From nearly the moment our trip began in Maine, my car
had been making weird noises. It sounded like a rattling, as if something
were loose, but would suddenly go just as quickly as it came. Jenn and I had
been trying to diagnose it for days. It would happen occasionally when we were
slowing down, or idling, but disappear once we got up to speed. It gradually
got worse and worse. So once the oil light illuminated, moments before we were
about to jump back on the 40 in Amarillo, I decided it was time for a pit stop
to figure it out once and for all.
“Man, you are lucky you came in”, said Willie at Jiffy Lube. “You were just about out of oil!”
Apparently, I’d had a slow oil leak and my reservoir was nearly drained. Yikes! Can you imagine what would have happened if my engine suddenly seized, on some highway, in the desert, in the middle of nowhere?! Not only would it have been the end of our trip, but it would have been the end of my car. So, after a quick change, and a fill up, we were back on the road. With the knowledge that we were finally, and truly, ready to roll. And without our former travelling companion, aka: “the rattle”, to accompany us.
Just outside of town was a place that Jenn had found on her daily perusal of Atlas Obscura, a website dedicated to interesting and unusual places on our planet. Cadillac Ranch was the quintessential roadside attraction, and since we were now officially on the old Route 66, we felt obliged to stop. And I am so glad we did. Picture ten neon graffitied Caddys, half-buried in the ground, nose down (tail fins up) in the middle of a massive grassy field. It was like an American Stonehenge. And well worth the side trip, just for the tacky tourist photo alone.
On our long drive from Amarillo to Albuquerque, we had another round of “Ask Google”. This time, with questions like: How far can mountain lions jump? Why is lead designated PB in the periodic table? What is the squirrel-like creature whose name begins with the letter X? Why do rivers sometimes appear green? Does cocoa content affect the melt rate of chocolate? And why are Kit Kat bars so popular in Japan? The answers… 40 feet, Plumbing, Xerus, Algae, Yes, and Kitto Katsu means good luck in Japanese. Who knew? Google did.
The further we drove into New Mexico, the more the landscape changed before our eyes. From the flat plains we’d seen for days and days, to large pointy mountains. And it was toward those summits that we were driving, for our next running adventure. We had planned on taking the tram to the top of Palomas Peak, in the Sandia Foothills, and run the lovely single-track trails back down to the bottom. However, we were strongly advised not to, due to the fact that the higher trails were still quite covered in snow. Snow? In the desert?! Yup. Apparently, it’s a thing. So we opted for the lower, cactus-strewn trails instead. And it was still every bit as glorious.
After a quick lunch at the Frontier Restaurant, and a latte at a nearby coffee shop, we were back on the road. In rapid succession we visited a trio of National Monuments. Petroglyph, El Malpais and El Morro. And we went for a sunset hike on the Continental Divide Trail. These places were certainly nothing like home! Then, 480 miles after we began, we pulled into Gallup for the night. But not before getting nabbed for speeding. Luckily, the cop in the tiny town of Ramah let me off with a warning. He must have taken pity on the lost and tired couple from Maine. And their stinky dog.
The next day, was the one I was looking forward to the most. Day 7. The day I would finally get to see the Grand Canyon. We left town early and eager and sped off towards Arizona. There were a few interesting things to see along the way, and we wanted to make sure we had time to visit them all.
The first was Petrified Forest National Park. An amazing collection of rainbow-colored wood turned stone. And mile after mile of brightly painted desert dunes. I had no idea this place even existed, and now I could hardly believe we were there. It was surreal. Walking around this multi-colored moonscape, on a chilly March morning, we practically had the place to ourselves. Our own private park! How often can you say that these days?
Next, we were headed for a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see, apparently. But at the last moment we opted for something way cooler than The Eagles. A giant hole in the ground! A 50,000 year-old meteor crater, 4000 feet wide and 600 feet deep. I’d never seen one before and I figured we may lose or we may win, but we will never be here again. So, we decided to go. And go we did! Not bothering to take it easy, we ran through that museum in world record time, just to stand for five minutes at the rim of the dusty abyss and gaze down into it.
From there, we jumped back in the car and made a beeline for Grand Canyon National Park. The canyon felt amazing and unusual to me for so very many reasons, not the least of which is how you come upon it. Most of the incredible natural features I have ever visited can be seen from afar and grow ever larger as you approach. The Grand Canyon is different. One moment you are driving along a fairly boring, and actually rather ugly, flat, and arid landscape. Then quite suddenly the ground drops away and reveals the most amazing sight you have ever seen in your life.
Words cannot possibly describe the Grand Canyon. Heck, pictures don’t even do it justice. So, I won’t bother to try. Except to say... go there. You HAVE TO visit this place. If only for the exquisite pleasure of having your breath taken away, like mine was, the first time it came into view.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon driving along the full length of its southern rim. Stopping at each and every roadside pull-off to gawk at the view. I mean, how could you not? Every twist and turn brought a new and exciting perspective into focus. And as the sun set, the growing shadows set the whole thing off. Bringing to it a depth of field that could not possibly be captured in the bright sun. After a thousand pictures, and an anticlimactic bite to eat at the Visitors Center, we made our way to Kingman for the night. Smiles on our faces from ear to ear. Nearly as big as the canyon itself.
