to check out. We'll see if we stay there or move on to Amarillo. Yay!
Wow quick side note we just ran into dead traffic. After a car flipped a bitch right in front of us everything came to a screeching halt. Currently under the hot desert sun we now await for things to pick up again.
If you keep up with us we'll keep up with you. Good lookin' out!
-Goulet!
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