"It must be the Goddamned Grand Canyon?"

It’s a line from Thelma & Louise. Wanna know what’s been happening over the past few days? I know you do. Well, here we are in Las Vegas, NV. Tomorrow morning will be a week since we left Chicago. We still have another week out here on the open road.

Since my last visit here to blog-land, we’ve pushed our way through several more states. I think we left off in Oklahoma City. We had just arrived in our fabulously decorated room. We ordered pizza for dinner; and slept soundly in our very comfy beds. In the morning, we made our way to the Oklahoma City Memorial. I had been there on the two year anniversary during my tour w/ a children’s theatre way back when. It was scary then, since you could still see the buildings surrounding the site; damaged from the explosion. This time around, the memorial was obviously complete. It was beautiful, moving…and there was definitely a strong vibe in the area. What made me upset, was just the fact that so many people, still living and working in the downtown area (as I’m sure is the case in NYC), have to encounter this memory every day on their way to work, or during their lunch break…whatever. I cried a bit; and with chin quivering, I made my way to the fence on the opposite side of the memorial; where all of the survivors and family members had placed cards, stuffed animals, letters, etc. What a way to start the day…on such a high. Seriously, I’m really glad we took time to visit.

A bit of a drive later, we exited Oklahoma, passed through the panhandle of Texas; and made our way into New Mexico. In Amarillo, TX, we stopped at The Big Texan Restaurant, where they offer a free 72 ounce steak for free; if you can finish it in one hour. NO, we did not partake of this task, but we did stop to take a look. Nifty. That night we stayed in Santa Rosa, NM, just a short way from Albuquerque. I loved this little town; just the layout and the friendly folks. Our hotel was a newly remodeled Hampton Inn; and I have to say, for a middle of the road (as far as quality); it was pretty fabulous. I used the pool for a while and played a few games of pool w/ the other half. While in Santa Rosa, we visited “The Blue Hole”. It’s a natural cave about 81 feet deep, filled w/ water. Apparently, it’s a huge scuba diving attraction…in the middle of New Mexico. Go figure. We didn’t scuba of course, but we did check it out; got some photos; and ogled some of the hot young divers we found upon our arrival.

The next morning (what day was this? I have no idea…all of our days/travels/stops are beginning to blob together...) we headed out toward the border of Arizona. Our stops this day made for a very overwhelming leg of the trip. We hit the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest which was stunning. Many photos to show up later. Just so much to see! This is better seen than explained. Plus I’m tired right now.

BTW, we don’t have internet right now, so this is being written @ 11:19 pm PST on April 6th (shit, is that right?); and will be posted later…does that suit you?

After the Painted Desert, we stopped by to check out the Meteor Crater. It’s a crater created about 50,000 years ago. I had no idea what to expect. It was awesome! The size was unbelievable. We couldn’t even get the entire thing into one photo. From rim to rim, it was about ¾ of a mile, and about 70 stories deep. It was amazing; and worth the side journey to take a gander; and to see the cows on the way.

We ended our day in Flagstaff; grabbing a bite @ Red Lobster…served some of those fabulous biscuits by a flaming, but cute young college student. Flagstaff is basically in the mountains, certainly not what I would have expected. Gorgeous landscapes; and clearly seen ski resorts on the side of the mountains. It may seem stupid, but I was a bit shocked to find snow in AZ…hadn’t we left that behind?

It was quite strange when we passed the border into AZ…realizing that this was our new home state. I still don’t think it has really hit me…that we no longer live in Chicago. I have no idea what the future holds for us. Again, I’ll just enjoy this complete escape from real life; while it lasts…another heavenly week.

So, this morning, we headed out from Flagstaff, drove through the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Before we hit the actual park, we stopped off to see the Little Colorado Gorge…kind of an appetizer for the big one. And this one was humongous as it was. I have never seen the Grand Canyon, and frankly I was completely floored. It was so beautiful; and seemingly never-ending. It was one of those sights you’ve read about, seen photos of, etc, but actually experiencing it was…well, it’s hard to put into words. We took dozens of photos here, so you’ll get the idea when we post those. It really is something you have to experience in person. AMAZING.

Once we left that behind, we moved northwest toward Nevada. As we crossed over the state line, we got the chance to drive over the top of Hoover Dam. We didn’t stop; as the tourist numbers were crazy. But the other half got plenty of photos as we drove through the jam packed highway. 20 miles later, we arrived in Sin City. We checked in to Paris, and made our way onto the strip. We returned to our old stomping grounds of Cesar’s Palace; had a bite to eat; and played a few slots. And, here I am, blogging @ close to midnight; for all of you faboo folks.

The strange highlight of the day? It’s all in the timing. As we made our way to the crosswalks to get to Cesar’s, we ran into two Chicago friends; Hoyt and wife Megan (sp?). We haven’t seen them in at least a couple of years, and that fact that we ran into them is simply crazy. The fact is that the other half wasn’t going to take a shower after I did; once we arrived in the room today. Think about it. If he had decided not to shower, our timing would not have been the same; and we never would have known they were here. Weird, huh? So, anyway, we’re going to meet them for dinner tomorrow.


2 nights here in Vegas. It’ll certainly feel super nice to wake up tomorrow morning; and not have to get back on the road right away. More reports to come.