We are finely on our road trip across the USA.

We decided to drive all night Sunday so we could get as far as we could by Monday evening and by 6:30 pm we had our tent set up at a KOA near Elk City, Oklahoma. We were pretty tired all the next day and sleeping in the car is never really comfortable so I don't think we will do the all night driving thing again this trip. Tuesday morning we were up, packed and on our way again by 9:00 am. At 12:30 we stopped for lunch at a Whataburger in Amarillo Texas and then we got on 54 and then 285 on the way Roswell, New Mexico. New Mexico is surprisingly flat and we saw a lot of empty roads and fields. We arrived in Roswell at 8:30 and decided to find a campground as close to Roswell as possible instead of driving the extra hour to the nearest KOA. We found one campground by chance when Jeremy went into a gas station to ask about campgrounds and ended up hanging out with a group of people watching a guy try to shoplift. While there he met the owner of a campground that was just down the street, so every thing turned out well for everyone except for the shoplifter who was asked to leave.

We spent half a day at Roswell and when we ran out of alien and UFO stuff to look at and do and had walked around town we decided to leave for White Sands. We stayed at a campground in Almaogordo which is about a 15 - 20 minute drive from White Sands National Monument. White Sands National Monument was amazing and hands down one of the coolest place I have ever been. The white gypsum dunes go on as far as you can see and the park stays open until after dark so you can watch the sunset and the moonrise over the dunes. The Park also lets you play on the dunes outside the parks conservation areas. People picnic and bring sleds to slide down the dunes and the park even sells sleds incase you forgot yours.

When we were talking to one of the park rangers, we found out that they had just reopened their camping area, which is almost a mile hike into the heart of the dunes, and that tomorrow was the full moon, a blue moon no less. We decided that camping on the sand dunes under a blue moon was something we could not pass up. So the next morning we went to the park and reserved our campsite. Then we went back to our campground to do laundry, and work on a stupid website.

Because it was the hottest part of the day we decided to go see a movie, Shrek 3 was a big disappointment. Then we grabbed subway for dinner and were on our way to White Sands. It was a lot of work hiking almost a mile across the dunes mainly because we kept forgetting things and having to hike back to the car but it was worth it. The moon was so bright that I had trouble sleeping but the moon light views were amazing. The sun rising over the dunes was almost as beautiful as it was setting the night before. In the morning we left for the Petrified Forest. We arrived at the Petrified Forest a little later then we intended so we only saw the Painted Desert and then we had to leave for Holbrook because the KOA we were going to stay at closed at 8:00pm and we did not want to miss it.

The next morning we went to see the Petrified Forest and hiked some of the short trails through the Petrified Forest. We then drove to Sunset Crater. The Sunset Crater was pretty neat and I am glad we stopped but it is a little commercial. It was a big hole in the ground and I guess they thought they needed to spice it up a little. The museum was interactive and informative but the gift shop was way too commercial. After we left Sunset Crater drove to Flagstaff to do some grocery shopping for our camping in the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon was amazing and I am definitely going to go back and camp across the Grand Canyon one of theses days. We just did not have all the gear this time to do it. Partly because we did not think to bring some of our backpacking gear and partly because Jeremy decided at the last minute not to bring his brand new backpack that he bought for the trip but instead bring an old duffel bag. We are never going to let him live it down. We camped at the Mather campground, which was nice because every thing was pretty close. The day we arrived we walked along the canyon rim a little, and then we went and set up camp at the campground. We then met up with some friends Jeremy made while we were in Holbrook seeing the Petrified Forest, and they ended up camping right next to us. We put our food together and had a good dinner of hot dogs, hamburgers, and beans. We then sat around the fire and roasted marshmallows until we got too tired to talk.

The next morning we had a group breakfast of grits, pancakes, and bacon then the guys packed up camp and we decided because it was hot that we would go to Sedona instead of going hiking. Sedona was an art town with a cowboy theme. I have been to a couple art towns and they all seem to have a similar feel. The views around the town compensated for its objet trouvé, with its tall red canyon walls surround the town making it quite picturesque and gave everything a worm protected feeling. Then when you drove up out of the canyon there were sweeping views and red mountains.

