Every trip we take is special in its own way. Since I can remember we have always loved road trips, but we would never venture too far. We’d hop in the car and head two hours away to camp on the beach in Corpus Christi, and then come right back home. Eventually we started going further, road tripping into Georgia, Florida, Arizona, and Louisiana, but those are stories for another time. In 2010 we took the grandest trip to The Grand Canyon and that was the trip that changed it all.
The trip came as a gift by Judy’s Aunt Isabel. She invited us to accompany her on a hike down the Grand Canyon, as a 50 year old birthday gift to herself. We couldn’t say no! After this trip our desire to travel the world had been magnified, and since then we have been a part of some pretty amazing road trips across the southwest, and we’ve even road tripped through Costa Rica! Six years later brings us to spring of 2016. We decided to plan a trip to Utah, with some fun stops along the way. Knowing this trip was going to be special, we knew the perfect person to come along with us would be the one who showed us how to really travel, Aunt Isabel. The bonus this time was that our cousins John and Gabby would also be along for the ride.
Our first stop would be Las Cruces NM. Aunt Isabel’s best friends were so generous to offer us a warm bed for the first night of our journey to Utah. We met Harley the dog, rescued some stray ducklings we found wondering in the yard, and then hit the town for some dinner. After dinner they took us to their favorite frozen custard stand, Caliche’s! THE BEST EVER!! The next day we said our farewells to our new friends and the baby duckies, and hit the road to our next stop, Monument Valley, AZ!
The land was beautiful and so was the Navajo community. We would be sleeping in a ceremonial hogan made by the Navajo people. We saw the sun set and rise over Monument Valley. It was magical, and I think I can speak for the others when I say it was one of the greatest experiences ever. We we’re given a sage stick and loose cedar by our hosts, to cleanse the hogan and to keep us protected through the night. In the earth dwelling these sweet scents invoked our connection to the land. Truly spiritual.
A little side note: We were never more excited with the prospect of an outhouse, and we were told that if we wanted to use it with the door open we could. In fact they recommended it since the views are so amazing!
Nothing can compare to sleeping in the earth under the stars, in lands that hold a such a unique history. Next leg of the journey was into Utah. To the Arches.