The next day, would be both scary and wonderful for a variety of reasons. But as I dozed off in our non-descript hotel room, after 520 miles of driving, all I could think of was the once in a lifetime beauty of the Grand Canyon. And how very lucky I was to be able to share the experience of it with my best friend by my side.
“Man, you are lucky you came in”, said Willie at Jiffy Lube. “You were just about out of oil!”
Apparently, I’d had a slow oil leak and my reservoir was nearly drained. Yikes! Can you imagine what would have happened if my engine suddenly seized, on some highway, in the desert, in the middle of nowhere?! Not only would it have been the end of our trip, but it would have been the end of my car. So, after a quick change, and a fill up, we were back on the road. With the knowledge that we were finally, and truly, ready to roll. And without our former travelling companion, aka: “the rattle”, to accompany us.
Just outside of town was a place that Jenn had found on her daily perusal of Atlas Obscura, a website dedicated to interesting and unusual places on our planet. Cadillac Ranch was the quintessential roadside attraction, and since we were now officially on the old Route 66, we felt obliged to stop. And I am so glad we did. Picture ten neon graffitied Caddys, half-buried in the ground, nose down (tail fins up) in the middle of a massive grassy field. It was like an American Stonehenge. And well worth the side trip, just for the tacky tourist photo alone.
On our long drive from Amarillo to Albuquerque, we had another round of “Ask Google”. This time, with questions like: How far can mountain lions jump? Why is lead designated PB in the periodic table? What is the squirrel-like creature whose name begins with the letter X? Why do rivers sometimes appear green? Does cocoa content affect the melt rate of chocolate? And why are Kit Kat bars so popular in Japan? The answers… 40 feet, Plumbing, Xerus, Algae, Yes, and Kitto Katsu means good luck in Japanese. Who knew? Google did.
The further we drove into New Mexico, the more the landscape changed before our eyes. From the flat plains we’d seen for days and days, to large pointy mountains. And it was toward those summits that we were driving, for our next running adventure. We had planned on taking the tram to the top of Palomas Peak, in the Sandia Foothills, and run the lovely single-track trails back down to the bottom. However, we were strongly advised not to, due to the fact that the higher trails were still quite covered in snow. Snow? In the desert?! Yup. Apparently, it’s a thing. So we opted for the lower, cactus-strewn trails instead. And it was still every bit as glorious.
After a quick lunch at the Frontier Restaurant, and a latte at a nearby coffee shop, we were back on the road. In rapid succession we visited a trio of National Monuments. Petroglyph, El Malpais and El Morro. And we went for a sunset hike on the Continental Divide Trail. These places were certainly nothing like home! Then, 480 miles after we began, we pulled into Gallup for the night. But not before getting nabbed for speeding. Luckily, the cop in the tiny town of Ramah let me off with a warning. He must have taken pity on the lost and tired couple from Maine. And their stinky dog.
The next day, was the one I was looking forward to the most. Day 7. The day I would finally get to see the Grand Canyon. We left town early and eager and sped off towards Arizona. There were a few interesting things to see along the way, and we wanted to make sure we had time to visit them all.
The first was Petrified Forest National Park. An amazing collection of rainbow-colored wood turned stone. And mile after mile of brightly painted desert dunes. I had no idea this place even existed, and now I could hardly believe we were there. It was surreal. Walking around this multi-colored moonscape, on a chilly March morning, we practically had the place to ourselves. Our own private park! How often can you say that these days?
Next, we were headed for a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see, apparently. But at the last moment we opted for something way cooler than The Eagles. A giant hole in the ground! A 50,000 year-old meteor crater, 4000 feet wide and 600 feet deep. I’d never seen one before and I figured we may lose or we may win, but we will never be here again. So, we decided to go. And go we did! Not bothering to take it easy, we ran through that museum in world record time, just to stand for five minutes at the rim of the dusty abyss and gaze down into it.
From there, we jumped back in the car and made a beeline for Grand Canyon National Park. The canyon felt amazing and unusual to me for so very many reasons, not the least of which is how you come upon it. Most of the incredible natural features I have ever visited can be seen from afar and grow ever larger as you approach. The Grand Canyon is different. One moment you are driving along a fairly boring, and actually rather ugly, flat, and arid landscape. Then quite suddenly the ground drops away and reveals the most amazing sight you have ever seen in your life.
Words cannot possibly describe the Grand Canyon. Heck, pictures don’t even do it justice. So, I won’t bother to try. Except to say... go there. You HAVE TO visit this place. If only for the exquisite pleasure of having your breath taken away, like mine was, the first time it came into view.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon driving along the full length of its southern rim. Stopping at each and every roadside pull-off to gawk at the view. I mean, how could you not? Every twist and turn brought a new and exciting perspective into focus. And as the sun set, the growing shadows set the whole thing off. Bringing to it a depth of field that could not possibly be captured in the bright sun. After a thousand pictures, and an anticlimactic bite to eat at the Visitors Center, we made our way to Kingman for the night. Smiles on our faces from ear to ear. Nearly as big as the canyon itself.
The next day, would be both scary and wonderful for a variety of reasons. But as I dozed off in our non-descript hotel room, after 520 miles of driving, all I could think of was the once in a lifetime beauty of the Grand Canyon. And how very lucky I was to be able to share the experience of it with my best friend by my side.
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