The third day we were going to hike the Grand Canyon rim, but the day was beautiful hiking weather, not too hot and a few clouds. So we decided to hike down into the canyon. We hiked the South Kaibab Trail, which has several stops on its way down to the Colorado River. We were going to hike to the Ceder Ridge stop off, which is a three mile round trip hike, but we were talking to a ranger on the way down and he suggested that we hike to Skeleton Point which was a six mile round trip and was about halfway down to the Colorado river. It was a fun hike with lots of amazing views and shear drops with nothing between you and certain death but your commonsense and the wind. We ate lunch on a cliff edge swinging our legs over nothing and watching the birds fly far below us. The walk back up was tiring but fun. About half way up the wind got real bad and for about a mile we would have to take brakes and shelter behind rocks or scrub trees and wait for the wind and dust storms to pass before we could continue hiking. It was fun.

The forth day we packed up because we were moving to the Desert View campground. We then hiked a little over three miles along the rim of the Grand Canyon. A cold front had come in during the night, so the hike was cool and windy, but that is better than hot. We then drove to the Desert View campground and set up camp. I like the campground, but you are not to use the water for anything but drinking and putting out your campfire. So every one there stunk. Jeremy and I then went and watched the sun set over the Grand Canyon. The next morning we left the Grand Canyon, and on the way we stopped at an over look point and played around the Little Colorado Canyon for a while.

After we left Grand Canyon we were looking forward to once again having showers, power and internet. That is right, we did not shower for four days and now we even have a phone signal sometimes, but it is a little coy and as soon as you start a conversation with someone you loose the signal.

On the way to Colorado we stopped to see Monument Valley, which had great views but we got a little turned around and then we stopped at Four Corners where New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah come together. There was a three-dollar charge to see Four Corners, which was annoying, but what can you do? It was one of those tourist things. We stayed at a KOA in Alamosa and then in the morning we left early for The Great Sand Dunes. The Great Sand Dunes  are the tallest sand dunes in North America. White Sands was cool, but the The Great Sand Dunes where a different kind of cool. So we walked, climbed, and wandered on the dunes for hours until we were tired and hot and then drove to Buena Vista. There were several hot springs near by, so we went to the one Jeremy had gone to before and stayed there till ten, and then drove back to our campsite very tired.
The next morning we left for Colorado Springs to see the Garden of the Gods. The Garden of the Gods was wild; these red sandstone spires just stick out of the ground in one place and then vanish. We spent hours following the trails and then when we got tired and hungry we went and ate a late lunch at a Schlotzsky's (they say they have pumpernickel, but do not believe them). Then we drove to a KOA in Limon, which is winning, in our best KOA of the trip pole.

The next day we drove strait through the middle of Kansas to Missouri. I do not know why people say that Kansas is so flat or treeless or in the case of the Wizard of OZ sepia tone. We drove through the middle, west to east and I would assume that would give us a pretty good idea of Kansas changing landscape. It did not change but it was green and rolling with scattered groves of trees. It must be the fact that the scenery does not change very much that annoys to people and makes them say boring things about Kansas (Which I will not deny are most likely true). We ate lunch at McDonalds in the middle of Kansas somewhere and I can honestly say it was the worst hamburger of my life, I do not go into a McDonalds expecting a gourmet meal and so I am not usually disappointed but it was bad.

We spent the night at a KOA on the Missouri border and then where off early in the morning because we had a long drive a head of us. After a little while we decided to stop at a fireworks store because we kept seeing signs and our trip to South of the Border last summer was a big disappointment. The firework store was pretty cool and Jeremy described me as a kid in a candy shop. I spent more money then I had intended but it was for a good cause, my own entertainment. Apparently Missouri has the most lenient fireworks laws in the hole US. Then it was back on the road.

Axel